Write precise and clear reports
1. Write precise and clear reports
We now know how to make our work reproducible.2. Written report
In order to make an impact at the decision level, other stakeholders should validate our work. So our report must not only be reproducible but also clear and intelligible.3. Write precise and clear reports
In data science, writing should be concise and precise to avoid misleadings and confusion. Stakeholders should understand our message. In our reports, there is no place for sentences that add no information or introduce potential misunderstandings. Let's explore some options to help us with this task.4. Empty phrases
Empty phrases basically don't add meaning or information. Phrases such as It is interesting to note that, The fact that, It should be pointed out that, it is well known that, or it is obvious that.5. Empty phrases
Empty phrases are distracting and should be avoided: be straightforward and to the point.6. Empty phrases
Here, both sentences convey the same message, but the first one is straight to the point, while the second one is harder to follow. Basically, if it doesn't add information, remove it.7. Concrete nouns
Good technical writing is concise and direct. So we should write concrete nouns, and avoid the overuse of the pronouns this or that or it, as it can be unclear what exactly they refer to. Also, keeping track of what the pronouns mean adds some cognitive load and distracts the readers from the actual insights8. Concrete nouns
In the example sentence 'this shows an accuracy of 80 percent when predicting customer churn', the word this should be replaced by a concrete noun and state that the model shows an accuracy of 80% when predicting customer churn.9. More pronouns
The active voice is criticized for placing the emphasis on the author instead of the facts. The passive voice is criticized for being too stuffy and harder to read. If the passive voice is preferred in an academic setting, in a business context your message will probably land better using the active voice.10. Redundant adjectives and adverbs
When trying to emphasize an argument, it is easy to end up using redundant adjectives and adverbs. Some examples are introducing the new, or done previously. In order to keep the report concise, we should eliminate these redundant adjectives or adverbs.11. Run-on sentences
Lastly, run-on sentences are two or more independent sentences or clauses that are connected or punctuated incorrectly. For example, the sentence in the slide is run-on. It is composed of two full sentences but connected by a comma. To fix these sentences, we should either make two separate clauses or use dependent clauses by introducing words like because or so.12. Let's practice!
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