Home > NuWrite Communities > Global Health > FAQ, Common Problems and Checklists > FAQ for Writing a Proposal > Should I assume that the people reading my proposal "know what i mean"?

• Writing Advice
• NuWrite Communities
  • Engineering & Design
  • First-Year Seminars
  • Global Health
    • FAQ, Common Problems and Checklists
      • FAQ for Exploring Options for Research
      • FAQ for Writing a Proposal
        • How do I estimate a budget?
        • Should I assume that the people reading my proposal "know what i mean"?
        • How do I cite my sources? (C. Cole)
      • FAQ for Researching in the Field (J. Scheineson)
    • Exploring options for research
    • Writing a Global Health Proposal
    • Researching in the Field
    • What's Next?
    • Archive of 2008-2009 posts from W. Tang
    • Global Health-related NU sites
  • Writing in the Humanities
  • Science Writing
  • Social Science Writing
  • Writing for Graduate or Professional School
  • Writing Advice for International Students
• Faculty-Only Resources
• About NuWrite

Should I assume that the people reading my proposal "know what i mean"?

(posted by C. Cole, 2009-2010, Center for Global Health)

You should not assume that the reader(s) know what you mean. You should explain your content but refrain from insulting readers' intelligence. Stay clear of abbreviations, acronyms and discipline-specific vocabulary.