ADVICE ON ACADEMIC WRITING

Student:Verónica Bautista

Some General Advice on Academic Essay-Writing

An essay should: Have an argument Try to prove something Develop a single "thesis" or a short set of closely related points—by

reasoning and evidence Try to formulate the questions you will seek to answer Jot a provisional hypothesis Ask yourself what might be said against it An essay organization should be designed to present your argument

clearly and persuasively

Methods of composing an esssay

Start writing early Keep the essay´s overall purpouse and organization in mind Revise extensively Revise sentences

Planning and Organizing an essay

Organize your paper during the pre-writing stage Ask questions like What type of essay am I going to write? Does it

belong to a specific genre?  Planning helps you to produce a logical and orderly argument that your

readers can follow,allows you to spot repetition and notice whether you have left anything out

Using thesis statements

It makes a definite and limited assertion that needs to be explained and supported by further discussion:

It shows the emphasis and indicates the methodology of your argument

It shows awareness of difficulties and disagreements

Introductions and Conclusions

Introductions Identify your topic Provide esssential context Indicate your particular focus in the essayTo write an interesting introduction you

should:Get to the point as soon as possibleYour thesis should be at the endUse statisticQuote an expertGive background information

Conclusions  It involves critical tinking Reflects upon the significance of

what you have written

To write an interesting conclusion you should:

Recommend a specific course of actionUse an expert opinion or quotation

give a startling statistic image or fact.

Paragraphs

A paragraph is a series of related sentences developing a central idea called topic

Deliberate repetition,specialized linking words and strategis use of pronouns help to enhance your ideas flow in a paragraph

Using topic sentences

A topic sentence states the main point of a paragraph: it serves as a mini-thesis for the paragraph. 

Topic sentences usually appear at the very beginning of paragraphs

Use a topic sentence to show how your paragraph contributes to the development of your argument 

Reading and researching

Critical writing depends on critical reading To read critically is to make judgements about how a text is argued.

How to Get the Most Out of Reading

An important skill is to read with comprehension and memory different materials such as textbooks,primary sources and research reading

Taking notes from research reading

Know waht kind of ideas you need to record Don´t write too much Label your notes intelligently

Dealing with new words

Sound out the word Examine the structure Look at the context Check the dictionary Write a definition or synonym

Research Using the Internet

Keep a detailed record of sites you visit and the sites you use Don´t rely exclusevely on net resources

Previewing

When diving into an academic work you should: Read the title Think about the subject matter Know the author Where and when it was published Why were you given this text

Skimming and Scanning

By first skimming a text, you can get a sense of its overall logical progression

Use previewing tecchniques,read the first paragraph,try to predict what is to come,then read carefully the concluding paragraphs,return to the beginning and read through the text carefully

Scanning is basically skimming with a more tightly focused purpose: skimming to locate a particular fact or figure, or to see whether this text mentions a subject you’re researching

Summarizing

A summary has two aims: (1) to reproduce the overarching ideas in a text, identifying the general concepts that run through the entire piece, and (2) to express these overarching ideas using precise, specific language.

Your summary should contain: The author´s thesis or central concept Try to cover the key ideas Omit ideas that are not central Avoid opinions

Using sources

Always cite your sources Use standard documentation formats to cite your sources Use quotations when The language of the passage is particularly

elegant or powerful or memorable. You wish to confirm the credibility of your argument by enlisting the

support of an authority on your topic. The passage is worthy of further analysis. You wish to argue with someone else's position in considerable detail.

Paraphrase and Summary

To paraphrase means to restate someone else’s ideas in your own language

To summarize means to reduce the most essential points of someone else’s work into a shorter form

Paraphrase and summary are indispensable in argumentative papers because they allow you to include other people’s ideas without cluttering up your paragraphs with quotations. These techniques help you take greater control of your essay

THE ABSTRACT

WRITING ABOUT HISTORY

WRITING ABOUT

LITERATURE

WRITING ABOUT

SCIENCES

HOW TOUSE ACTIVE VOICE IN

THE SCIENCES

EFFECTIVE ADMISSION

LETTERS APPLICATIONLETTERS AND

RÉSUMÉS

THE COMPARATIVE

ESSAY

ORALPRESENTATIONS

THE LAB REPORT

THE LITERATURE

REVIEW

WRITING AN ANNOTATED

BIBLIOGRAPHY

THE BOOK REVIEW OR

ARTICLECRITIQUE

THE ACADEMIC PROPOSAL

SPECIFICTYPES OFWRITING

Style and Editing

Check grammar punctuation and style Revise your work in order to check whether you have fullfilled the intention of the

assignement Polish and edit your style Use the computer to improve your writing Try to avoid wordiness Use unbiased language Learn to punctuate Identify and repair faulty parallelism Learn when to use and when to avoid passive voice Improve your spelling (use dictionary,check suffixes Pay attention to plurals formation rules Use possessives forms and subject.verb agreement correctly

English as a Second Language

You should bear in mind: The use of articles Expressions of quantity Using gerunds and infinitives Verbs for referring to sources

Bibliography University of Toronto, writing courses

•Proctor,M., and Plotnick J. "Advice on Academic Writing. Department of English    "University of Toronto. N.p., 2009. Web. 6 May 2016. <http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/>.