Writing tips-

1. Formatting-Stick to a single format for all your articles. Preferably TIMES NEW ROMAN not 11 or 12.Heading can be font no 14.

2. How to check for key word in your article- To do the verification of Key words I use the CNTL F search function to find the terms I’m looking for within the text. To do so is simple. I highlight and copy the term. Do the CNTL F command. Up pops the search box. I paste the term I’m looking for into the Find What box. And search clicking on the Find Next button. In this case I’d be using the search function to find the word “treatments” within the text. You should generally find most keywords within the text highlight it or put in italics as requested by the client. If so simply move on to the next one. If not you’ll want to work the one that’s missing into the text. Remember too that sometimes an awkward term may have been “tweaked” so you may try searching for part of the term if you don’t find it as one text string. Doing so will turn up that part of the awkward term revealing the tweak and the rest of it. Usually I go to the bottom of the text to search and search UP? And if the search brings me to the term itself in the list of key words as in this example I’ll know right away it wasn’t included.

3. Free content- Free content is just that free but it comes with certain rules. You have to replace the article exactly as it was given and you have to put in the original writers name at the bottom of the free content. So this means you have already to give credit to the original writer and you didn’t do anything for it. As a result you don’t get paid!

4. Plagiarism checkers- Run all your work through the plagiarism checker called as duplichecker before submission. Please do remember that we have to make a name for ourselves as good writers for better jobs and if you want to be good you have to be original and plagiarism is not original. And you don’t get paid for it!

5. At the bottom of every word document left hand side you will make out four tabs called as normal view, web layout view, print layout view, and outline view. Please put all document in the print layout view which arrange your document to look like I have.

6. For most web documents and articles- avoid long paragraphs bigger than five lines. Don’t make two line paragraphs. Always run spell check and grammar check before sending. Always read through your document before sending no matter how tired you are; it always catches silly mistakes and errors.

7. Make a detailed list- of headings, beginnings and endings you can use when you are in a hurry and keep updating as required and when you have time. This comes very useful for emergencies.

8. Brush up regularly on the use of punctuation marks (American and British varieties), Clients can be very particular and irritable on wrong punctuation marks.

9. When you agree to work on a project you will be forwarded a brief which will include as much information as possible to help you produce relevant high quality copy for the client. All briefs will include a word quantity requirement which should be regarded as a minimum figure. Please do not regard the figure as a target but as a guide. You may feel as you are writing that more information is required to fulfil the brief to your satisfaction than the word count might allow. Do not be concerned, if you feel that a few extra sentences are required to produce a good product then put them in. But please remember that you are not writing a novel, as soon as the brief is fulfilled to your satisfaction move on and start your next article. Productivity is important to maximise your earnings so do not spend longer on an article than is absolutely necessary. Obviously the range of subjects you may be asked to write about will be quite diverse and each brief will be as specific as possible.

10. Please do not use words that would have most people reaching for a dictionary unless of course they are of a medical or technical nature.

11. Avoid hyperbole (intentional exaggeration.)

12. Do not use street or slang words. Do not overuse commas.

13. Do not give distances to or from unless relevant, e.g. a traveller might find it helpful to know the distance from an airport to a city centre. Avoid being too exact with such information, state an approximate figure.

14. Do not give population figures of towns or cities unless that information is relevant to the brief and would be useful to the reader. Do not name individual establishments such as bars, hotels, etc unless specifically asked to do so. Don’t guess at anything. If you can’t substantiate information do not use it.

15. If you are working on news related articles it may be useful to utilize Google’s news email service. On the search engine page above the search box you will see the word ‘news.’ Click there and a new window will open. On the left hand side of the window you will see ‘News Alerts,’ click there and in the next window you can enter the news topic in which you are interested. Enter your email address and any relevant news will be sent to you at a frequency that you may choose.

16. Don’t use “so” and “ well “ in all your articles.



17. If you’ve been given a topic like”reflecting telescopes” which you don’t really understand and don’t know how to search out in. Then use these simple tricks-

a. Add the word tips and tricks after the word you will be researching like “reflecting telescopes tips and tricks”
b. Add the word articles after the key word
c. Add the word hints after the key word
d. Add the words how to after the key word.
e. Search through the news section of google.