This will go a long way towards helping you establish your credibility and authority as a writer. Academic papers are concise, which means that you should strive to use as few words as possible when conveying your ideas or defending your position.
So, make sure to avoid jargonism, slang, exclamation marks, and contractions. So, it is a good idea to study their style carefully.
Furthermore, you need to keep in mind that academic writing is based on the citation and referencing of published sources. Always link your opinion to what a published author has previously written on your subject. Citing the work of other researchers is essential in academic writing, since it shows that you have read relevant literature, understood the ideas, and have incorporated useful ideas and viewpoints into your assignment.
Below are some useful tools you can use to ensure your paper is a success. What follows from that? Other questions evolve from particular disciplines, areas of study, or specific studies. Teachers and students in the area of Human Development, for example, ask questions about human behavior, about why we behave the way we do. People in Social Science, ask questions about cultures, states, institutions. In Cultural Studies, important questions revolve around how language works.
In Business, Management, and Economics, questions arise about how organizations and other economic systems work. And so on. When writing a paper it is helpful, maybe even essential, to read the Area of Study guidelines for your study, to get the large picture, a sense of the major questions, or issues, addressed in the discipline within which you are writing.
Argument is all around us, in governmental, business, and family arenas, and in the essays, research papers, and articles written by students and professors all over the planet. The goal of argument is to persuade others of your position in the give-and-take of honest disagreement. In attempting to win acceptance of your ideas, you invite disagreement and must be ready to consider the claims of those who disagree.
That is the value of argument. It prompts us to carefully examine the evidence, the procedures of investigation, and the clarity of language in our own position and in others' positions. An argument proposing that you are probably right, held in opposition to counter-arguments that you are not right, underlies almost all effective college writing. In most assigned papers, like thesis-support essays, the argument is explicit: "Given this question or issue, my answer or hypothesis or thesis is correct for these reasons and because of this evidence and according to these sources.
Writers construct their arguments based largely on the evidence they gather. You must generally support all assertions that something is true by providing your reader with evidence for your claim.
However, the work for a report is mostly done in advance. Remember, what you are doing is reporting on the work you have done. The work will be determined by the nature of a the subject you are studying; and b the purpose of the research activity. Observe conditions or behaviour in a natural environment;. All analysis, evaluation, discussion, comparison to theory, conclusions and recommendations arise from the work that you carry out in advance of the report writing process.
Do your research well and thoroughly, and the report writing should not be too arduous. In the end you should be able to state whether the work you have done and its results proves your hypothesis or not, or does it fulfil you aims or not?
Keep accurate records of all your research activities and all of the results you get, and don't forget to keep track of all the sources you use so you can reference them correctly. Report writing checklist If you want to get better grades for your report writing, you need to do the following:.
Check with your tutor which report sections you need to include. Understand clearly what information goes into each of the sections. Know if you are expected to draw conclusions and make recommendations. Be very clear from the start on what the purpose of your report is. Plan carefully the stages of your research and of writing your report. Do your research — the ground work for your report. Keep very accurate records of all of your findings. Report precisely and evaluate honestly.
Study examples of similar reports to understand the correct style and content to use. Write clear references for all quotations or other source material you use in your report. Write with the reader in mind at all times. If you're not sure about anything in the checklist, go back to the appropriate section of this tutorial now, or download the summary pdf.
Finally, we have a checklist for this entire academic writing tutorial. Academic w riting. How to get better grades checklist. After you have written your paper. Print book. Description succeed writing.
Academic writing download summary Home page Your ability to write well will dramatically affect the grades you get at university - and that means writing academically well. Academic writing Stuart's essays Here's Stuart's first essay. Academic writing Write well Next important thing - you need to know how use an academic style in your writing.
Academic w ritin g Write well An academic writing style is different from the way you would usually write, in the same way that a text to a friend is different to an email you'd send at work, which is different again to a journal or any other kind of writing. An academic writing style: Uses an academic tone Third, not first person, e. I think that vs. It can be argued that Formal, not slang.
