Course overview
The essay that lacks a thesis statement and argues nothing, the news article without a lede or an indication of what’s new, the scientific report absent conclusions and void of any apparent link to the literature—these concepts are oxymoronic, because the intelligibility of a text is a function of that text’s structure and its narrative and argumentative clarity.
This linkage between intelligibility, structure, and clarity motivates authors to seek editors for advice, making structure and clarity matters at the heart of advanced editing practice. Scribbr offers authors the Structure Check and Clarity Check services to address a range of issues that fall under these headings.
This course outlines various strategies for Scribbr editors to carry out these Scribbr services, and it aims specifically to make your life easier and less stressful as you do this work, supporting faster, better edits delivered to happier authors.
We hired you for your skills, so we’re highly confident that you already have the necessary skills to complete these checks. We know that you can drive the car, so to speak; in this course, we give you a map.
You'll walk away with:
⭐ A confident foundational understanding of academic structure and clarity
⭐ Clarity on the scope of the Structure Check and Clarity Check and how they differ
⭐ An awareness of tools and best practices for completing these add-on services
⭐ An overview of key features to comment on in a Structure Check or Clarity Check
⭐ Insight into authors' mindsets and how to manage your relationship with the author
⭐ Tips for positioning yourself as an expert and delivering satisfactory feedback
⭐ A list of template comments, written by senior editor Shane, for your autocorrect library
Preview the curriculum
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2
Preparation & Approach for Structure Checks and Clarity Checks
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1.1. Defining structure and clarity for the Structure and Clarity Checks
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1.2. Tools for your checks
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3
Key Textual Features to Investigate in a Structure Check or Clarity Check
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➡️ What's inside this chapter?
FREE PREVIEW -
2.1. Document titles
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2.2. Abstracts
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2.3. Document introductions
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2.4. Section introductions
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2.5. Section conclusions
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2.6. Document conclusions
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2.7. Transitions
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2.8. Paragraph structure
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2.9. Section headings
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2.10. Figures and tables
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2.11. Quotations
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2.12. Copy-and-pasted text
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2.13. Wandering text
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🧠 Test your knowledge: Structural features
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2.14. Key terms
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2.15. Technical terms
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2.16. Examples
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2.17. Non-English passages
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2.18. Illogical or otherwise incongruous text
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🧠 Test your knowledge: Clarity features
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2.19. Reports
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2.20. Essays
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2.21. Templated feedback for your autocorrect library
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4
Delivering Feedback Cleanly, Easily, and Efficiently with the Goal of Author Satisfaction
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3.1. Looking out for #1: Habits and mindset
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3.2. Ethos: Who are you to your author?
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3.3. Pathos: How does the author feel?
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3.4. Logos: What to focus on and how?
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🧠 Test your knowledge: Ethos, pathos & logos
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5
Key takeaways
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Congratulations! What's next?
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Course FAQs
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How do I enroll for free?
We offer these courses free to qualified Scribbr editors. You should be able to enroll without a payment.
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How long is the course?
The course consists of video lessons and has a runtime of about 1 hour. It is self-contained, and there are no assignments, so you can sit back and watch the videos at your own pace.
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Can I watch the videos in high-resolution?
Yes! For the best experience, set the video resolution to 1080p using the video navigation bar.
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How can I have the best course experience?
We have a few tips for maximizing your experience of the course:
• View the overview and navigate the various lessons using the left-hand menu.
• Expand the window to full-screen mode. The font size and course view will automatically adjust based on the size of your browser window.