Introduction
Choosing a Topic
Writing an Introduction
Structuring and Outlining
Types of Essays
Editing and Improving
When writing an essay, term paper, or report, you should always try to use words that convey your meaning both vividly and accurately.
Can you just imagine your poor teacher at her desk reading 'The book was interesting' a hundred times or more? That can't be good for creating a friendly grading environment!
Skillful writing is not easy; it is a tricky endeavor that involves a fine balance between extremes.
You shouldn't have too much fuss or too much dry fact in a term paper because either can be tiresome to read. One way to develop more interesting writing is to avoid tired or overused words. You'll find that substituting excessively used verbs with more interesting ones can bring a boring paper to life.
You may be surprised at the extent of your own vocabulary, and the fact that you don't use it for your own benefit. You probably know the meanings of many words, but don't employ them in your speech or writing.
Word usage is a good way to insert your personality, and some life, into your writing. Have you ever met someone new and noticed the difference in their use of words, phrases, and mannerisms? Well, your teacher can see that through your writing.
Rather than adding long, outlandish words to make yourself sound smart, use words you know. Find new words you like and that suit your writing style. Anytime you read, think about the words, highlight ones you don’t know, and look them up. This is a great way to beef up your vocabulary and become more conscious of what words you use and how you use them.
Read over the following sentence, for example:
The book was very interesting.
Have you used that sentence in a book report? If so, you may want to explore other ways to convey the same message.
For example:
- The book covered fascinating information.
- This work, which was actually one of Mark Twain's first endeavors, was captivating.
Introduction To Academic Writing Pdf
Never forget that your teacher reads many, many papers. Always strive to make your paper special and not boring! It's a good idea to make your own paper stand out from the others with effective word use.
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To exercise your vocabulary powers, read over the following sentences and try to think of alternate words for each tired word that appears in italics.
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The Colocasia is a big plant with lots of leaves.
The author used funny expressions.
The book was supported by many sources.
The author used funny expressions.
The book was supported by many sources.
Tired, Overused, and Boring Words
Some words are specific enough, but they are so overused they are just plain boring. While it would be awkward to avoid these words all the time, you should take care to substitute more interesting words whenever appropriate.
Some tired and overused words:
hile writing a paper, might you find yourself occasionally using the same words over and over. When you are writing about specific information, it can be difficult to find a variety of words to express a specific idea. If you have trouble, don’t be afraid to utilize a thesaurus. It can be a great way to expand your vocabulary!
For a long time, the language used in academic writing was very masculine, partly because women have historically been excluded from higher education. Recently, though, academics have been trying to use gendered pronouns more equally.
But why are gendered pronouns problematic? And how should you use them in your work?
Gendered Pronouns and Academic Writing
In English, we have different third-person pronouns for the different genders. The masculine pronouns are ‘he’, ‘him’ and ‘his’, while the feminine pronouns are ‘she’, ‘her’ and ‘hers’.
The generic ‘he’ used to be common in writing, especially when referring to non-specific individuals. For instance, you might have come across passages like this:
When someone emigrates, he leaves the country and settles elsewhere.
Here, the indefinite pronoun ‘someone’ is paired with the gendered pronoun ‘he’, since English doesn’t have a gender neutral pronoun that fits in this sentence.
However, when using ‘he’ like this, 51% of humanity is unrepresented (i.e. every ‘she’ in the world). As a result, there’s increasing desire to find a more inclusive pronoun to use instead.
Can I Use Gendered Pronouns in an Essay?
While generic use of ‘he’ should be avoided, gendered pronouns have a place in academic writing. If you know the gender of the person you’re discussing, for instance, you should always use the appropriate pronoun:
Edith Cowan was famous for her tireless social campaigning.
In the above, ‘her’ is correct because Edith Cowan was a woman (just as ‘he’ would be correct if referring to Robert Menzies or Douglas Nicholls).
Gender Neutral Alternatives
If referring to someone whose gender is unknown or a non-specific individual, a gender neutral alternative is preferable. One option here is to use both ‘he’ and ‘she’:
When someone emigrates, he or she leaves the country and settles elsewhere.
This can read a little awkwardly, though, especially if used too often. Another possibility is using the impersonal first-person pronoun ‘one’:
When one emigrates, one leaves the country and settles elsewhere.
However, this sounds quite old-fashioned (using the second-person pronoun ‘you’ in the same way, by comparison, sounds a bit too informal for academic writing).
The Singular ‘They’
Perhaps the most elegant solution is to use the ‘singular they’. This is when the third-person plural pronoun ‘they’ is used to discuss individual persons:
When someone emigrates, they leave the country and settle elsewhere.
Note that the verbs in this sentence (i.e. ‘leave’ and ‘settle’) are also changed, since the plural forms are used with ‘they’, even when it refers to a single individual.
The main problem is that this is still a non-standard use, so some consider it incorrect or informal. As such, you should always check your style guide or ask your supervisor whether using the singular ‘they’ in your written work is allowed.
