{"id":69557,"date":"2019-03-15T16:00:58","date_gmt":"2019-03-15T15:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.nl\/?p=69557"},"modified":"2023-07-23T15:13:08","modified_gmt":"2023-07-23T13:13:08","slug":"repetition-redundancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.com\/academic-writing\/repetition-redundancy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to avoid repetition and redundancy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Repetition and redundancy can cause problems at the level of either the entire paper or individual sentences. However, repetition is not always a problem as, when used properly, it can help your reader follow along. This article shows how to streamline your writing.<\/p>\n

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Avoiding repetition at the paper level<\/h2>\n

On the most basic level, avoid copy-and-pasting entire sentences or paragraphs into multiple sections of the paper. Readers generally don\u2019t enjoy repetition of this type.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t restate points you\u2019ve already made<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s important to strike an appropriate balance between restating main ideas to help readers follow along and avoiding unnecessary repetition that might distract or bore readers.<\/p>\n

For example, if you\u2019ve already covered your methods in a dedicated methodology chapter<\/a>, you likely won\u2019t need to summarize them a second time in the results chapter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re concerned about readers needing additional reminders, you can add short asides pointing readers to the relevant section of the paper (e.g. \u201cFor more details, see Chapter 4\u201d).<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t use the same heading more than once<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s important for each section to have its own heading so that readers skimming the text can easily identify what information it contains. If you have two conclusion sections, try making the heading more descriptive<\/a> \u2013 for instance, \u201cConclusion of X.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are all sections relevant to the main goal of the paper?<\/h3>\n

Try to avoid providing redundant information. Every section, example and argument should serve the main goal of your paper and should relate to your thesis statement<\/a> or research question<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If the link between a particular piece of information and your broader purpose is unclear, then you should more explicitly draw the connection or otherwise remove that information from your paper.<\/p>\n

Avoiding repetition at the sentence level<\/h2>\n

Keep an eye out for lengthy introductory clauses that restate the main point of the previous sentence. This sort of sentence structure can bury the new point you\u2019re trying to make. Try to keep introductory clauses relatively short so that readers are still focused by the time they encounter the main point of the sentence.<\/p>\n

In addition to paying attention to these introductory clauses, you might want to read your paper aloud to catch excessive repetition. Below we listed some tips for avoiding the most common forms of repetition.<\/p>\n