Checklist for Effective Writing

As a writer, you are responsible for effective communicating your ideas to your readers. Transport Policy, a leading research publication, offers a checklist for authors interested in publishing with the journal.

While originally intended for academic writers, this checklist is valuable for all types of writers. I believe it can benefit both novice and experienced authors, so I have adapted it for general writing purposes.

• Have you told readers, at the outset, what they might gain by reading your paper?
   
• Have you made the aim of your work clear?
   
• Have you explained the significance of your contribution?
   
• Have you set your work in the appopriate context by giving sufficient background (including a complete set of relevant references) to your work?
   
• Have you addressed the question of praticality and usefulness?
   
• Have you identified future developments that might result from your work?
   
• Have you structured your paper in a clear and logical fashion?