Originality of content
If your favourite subject happens to be a well-worn one, try to find a new slant to it, a new argument, or a personal experience that will grip readers. Try being "Devil's Advocate" – what would happen if we didn't do certain things?
Use of plain language (Welsh or English)
Aim for sentences of no more than 30 words. If your sentences are regularly 50 words or more it's much harder for readers to follow your arguments. Most long sentences can easily be cut into two; you get better at it with practice.
Where possible, try to use the "active" voice rather than the "passive", as it is more direct and concise. This is not a hard and fast rule: sometimes the passive is unavoidable, or preferable.
Active |
Passive |
We surveyed 10 hectares of heathland. |
Ten hectares of heathland were surveyed by us. |
The University managed the project. |
The project was managed by the University. |
The degree to which the article engages with the reader and captures the imagination
An article has to engage readers and show them things they didn't know before, whether that's interesting facts, different viewpoints, or personal anecdotes. You are allowed to relate your own experiences and feelings: you can be funny; you can be poetic; you can quote from non-scientific sources – anything, as long as it's relevant and adds to your work. You can even rant, as long as it's with hard evidence and is not libellous.
Capitals, acronyms and punctuation
Generally the first letter of common names of plants and animals should be in lower case (e.g. lesser horseshoe bat, but Daubenton’s bat). Capital letters should only be used where they are clearly necessary. If they form an acronym which is subsequently referred to, please enclose the acronym in brackets after the words in full.
All forms of punctuation are welcome, especially the full stop. If you have a sentence longer than thirty words, think seriously about dividing it in two. Please limit the use of apostrophes to possessive nouns and abbreviations etc, and don’t let them get into your date’s!