Hello. I help lead the editorial teams and quality control efforts at Demand Studios. While I was visiting several of our forums yesterday (November 6, 2008), I noted that many of you are wondering how you can raise your ratings and earn more assignments. Some writers also asked how they could avoid the low ratings that restrict their article allotments and may eventually result in termination. Well, we have an answer for you. Here are six surefire tips to earn and maintain high rankings:

1) Research. Don't compose information articles off the top of your head unless you're an expert in the field. Never guess. Verify your data. Fill your articles with information supported by evidence. Quote sources and studies; never write the generic "Experts say." Linking to Resources earns top points. Adding images also enhances your score.Fulfill these requirements and your ratings will climb along with your article allotments.

2) Don't write to word counts, except in the introductions which must contain at least 75 words. Write economically and don't use two words when one will suffice. For instance, never write "You will need to connect the wires for the car to start." Instead: "You must connect..." You don't "Check to see if the light is on," you "Check if the light is on." Avoid wordy, extraneous phrases, such as "Be sure to rewind the clock." Go right to the verb instead: "Rewind the clock." If a format requires a word minimum, fulfill the requirement with information, not the filler of empty verbiage. Writing words for the sake of fulfilling a count will render your article prone to rejection.

Note: Start most sentences with actionable words. This produces dynamic content that immediately engages the reader and earns points that will raise your rating. Instead of writing, "You should climb the stairs two steps at a time," write "Climb the stairs two steps at a time." Starting with an actionable verb forces you to compose economic prose.

3) Write actively. The passive voice is flaccid, uninteresting and it slows the reader. According to various studies in neurolinguistics, the mind more easily accesses information when it's presented in the noun-verb-object construction of the active voice. So it's "The waiter poured the wine," not "The wine was poured by the waiter." When you write passively, the reader momentarily "thinks backwards" and pauses. The active voice compels the reader to move forward through your article.

4) Particularize. If you're writing one of our many "How to Do Something in a Particular Locale" article, such as "How to Open a Franchise in Seattle, Washington," all three steps in a three-step article must be particular to the location. If you can substitute other locales with the same instruction, your article probably is too generic to pass. If you have more than three steps, at least 2/3 of them must be particular to the article, and any generic content must appear in the final steps or as Tips or Warnings.

You can apply that substitution to almost any article.

5) Avoid the obvious. Don't send readers on random Internet searches, tell them to ask friends for references, make a budget, check the Yellow Pages, go to flea markets or anything else they obviously can figure out on their own.

6) Avoid repetition. Trust the power of your prose to communicate. Repeating a point doesn't add emphasis, it only frustrates your readers.

Fulfill these six requirements and your ratings will climb along with your article allotments.

One last tip: Read "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White from cover to cover and heed its advice. I've written 19 books, including three bestsellers, and I still review it before starting a project. It's invaluable, a book every reader should own.

If you have any questions, send an email, marked to my attention, through the "Contact Us" link or to editorialteam@demandstudios.com.

- Richard Lally, Lead Editor of Demand Studios