Due to the difficulties of screen reading, online text should be especially concise and direct. Concise text reduces cognitive load by giving readers less information to digest. Reduced cognitive load means faster, more efficient processing of information.
Short paragraphs encourage concise writing practices. They also provide white space, which helps readers scan online information more easily and more comfortably.
To keep paragraphs short:
Limit yourself to one idea per paragraph.
Include three sentences or less in each paragraph, wherever possible.
Ann Marie Smith and Caroline A. Drakeley (1998) recommend this guideline to provide readers with visual breaks.
Break up long paragraphs into short ones.
Use bulleted lists, subheadings, or simpler paragraphs to organize information.
#1 Before & After example: Breaking up long paragraphs
Before: One long paragraph
For more than 10 years, the Elements of Fiction series has helped writers improve–one element at a time. Featuring quality instruction from award-winning authors, each book focuses on a key facet of fiction writing, making it easy to find the specific guidance you're looking for. Now in paperback, learn more about Beginnings, Middles & Ends, Characters & Viewpoint, Scene & Structure and the other Elements of Fiction books.
After: Broken up into two shorter paragraphs
For more than 10 years, the Elements of Fiction series has helped writers improve–one element at a time. Featuring quality instruction from award-winning authors, each book focuses on a key facet of fiction writing, making it easy to find the specific guidance you're looking for.
Now in paperback, learn more about Beginnings, Middles & Ends, Characters & Viewpoint, Scene & Structure and the other Elements of Fiction books.
#2 Before & After example: Breaking up long paragraphs
Before: One long paragraph
Welcome to the Internet Cremation Society, the number one visited cremation site in the world. Our cremation portal will help you find just what you are looking for, whether it be a low-cost cremation provider, a specialty urn company, a unique scattering service, an on-line obituary site or just general information about cremation. We do not sell any of the products or services listed on the site. Rather, we provide you with carefully researched links to over five hundred companies offering cremation-related items.
After: Restructured to use a bulleted list
Welcome to the Internet Cremation Society, the number one visited cremation site in the world. Our cremation portal will help you find:
We do not sell any of the products or services listed on the site. Rather, we provide carefully researched links to over five hundred companies offering cremation-related items.
Eliminate unnecessary material.
William Horton (1994) suggests: "Where possible, trim words or use tables, charts, and graphics to express concepts more compactly and with more interest" (p. 106).
Cross-reference rather than include.
Provide links for subsidiary topics, definitions, and other supplementary material that need not be included in the primary text.
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Last Updated: May 2, 2001
(c)2000 by Alysson Troffer. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce or redistribute any material from this document, in whole or in part, without written permission.