LessWrong (30+ Karma) “Common research advice #2: say precisely what you want to say” by LawrenceC
Apr 3, 2026
Clear guidance on making research writing sharp and readable. Tips on stating your main claim up front and using titles or intros to signal the point. Advice on trimming distractions, relegating extras to footnotes, and keeping figures focused and well-labeled. Warnings about chart clutter and about over-cutting useful context and redundancy.
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State Your Main Claim Up Front
- Figure out the exact point you want to make and state it prominently in the section.
- Lawrence C. says if your claim is "AI models can be dangerous before public deployment," put that in the title or intro verbatim.
Drafts With Missing Takeaways
- Junior researchers often draft many paragraphs and multiple figures without ever writing the section's takeaway.
- Lawrence C. describes asking them what they mean and hearing a concise answer that was never included in the draft.
Cut Distracting Content Or Relegate It
- Remove distracting content or move it to footnotes, appendices, or parentheticals.
- Avoid chart junk and only keep visual elements necessary to understand the data, per Lawrence C.'s recommendation.
