Helpful Tips on Successful Anthropological Writing

Helpful Tips on Successful Anthropological Writing
The writing done in anthropological fields tends to focus on making general claims and arguing persuasively about human behaviour, culture and experience based on particular cases that are studied in depth, and students of anthropology are often advised to begin written assignments with specifics rather than generalities. Anthropological theories and arguments are developed from carefully recorded field notes and ethnographies, and then compared and evaluated by other researchers who critically assess how accurately these theories and arguments explain or illuminate particular ethnographic or archaeological examples. Keen observation of details, insightful reflection, painstaking accuracy and precision, logical analyses of patterns and sophisticated argumentation involving complex data are all required in successful anthropological writing. Such writing is therefore far from simple and tends to constitute a considerable challenge not only for students who are new to advanced research and scholarly writing, but also for experienced anthropologists and published authors. When well done, however, anthropological writing can be incredibly engaging, and not just for anthropologists and other specialists. As human beings, readers of all kinds are drawn to the best research and writing done in anthropological fields.

To communicate effectively with such a large group of readers and earn the best grades or publication in the best scholarly journals and books, anthropologists must achieve a written style that is crystal clear and absolutely correct. Errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar must be eliminated not only because they look sloppy and unprofessional, particularly to the educated audience most scholars hope to impress and convince, but also because they can result in confusion for readers, who might be misled or give up on your text entirely. The language you use should be both concise and precise while also communicating every detail the reader needs to know to understand your specific claims and overall argument, and that argument should be logical, persuasive and thoughtfully supported by the presentation of appropriate evidence. Specialised or obscure terminology should always be avoided as much as possible, and whenever such discipline-specific language does prove necessary, it should be explained as it is introduced and then used with precision and consistency so that readers understand its significance and role in your text. Any nonstandard abbreviations you use should be treated similarly by being defined on first use and retaining consistent forms and meanings throughout a document.

An effective structure and carefully designed formatting can also increase the accessibility of your writing and the ease with which readers understand it. Paragraphs that focus on main ideas and develop them effectively without being too long or too short enhance comprehension and provide readers with breaks to digest new knowledge. Sections and subsections with engaging and informative headings render even extremely complex material more accessible. Tables, graphs, charts and figures that are well laid out and accurately labelled to present important trends and vital data in clear and eye-catching forms often prove far more effective than prose descriptions of procedures and results. Finally, giving your document an overall structure that neatly reflects the logical movement of your argument will serve your reader as well as it serves you while you work to weave your ideas into engaging scholarly prose.