It was fab vs. It was successful Full words, not the short form, e. Talk about the evidence, rather than your feelings about it, e.
Use short sentences over long complex sentences. Use short words over longer words where you can: Long word: supernumerary , incorporate , accommodate , remunerate Short word: extra, use, hold, pay. Leave room for doubt, such as possibly, probably, may, could, etc. Similarly with linking expressions: Definite : It is proven that , It is always the case that , This is an important factor , Everyone knows that Tentative: It may be shown that, It is often the case that, This seems to be an important factor, It is possible to believe that.
Academic w riting Write well The Common Mistakes Following a survey of Solent University lecturers, we came up with a list of the most common, and annoying, writing mistakes that students make. If you want to write well, know what the common mistakes are, and avoid them: Overall No clear introduction. What is your point or position? Where is the essay going?
Poor verb agreement with collective nouns eg 'the government were' Misuse of the apostrophe Adding an apostrophe to plurals It's not needed! What is a sentence? Characteristics of a sentence: A subject I, he, it, research, plans, wind-powered generators A verb is, are, lives, plans, carries out A complete idea A capital letter at the beginning A full stop at the end So, this is a sentence: Research shows that this is a common problem.
And this is not it's not a complete idea : Whenever they reach some kind of agreement. Run-on sentences are another common problem, like this one: There are ten applicants for the job, there will be two days of interviews.
That should be: There are ten applicants for the job. Characteristics of a paragraph: One main idea The main idea given in a topic sentence Topic sentence supported by the other sentences Sentences grouped together in one block, indented or with a line break before and after. For example they may: Explain the idea Give evidence or examples of the idea Expand on or add details to the idea In the following paragraph, the topic sentence is give in bold.
Academic writing must have clearly written paragraphs. A good paragraph gives the main idea in a topic sentence, supported by other sentences. Paragraphs also must have coherence.
This is done by having clear links between sentences. In essays, reports , dissertations and presentations, these parts are: Introduction Main body Conclusion The information on the following pages will tell you what content should go in each section.
Go on now to find out what goes into the introduction. Academic w riting Structure your writing Introduction The introduction to an academic paper always: Gives the background to the topic Outlines the content of the paper - its aims for instance 'This paper will examine Download example introductions here Next, you can find out what goes into the main body of an academic paper.
Expand on all the topics mentioned in your introduction Bring together all the information you have gathered from other sources during your research Develop your argument in a logical structure. For example, you may use one of the following structures: Linear Two-sided Argumentative SPSE Situation Problem Solution Evaluation Whatever structure you are using, you will be expected to show how you have not only understood but also evaluated the information you have researched.
Academic writing Structure your writing Conclusion The conclusion to an academic paper always: Summarises the main points given in the essay Draws together the ideas to explain how they connect and relate Shows how you have answered the question The conclusion may also: Suggest some further research Give a concluding statement Pose a further question If you are unsure what this means in effect, have a look at our example conclusions.
Download some example conclusions here Go on now to find out how to format and present your writing successfully. Arial and Times New Roman are usually also acceptable. Page format Set the line spacing for the whole paper to 1. It is now common practice to leave a space between paragraphs, and not to indent the first line.
Headings should be written in bold. The title of your paper should be given at the top of the first page in bold, in 14pt text and not underlined. Also, number and name the figure on the page, and if you have several, consider including a list of figures after your contents page for longer papers.
On the next page there are notes on how to write your reference list or bibliography. Quote effectively To quote is to write out the ideas of another author using exactly the same words as the original.
Quotations are given between quotation marks - unless you are told otherwise, double quotation marks " " and single marks ' ' are both fine, so long as you are consistent. If the quotation is over two lines long, you indent the quotation, separated by a line space before and after and you do not use quotation marks.
