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TIP#3: WRITING STYLE

Please make your article easy to read by following these guidelines:

Avoid using unnecessary “smileys” or meaningless punctuation marks.
Format it as an article, the way you would do if it were to be published in a computer magazine.

Keep the usage of contractions to a minimum, and avoid non-standard expressions or slang words.
For acronyms used in your article, please provide the words that acronym stands for in its first occurrence within the text.

Example:
Rather than using phrases, such as: "To start your O/S..."
It is much better to make a statement like: "To start your Operating System [O/S]."

Always consult published articles, as a reference, to get a clearer picture of do’s and don’ts.
Should you be using MS Word™ for proofing your work; then, adjust the "Grammar & Spelling Options" accordingly.
However, avoid creating a text that is too formal, because it goes to the other extreme and is also hard to read.

There will be times that people reading articles are doing so to gain knowledge and interest about the content of the article.
When an article is full of unintelligible words or phrases, these readers probably will not continue reading; hence, you loose your 'captive audience'.

It is never advisable to assume that your audience knows all the slang and acronyms, no matter what level of reader you are attempting to communicate with.

In case you are wondering whether you should add an explanation for a technical term or not, it is always better to add it; hence, remain on the safe side.
To do this, you can place the explanation in brackets or parentheses.
Should this approach harm the clarity of a paragraph (or if there are already brackets used in that paragraph as a part of the article's text), you can use a Footnote or Endnote as an alternative.
In the event that the necessary explanation is either too lengthy or deemed out of scope, you can simply add a link to a definition page (e.g. a Wikipedia™ article or an international organisation’s relevant webpage).

Furthermore, all articles ought to be written in the 'third person' rather than saying "I this" and "I that".
Your treatise will better understood if only factual statements are made, rather than a purely personal conjecture or assumption.

Typically an article is never written in a single pass; it is natural to have the fluctuations of your own mood reflected in your writing style.
Read thoroughly through it a few times,when finished, and before submitting, to make sure you bring it to a uniform style throughout.
It is not unusual to write 3 or 4 'drafts' before submitting the article for publication.