Keys to Writing a Winning Article

Write in an active voice. This is the first rule I often break in my own writing. Speaking in the first person and referencing myself and my personal feelings or experiences isn't really considered an active writing style. Avoid speaking in the third person and use second person whenever possible. For example, say something like, "Individuals who are taller may find it difficult to purchase clothes that fit properly".

Use action verbs when writing how-to articles and keep it as impersonal as possible. Instead of saying something like, "Next, you can attempt to pour up to ½ a cup of water in the measuring cup", say something like, "Fill the measuring cup with water to the ½ of a cup mark". Follow AP writing style, using proper abbreviations and other AP guidelines.

Properly cite all facts and information. List the websites, books or people you have interviewed to write the article at the end of the article. If quoting an individual or speaking about a specific incident or study that supports the information you're including in the article, cite your references throughout. This is especially important in health articles. If writing facts you've pulled from a study completed by a university hospital, cite the study, date (or year) and the findings within the article. If pulling a fact from a reputable website (such as the Johns Hopkins website or the Mayo Clinic website), cite this information (for example, "According to the Mayo Clinic website, parents often struggle with their child's attitude changes when the child reaches the age of 2-years-old"). Avoid re-writing other articles or copying information. It's okay to quote information, but as stated above, cite your reference, so that the reader can visit the website where you got the information and can see where you got it from. Re-writing articles is a common problem within the article writing community, so avoid this as much as possible. Use duplichecker.com to plug in your articles in order to check for duplicate content.