All quotes must give an in-text reference to the author. To paraphrase you may change words for synonyms, change the word order or change the sentence order of the original. However, it is very important that you keep true to the meaning of the original. When you paraphrase long passages even whole chapters or books and shorten them, this becomes a summary.
Academic writing Use a good writing process You're probably thinking 'That looks like a lot of work'! They differ in the following ways: The structure of a report is relatively fixed. The choice of sections will depend on the purpose of your report and, while studying, the preferences of your tutor or department. In an essay, the thought process taken from the question will dictate the way the main body of the paper is to be structured.
When do you use a report? A report is: a way to convey the findings of research a way to make recommendations based on research used in business, government, science, engineering and others at university a simulation of a real life situation aimed towards a practical purpose This means you should be, and will be, writing reports when you need to carry out a practical investigation and report on your findings. Read how to write a report next. Report Writing Download summary Home page Report writing is a distinct skill, and one which could serve you very well in your current or future career.
If you want to get good grades for the reports you write, do these things: Know the difference between a report and an essay Get started on your report Use the correct sections Get the content right You can download a Word document report template. If the quote is especially vague or hard to understand, consider paraphrasing it or using a different quote to convey the same meaning. Consider inserting the term "sic" in brackets after the quoted word or phrase to indicate that the quotation has been transcribed exactly as found in the original source, but the source has grammar, spelling, or other errors.
The adverb sic informs the reader that the errors are not yours. Purdue University; Academic Writing Style. First-Year Seminar Handbook. Mercer University; Bem, Daryl J. Writing the Empirical Journal Article. Cornell University; College Writing.
The Writing Center. Common Flaws in Students' Rsearch Proposals. English Education Department. Yogyakarta State University; Style. College Writing. Hunter College; Sword, Helen. Institute for Writing Rhetoric.
Dartmouth College. Improving Academic Writing. To improve your academic writing skills, you should focus your efforts on three key areas: 1. Clear Writing. The act of thinking about precedes the process of writing about. Good writers spend sufficient time distilling information and reviewing major points from the literature they have reviewed before creating their work. Writing detailed outlines can help you clearly organize your thoughts.
Effective academic writing begins with solid planning, so manage your time carefully. Excellent Grammar. Needless to say, English grammar can be difficult and complex; even the best scholars take many years before they have a command of the major points of good grammar. Take the time to learn the major and minor points of good grammar. Spend time practicing writing and seek detailed feedback from professors.
Take advantage of the Writing Center on campus if you need help. Proper punctuation and good proofreading skills can significantly improve academic writing [see sub-tab for proofreading you paper ]. Refer to these three basic resources to help your grammar and writing skills:. Consistent Stylistic Approach. Each of these style manuals provide rules on how to write out numbers, references, citations, footnotes, and lists. Consistent adherence to a style of writing helps with the narrative flow of your paper and improves its readability.
Note that some disciplines require a particular style [e. Evaluating Quality of Writing. A useful approach for evaluating the quality of your academic writing is to consider the following issues from the perspective of the reader.
While proofreading your final draft, critically assess the following elements in your writing. Cornell University; Candlin, Christopher. University of North Carolina; Style. The Writing Center is a service supported by the university that provides one-on-one consultations and small-group workshops to help students of all abilities improve their critical thinking and writing skills. If you are having problems writing your research papers, take advantage of this service! The Center is located in Taper Hall, room Considering the Passive Voice in Academic Writing.
In the English language, we are able to construct sentences in the following way: 1. This choice in focus is achieved with the use of either the active or the passive voice. When you want your readers to focus on the "doer" of an action, you can make the "doer"' the subject of the sentence and use the active form of the verb. When you want readers to focus on the person, place, or thing affected by the action, or the action itself, you can make the effect or the action the subject of the sentence by using the passive form of the verb.
Often in academic writing, scholars don't want to focus on who is doing an action, but on who is receiving or experiencing the consequences of that action. The passive voice is useful in academic writing because it allows writers to highlight the most important participants or events within sentences by placing them at the beginning of the sentence.
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