In no particular order...
Avoid Passive voice with non-referential “it”: it has been found, etc.
Avoid overusing the passive voice - active voice is preferred.
Avoid overusing pronouns
Avoid overusing capitalization (e.g., to emphasize or when abbreviations are used, etc.)
Avoid overusing There is/are - In most cases, avoiding it will produce a better sentence - subject first, then a verb. There is/are in a topic sentence. Also, avoid the verb to be in a topic sentence.
Avoid repeating same verbs: to be and to have are oftentimes overused.
Avoid overusing the semicolon.
Avoid comma splice, sentence fragments, and run-on sentences.
Include a transition (see below) that begins a topic sentence (body paragraph).
Avoid bold text except for headings; avoid bold text to emphasize words.
Avoid words and phrases like obviously…, clearly…, without a doubt, etc.
Avoid absolutes: always, never, everyone, etc.
Avoid phrases like, "It is important...", "it is necessary...", etc. Avoid "important" altogether.
Avoid rhetorical questions
Use the serial (Oxford) comma
Use dynamic (action) verbs
Be consistent with keywords or specific words that have certain meanings in education: activity, materials, techniques, methods, approaches, strategies, etc.
Offer a combination of sentence types: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences
Create a cohesive text which includes a transition, using any combination of the following: Rheme and theme to connect (bridge) ideas from one sentence to the next. Sentence connectors Introductory phrases Subordinating conjunction that begins a sentence (followed by a comma)
Follow the MEAL plan for developing each body paragraph
Citations serve as evidence. Evidence precedes analysis sentence(s). Main idea (topic sentence) begins each body paragraph. Final sentence serves as either a linking sentence or a summarizing sentence. Linking sentence links current main idea of the paragraph to the next main idea (topic sentence) of the following paragraph.
Italicize foreign (non-English) words and when naming a term (e.g., “The word foreign is hard to spell.).
When abbreviating, write out the term the first time it's being used, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter, simply abbreviate.
Approximately five to eight sentences per paragraph.
