Section outline


    • Tips for writing an article

      Language
      • think about the audience that the article is for – when writing an article, you do not usually know your readers personally and so you will need to think about their likely interests and experience before you write
      • how you expect, or want, your audience to react – remember that the tone of most articles should be semi-formal, so before deciding on your tone imagine your article being read out loud and how that might sound to your reader. For example, an article reviewing a film may be humorous, even sarcastic, but that would not work well for more serious readers or topics
      • the purpose for the article – is the purpose, or reason, for writing your article to persuade your readers to agree with you or to invite your readers to think about different points of view and decide for themselves? For example, do you need to sound reliable and well informed, or choose words that strongly convey a particular emotion?
      • how to keep your readers interest – imagine how boring it would be for your reader if you used the same kind of sentences and simple repetitive vocabulary all the way through your article. Try to include a range of grammatical structures and relevant vocabulary to make sure that your reader wants to keep reading.

      Organisation
      • Plan a route through your article before you start writing it – the structure of an article is usually in three parts. For example:

      1. An introduction – engage your reader’s interest and introduce your argument or the main points of the topic to be discussed.
      2. A middle – develop relevant and interesting points about the topic to interest and/or convince your readers to think about a particular perspective.
      3. An end – draw your points together and leave your reader with a clear impression of the argument you want them to believe or the viewpoints you would like them to consider.