Writing clear research explanations for scientific papers and other professional publications means using short, concise “thrifty” words and eliminating unnecessary “padding” words. Choosing precisely the right word will improve your writing, but also seek out the most vivid, compelling word. Structure sentences to communicate an idea clearly: keep the average sentence short to improve comprehension and give ideas punch, write longer sentences for more complex ideas, and place the concept at the beginning or end. Use the active voice to strengthen your explanations and engage the reader. Proofread exhaustively, performing each of the three levels of proofreading separately. Composing readable prose also means writing for the “reading eye,” taking into account the perceptual process of reading by creating layouts that offer visual landmarks such as paragraph indents, white space, drop caps, and pull quotes.