Tips on Avoiding Redundancy and Repetition in Writing

Repetition and redundancy can be a problem that appears in a particular sentence or occurs throughout the whole paper. However, sometimes, repetition and redundancy may be not a problem but a writing approach that has its intention. Check out this article from writers-house to improve your writing and to understand how to approach your task properly.

Repetition at the Paper Level

The first and the most obvious advice is don’t copy and paste whole sentences into different sections of your paper. Nobody would enjoy the repetition of this kind.

• Don’t restate your previous points
  You may restate some key ideas but make sure to avoid unnecessary repetition that will distract your readers and worsen their overall impression from your paper.
  For instance, if you’ve already listed your methods in the methodology section, there’s no need to summarize them in the section dedicated to the results of your experiment.
  If you want to remind some important details, you may just mention the corresponding section of your paper, for example, “for more details, see Chapter 2.”
• Don’t repeat your headings
  It’s especially important for every section to have its particular heading so that your readers can easily navigate through your text. If you have more than one conclusion, you can make the titles of your conclusions more descriptive.
• Are all the sections relevant?
  Consider all of your sections in the context of the main idea of your paper. All your arguments and examples must be directly related to the main goal and the thesis statement of your paper. In this case, it will be easier for you to avoid redundancy.
  If there’s no clear connection between a certain segment and the general purpose of your paper, you may either remove this information or explain this connection more explicitly.

Repetition at the Sentence Level

Avoid long introductory clauses that repeat the information that you’ve already mentioned in the previous sentence. This approach will only prevent you from addressing the new point properly. We recommend that you make introductory sentences short so that readers can stay focused on your thesis statement or the main idea of your paper.

We also recommend that you read your paper out loud. This way, it will be much easier for you to detect repetition. Below, we listed the most effective methods to avoid excessive repetition:

• Use both short and long sentences;
• Use different transition words;
• Don’t refer to different things using the same pronoun;
• Don’t repeat the same words or the same sounds;
• Don’t explain obvious points;
• Avoid redundancies.

When Repetition Is Not Bad?

It’s very important to understand that repetition itself is not always a problem. Moreover, you can even use repetition to help your readers better understand what you’re saying. Nevertheless, if you think about adding some repetition, ask yourself whether it’s really necessary.

• Restating key points
  You might restate your main points from time to time when writing on complex topics so that your readers can understand how you develop your argument.
• Restating the research question
  In the conclusion, you can remind your readers what was the purpose of your research and what you wanted to accomplish so that they can evaluate your success.
• Referring to important variables
  Instead of making up new ways to refer to the key elements of your topic, use standard terminology so that your readers won’t get confused.
• Underlining key points
  Repetitive paragraphs and sentences may also be used as rhetorical devices to emphasize your main point. A good example of this kind is John F. Kennedy’s famous quote “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”