INTRODUCTION TO

ACADEMIC WRITING

Professor John Huber

Zhejiang Normal University
May 24th, 2018
 INTRODUCTION

OVERVIEW
• This presentation serves to highlight key steps, and aspects of the writing
process, as well as guidelines.
• Provide examples of what not to do
• This presentation is not an exhaustive guide on writing academic papers
• Students should follow-up with with writing guidebooks for specifics on
MLA, APA, and CMS.
• This presentation provides insight based on the authors experiences and
opinion
• Always seek out the expectations of your professor or supervisor when
adapting any style or format

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 INTRODUCTION

WRITING IS FORMAL

• Academic writing is a formal expression of thoughts and ideas

• How you talk is not how you write
• Don’t use idioms, expressions, or colloquialisms

WRITING HAS RULES AND GUIDELINES

• Expend the effort to learn the different formats and match the
requirements of your professor

SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ARE IMPORTANT

• There is no tolerance for misspelled words, bad grammar and wrong

punctuation.
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 INTRODUCTION

WRITING TAKES PREPARATION

• A good paper can’t be completed in a short time

• Perform comprehensive research
• Work with an outline

WRITING IS ABOUT ORIGINAL THOUGHT

• No one wants to read a paper of someone else’s ideas,

• Sources are there for support and should not consume the majority of
your paper
• Sources should compliment your thoughts and narrative

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 INTRODUCTION

WRITING NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED

• Complete your paper well in advance so you and others have time to
proofread.
• Proofreading shouldn’t be done the same day that you finish the paper;
look at it with fresh eyes one or two days later

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 OVERVIEW OF TOPICS

PRIMARY TYPES OF ACADEMIC PAPERS

THE THESIS

THE WRITING PROCESS

ABSTRACT

GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE PAPER

COMMON STYLING ERRORS

WRITING STYLE

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

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 3 PRIMARY TYPES OF ACADEMIC PAPERS

EXPOSITORY (TOPIC)

The paper explains an event, subject matter, concept, theory, theme, discussion,
talking point, keynote, argument, or question to the audience

ARGUMENTATIVE (OPINION)

The paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific
evidence. The claim could be an interpretation, a policy proposal, an evaluation,
a cause-and-effect statement, or an opinion. The goal of the argumentative
paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence
provided.

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 3 PRIMARY TYPES OF ACADEMIC PAPERS

ANALYTICAL (THESIS)

The paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates
the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.

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 EXPOSITORY PAPERS

SPECIFIC

A research paper should be specific. It should maintain its focus on the given
subject of research - answering a specific research question - and not be
inconsistent or aimless as to convey information or make claims on other,
unrelated topics or subjects.

MEASURABLE

A research paper must contain specific, proven research, and cites all research
sources and related literature.

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 EXPOSITORY PAPERS

ATTAINABLE

A research paper must provide a thesis statement, one that answers the
research question and contributes to the knowledge of the given subject. It
can't propose to answer a question that doesn't relate to real life or isn't based
on an existing body of knowledge.

REALISTIC

A research paper is objective and realistic. Should it be made to present

interpretations, arguments, or evaluations, then it should do so based on valid
evidence from reliable sources.

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 ARGUMENTATIVE PAPERS

COLLECT RESEARCH

Collect research to support your opinion

AKNOWLEDGE OPINIONS

Acknowledge the previous opinions or arguments that have been made.

“A common complaint among students is that the dress code restricts their
rights to freedom of expression."

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 ARGUMENTATIVE PAPERS

TRANSITION STATEMENTS

Use a transition statement that shows how your opinion adds to the argument
or suggests those previous statements and arguments are incomplete or faulty

"While I agree that the regulations do hamper my ability to express my

individualism, I think the economic burden that the new code brings about is a
bigger concern.“

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 ARGUMENTATIVE PAPERS

DON’T BE SARCASTIC

Be careful not to be too sarcastic.

"Many students come from low-income families and they simply don't have the
resources to buy new clothing on short notice.”

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

List supporting evidence to back up your position.

"The recent increase in fees has already led to a decrease in enrollment."

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 ANALYTICAL PAPERS

CLAIM OR ARGUMENT

A thesis is a claim or argument. Everything in a persuasive essay relates to the

thesis, either as evidence, explanation, elaboration or rebuttal of alternative
claims.

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 ANALYTICAL PAPERS

SPINE OF THE PAPER

Just as all the parts of your body are connected to the spine, and without the
spine your body could not stand, so too in your essay all parts must be
connected to the thesis, and without the thesis the essay cannot stand. Parts
that are not connected must be revised so that they do connect, or else
eliminated

THESIS STATEMENT

A thesis, in other words, is not the same as the thesis statement, which is a
sentence or two in your introduction that tells the reader what the thesis is.
The thesis is not limited to one spot in your essay; it runs through the whole
thing, from start to finish.

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 THE THESIS

DESCRIPTIVE THESIS

• Makes an “is” statement

• Makes a claim on how things “are”
• Appeals to evidence that anyone (given enough training) can observe and
confirm
• Appeals to logic that anyone (again, given enough training) can test and
confirm
• Deals in measurement, analysis, interpretation, explanation

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 THE THESIS

DESCRIPTIVE THESIS

“Racism in this country has historical roots in the theft of indigenous land and the
enslavement of African peoples to work that land.”

“Global warming is real and is caused by human activity, not natural changes in the
climate.”

“American popular music is rooted in the folk tradition of African Americans.”

