The linguist Paul Grice examined the structure of effective conversations. His work [1] gives us four principles, or maxims, to observe at all times:
Always look for and cite multiple sources. Either link them or put them in an understandable section at the bottom.
Aim for a clear, direct and conversational tone. Be blunt. Swearing is fine, as long as it serves a clear purpose of conveying some useful information. We’re not here to be polite: we’re here to be right.
Active voice, not passive. “...was stated by the CEB”. “...treasury was depleted by the banker.” These are all far weaker than: ****“The CEB stated that” “The banker depleted the treasury.”
Explain jargon and acronyms; explain institutions, relations, and authority. Every field has specific operational language that makes sense to practitioners within a field. However, we cannot expect general readers to know this jargon. What is the PUCSL? What is a regulator? Even when it lengthens an article, take the time to pen a concise explanation when introducing a term.
When editing, aim for a grade 8-9 readability score on the Flesch-Kincaid scale. Reader’s Digest operates at a grade 8-9 level; Time Magazine is slightly lower. Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is at a grade 4 level. Essentially, nobody should need a college degree to read our work.
Use commas. Use the Oxford comma. This is what happens when you don’t:
Name first, designation second Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
On numbers: 0-9: use letters. If you insist on using numerals, make sure it’s a double digit: 01, 02, 03. Else, say one two three. 10 and upwards: use numerals.
Dates: Date - Month - Year 01 January 2022 — not 1st January
[1] Grice, Paul. 1989. Studies in the Way of Words. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674852710. Google Books.