This part of the English-language section of the University of Barcelona’s Llibre d’estil provides a series of principles that can help all those researchers who may feel unprepared to write in a language that is not their own. These principles, particularly those considered in Paragraphs, Active or passive, Parallel structure and Concision, are largely the result of the work done by Joseph Williams and published in his book Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace. If followed, they will enable you to write clearly and comprehensibly. Here, the focus is on writing research in general, and the principles can be applied to all three ambits — the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences — and all levels — bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctorate or even professional research. They can also be applied to all forms of informative writing.

A word of warning, however. The principles are merely guidelines, not rigid rules, so apply them judiciously. Also, take care to apply them when you are revising, not when you are drafting. Otherwise, you may have great difficulty in writing anything at all. Inevitably, applying these principles will make the writing process slower because you will be thinking about what you are doing, but they will help you to write prose that is clearer and more readily understood by the reader, and that can only be good for the world of science in general and you as a researcher within it.