[Matthew Sherborne]

Determine Article Word Count


Let’s find out how many words your article contains.

The easiest way I’ve found to find the number of words in your article is to use the word count feature built in to Microsoft Word. You can find it under the tools tab.



According to Word Count, you’ve already written 304 words.

Now let’s move on to the second concept.

Following the same procedure, number each key point in the order you think it will flow best. As you’re writing, you may need to tweak things every once in awhile, but that’s normal.

Concept #2 - types of covers - clothing options
·4 test - if you can see light through the shirt, UV rays will penetrate your skin
·1 darker color better than lighter
·3 thicker weave better than looser or light
·6 heavy better than thin - long-sleeve dark denim shirt has an SPF of 1700
·2 wet clothing reduces the SPF by 50%
·5 stretched or washed a lot reduces SPF

Now turn the concept and each key point into a sentence.

Concept Believe it or not, the clothes you wear will also affect how much of the damaging UVA and UVB rays your body receives and not all provide the same protection. 1 The lighter color the shirt, the less protection it will offer you. A black shirt is far preferred to a white one. 2 Don’t be fooled by thinking you’re covering yourself up when you put on that wet t-shirt. Wet clothing reduces the SPF by fifty percent.

The material your clothing’s made out of affects your skin’s health too. 3 Thicker weaves are better than looser weaves. 4 A good test is that if you can see light through the shirt, the UV rays can penetrate too. 5 If you’re planning on being outside all day, try not to bring your old favorite shirt that’s been washed countless times. Washing and stretching the fabric also reduces a shirt’s SPF.

6 The thicker and darker the clothes, the better your skin will be protected from sun damage. In fact, a long-sleeve, dark denim shirt has an SPF of 1,700. Now that’s protection.

The second concept has 176 words in it. The total so far is 470 words. At this point, you have two options. You can continue with the third concept, landing your article in the 900-work range after the introduction and conclusion have been added.

Most articles are 450 - 650 words long. Unless you’ve been hired to write a 900 word article, it’s a little excessive.

The other option is to choose not to add the last concept and move on to the introduction and conclusion.

In this case, I’ve decided to move on to the introduction and conclusion. All my work isn’t going to waste though. I’m going to save the information from Concept #3 and use it in a “top tips” article. Never delete your unused work!

So here’s your article so far:

It’s important to use sunscreens properly to keep your skin healthy and prevent skin cancer. With all the different types of sunscreens out there, it’s essential to choose the correct SPF for you. SPF stands for “sun protection factor.” The number that follows lets you know how long you have in the sun before it’s not effective anymore. For example, SPF 15 means you can be out in the sun fifteen times longer than you normally could until you get burned.

So let’s say that with no sunscreen on, you get burned in ten minutes of being in the sun. However, if you put on a sunscreen of SPF 15, you would get fifteen times the amount of time to be out in the sun. So instead of burning in ten minutes, you would burn in 150 minutes (10x15), or in two and a half hours.

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends an SPF 15 if you’re only going to be in the sun for a few minutes here and there. However, if you plan to be in the sun all day, whether it’s gardening, exercising, or playing Frisbee at the beach, you’ll need a sunscreen that’s alcohol-based and has a higher SPF. It’ll be more resistant to sweating.

Be sure to put on an ounce of sunscreen each application, and do it thirty minutes before you’re exposed to the sun. Even sunscreens that are waterproof may wash off, so slather on an extra ounce once you’re out of the water. In fact, it’s a safe bet to reapply the sunscreen every two hours to avoid as much skin damage as possible. The UVA rays don’t show their damage until later, so even if you don’t burn, you’re still exposing your skin to the harmful rays.

Believe it or not, the clothes you wear will also affect how much of the damaging UVA and UVB rays your body receives and not all provide the same protection. The lighter color the shirt, the less protection it will offer you. A black shirt is far preferred to a white one. Don’t be fooled by thinking you’re covering yourself up when you put on that wet t-shirt. Wet clothing reduces the SPF by fifty percent.

The material it’s made out of affects your skin’s health too. Thicker weaves are better than looser weaves. A good test is that if you can see light through the shirt, the UV rays can penetrate too. If you’re planning on being outside all day, try not to bring your old favorite shirt that’s been washed countless times. Washing and stretching the fabric also reduces a shirt’s SPF.

The thicker and darker the clothes, the better your skin will be protected from sun damage. In fact, a long-sleeve, dark denim shirt has an SPF of 1,700. Now that’s protection.

Be sure to save your files and documents in your content portfolio so you know what they are!

Now lets move on to how to write an article introduction.