When writing expresses ideas clearly and is easy to follow, it is said to be effective. Effective writing is a skill much valued at University and in the workplace: therefore, it is a skill that all students should be aware of and try to improve.

Writing that is effective reflects the writer's control of the writing process at a number of points:

at the PLANNING STAGE when the argument needs to be structured logically;

at the WRITING STAGE when devices such as legitimate paragraphs and topic sentences; references to key subject words through the use of pronouns, demonstratives, synonyms and repetition; logically sequencing the flow of information; connective words to signal the logical relations of the text to the reader; and finally logically-structured sentences will be beneficial for the development of a clear and cohesive piece of writing;

at the EDITING STAGE. At the writing stage you aimed to incorporate effective writing devices into your work; at the editing stage you need to check that you did include these devices and that you used them appropriately. So when you are editing your writing you have to check, for example, that the text is logically structured and flows logically; that the logical relations of a passage are clear from the connective words you have incorporated into the text; that each paragraph is focussed on a separate idea; and that the use of the pronoun 'it' is clear.

Effective Writing is composed of many elements. However, what is important to realise is that it is the interplay between all these devices that creates a truly effective piece of writing.