Students, professors, and researchers in every discipline use academic writing to convey ideas, make arguments, and engage in scholarly conversation. Academic writing is characterized by evidence-based arguments, precise word choice, logical organization, and an impersonal tone. Though sometimes thought of as long-winded or inaccessible, strong academic writing is quite the opposite: It informs, analyzes, and persuades in a straightforward manner and enables the reader to engage critically in a scholarly dialogue.
Examples of Academic Writing
Academic writing is, of course, any formal written work produced in an academic setting. While academic writing comes in many forms, the following are some of the most common.
Literary analysis: A literary analysis essay examines, evaluates, and makes an argument about a literary work. As its name suggests, a literary analysis essay goes beyond mere summarization. It requires careful close reading of one or multiple texts and often focuses on a specific characteristic, theme, or motif.
Research paper: A research paper uses outside information to support a thesis or make an argument. Research papers are written in all disciplines and may be evaluative, analytical, or critical in nature. Common research sources include data, primary sources (e.g., historical records), and secondary sources (e.g., peer-reviewed scholarly articles). Writing a research paper involves synthesizing this external information with your own ideas.
Dissertation: A dissertation (or thesis) is a document submitted at the conclusion of a Ph.D. program. The dissertation is a book-length summarization of the doctoral candidate’s research.
Academic papers may be done as a part of a class, in a program of study, or for publication in an academic journal or scholarly book of articles around a theme, by different authors.
Characteristics of Academic Writing
Most academic disciplines employ their own stylistic conventions. However, all academic writing shares certain characteristics.
Alternative To These In Academic Writing Program
- Clear and limited focus. The focus of an academic paper—the argument or research question—is established early by the thesis statement. Every paragraph and sentence of the paper connects back to that primary focus. While the paper may include background or contextual information, all content serves the purpose of supporting the thesis statement.
- Logical structure. All academic writing follows a logical, straightforward structure. In its simplest form, academic writing includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction provides background information, lays out the scope and direction of the essay, and states the thesis. The body paragraphs support the thesis statement, with each body paragraph elaborating on one supporting point. The conclusion refers back to the thesis, summarizes the main points, and highlights the implications of the paper’s findings. Each sentence and paragraph logically connects to the next in order to present a clear argument.
- Evidence-based arguments. Academic writing requires well-informed arguments. Statements must be supported by evidence, whether from scholarly sources (as in a research paper), results of a study or experiment, or quotations from a primary text (as in a literary analysis essay). The use of evidence gives credibility to an argument.
- Impersonal tone. The goal of academic writing is to convey a logical argument from an objective standpoint. Academic writing avoids emotional, inflammatory, or otherwise biased language. Whether you personally agree or disagree with an idea, it must be presented accurately and objectively in your paper.
Most published papers also have abstracts: brief summaries of the most important points of the paper. Abstracts appear in academic database search results so that readers can quickly determine whether the paper is pertinent to their own research.
The Importance of Thesis Statements
Let’s say you’ve just finished an analytical essay for your literature class. If a peer or professor asks you what the essay is about—what the point of the essay is—you should be able to respond clearly and concisely in a single sentence. That single sentence is your thesis statement.
The thesis statement, found at the end of the first paragraph, is a one-sentence encapsulation of your essay’s main idea. It presents an overarching argument and may also identify the main support points for the argument. In essence, the thesis statement is a road map, telling the reader where the paper is going and how it will get there.
The thesis statement plays an important role in the writing process. Once you’ve written a thesis statement, you’ve established a clear focus for your paper. Frequently referring back to that thesis statement will prevent you from straying off-topic during the drafting phase. Of course, the thesis statement can (and should) be revised to reflect changes in the content or direction of the paper. Its ultimate goal, after all, is to capture the main ideas of your paper with clarity and specificity.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Academic writers from every field face similar challenges during the writing process. You can improve your own academic writing by avoiding these common mistakes.
- Wordiness. The goal of academic writing is to convey complex ideas in a clear, concise manner. Don’t muddy the meaning of your argument by using confusing language. If you find yourself writing a sentence over 25 words long, try to divide it into two or three separate sentences for improved readability.
- A vague or missing thesis statement. The thesis statement is the single most important sentence in any academic paper. Your thesis statement must be clear, and each body paragraph needs to tie into that thesis.
- Informal language. Academic writing is formal in tone and should not include slang, idioms, or conversational language.
- Description without analysis. Do not simply repeat the ideas or arguments from your source materials. Rather, analyze those arguments and explain how they relate to your point.
- Not citing sources. Keep track of your source materials throughout the research and writing process. Cite them consistently using one style manual (MLA, APA, or Chicago Manual of Style, depending on the guidelines given to you at the outset of the project). Any ideas that are not your own need to be cited, whether they're paraphrased or quoted directly, to avoid plagiarism.