“The United States does not offer equal economic opportunity to all of its citizens.”

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 THE THESIS

PRESCRIPTIVE THESIS

• Deals with questions of values, ethics or morality and should be avoided

• Makes a “should” statement
• Makes a claim on how things “should be”
• Appeals to shared values or morals—assessments of what is “good” and
“bad.”
• You can agree with someone about how things are even if you don’t share
their values. But you can’t agree on how things should be unless you share
at least one value.

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 THE THESIS

PRESCRIPTIVE THESIS

“We all need to work hard to overcome the legacy of slavery and racism.”

“Global warming must be stopped!”

“Music teachers should teach their students about the African American roots of
American popular music.”

“The United States economic system should be reformed so that everyone has equal
economic opportunity.”

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 A THESIS IS NEVER…

NEVER A TOPIC

"Reasons for the fall of communism”

This is a general review of the subject matter

NEVER A FACT

“Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe"

This is a well known fact to educated people

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 A THESIS IS NEVER…

NEVER AND OPINION

“The fall of communism is the best thing that ever happened in Europe.”

This is an opinion and not an argument

Superlatives like "the best" almost always lead to trouble. It's impossible to
weigh every "thing" that ever happened in Europe. And what about the fall of
Hitler? Couldn't that be "the best thing"?

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 A THESIS IS NEVER…

NEVER A QUESTION

Readers of academic essays expect to have questions discussed, explored, or

even answered. A question "Why did communism collapse in Eastern Europe?” is
not an argument, and without an argument, a thesis is dead in the water.

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 A THESIS SHOULD NEVER BE…

NEVER BE VAGUE COMBATIVE AND

CONFRONTATIONAL
"Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because communism is evil."

This is hard to argue.

Evil from whose perspective? What does evil mean?

It is likely to mark you as moralistic and judgmental rather than rational and thorough.

It also may spark a defensive reaction from readers sympathetic to communism. If

readers strongly disagree with you right from the start, they may stop reading.

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 AN EFFECTIVE THESIS IS…

A DEFINABLE AND ARGUABLE CLAIM

"While cultural forces contributed to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe,

the disintegration of economies played the key role in driving its decline"

This is an effective thesis sentence that "telegraphs," so that the reader expects
the essay to have a section about cultural forces and another about the
disintegration of economies.

This thesis makes a definite, arguable claim, that the disintegration of

economies played a more important role than cultural forces in defeating
communism in Eastern Europe. The reader would react to this statement by
thinking, "Perhaps what the author says is true, but I am not convinced. I want
to read further to see how the author argues this claim.“

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 AN EFFECTIVE THESIS IS…

CLEAR AND SPECIFIC

A thesis should be as clear and specific as possible. Avoid overused, general

terms and abstractions.

Less powerful:

“Communism collapsed due to societal discontent."

More powerful:

"Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because of the ruling elite's inability to

address the economic concerns of the people"

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 THE WRITING PROCESS

SELECTING A TOPIC

CONDUCTING PRELIMINARY RESEARCH

DEVELOPING A WORKING THESIS STATEMENT

DEPTHS OF COMPLEXITY

OUTLINE

LOCATING RESEARCH MATERIALS

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

CITING REFERENCES
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 SELECTING A TOPIC

MAKE IT “SEXY”

Nobody wants to read the same old topic, pick

something new or add a new twist to an existing
topic

Remember that your professor has lots of

papers to read, make your paper stand out.

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 SELECTING A TOPIC

NARROW IT DOWN

Make sure that your topic is not so wide in scope

that you will have difficulty discussing it in one
paper

For example, you may find too much information

on the topic of “cancer,” so you may decide to
narrow the topic to “lung cancer.” You may then
decide to narrow the subject even further to
study the high incidence of lung cancer in
individuals who have been exposed to asbestos.

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 CONDUCTING PRELIMINARY RESEARCH

EXPLORATORY READING

• Do some exploratory reading in reference

books, periodicals, and Internet articles
• Pay close attention to the quality of reference
materials you use
• For example, if you are writing an article
on lung cancer, more credible information
would probably be found in medical
journals, rather than in popular magazines

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 CONDUCTING PRELIMINARY RESEARCH

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

• You may find that there is not sufficient

information on your topic.
• You may find a similar topic that is of more
interest to you.
• You may find that there is too much
information available on your topic, and you
may need to narrow your focus.
• You may find that your topic is too difficult to
understand.
• You may decide that the topic is too broad

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 OUTLINE

CLARIFY THOUGHTS AND DEVELOP

IDEAS

• Helps you get over writer’s block

• Plan out ides and develop structure prior to
writing the text

IDENTIFY WEAKNESSES IN
ARGUMENT

• You may realize that you don’t have enough

supporting detail for your main ideas or that
the support is not strong enough

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 OUTLINE

ORGANIZE IDEAS TO STAY ON TARGET

• Not only might supporting details be

misplaced or missing, but the argument may go
off on a tangent, including personal anecdotes,
trivia or information that is related to the
topic but does not advance the argument.
• Writing an outline helps you ensure that your
writing stays focused, and it can help you to
organize your ideas so that they make the
most impact.

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 OUTLINE

SAVES TIME

• An outline can create a step-by-step guide that

makes the actual writing easier while saving
you time.
• Once a complete outline is written, the actual
project will mostly involve expanding and
connecting the ideas together, so they flow
from one to the next, and, when writing
research papers, adding citations and
references where necessary.

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 OUTLINE - TRADITIONAL

I. INTRODUCTION C. Possible Support Paragraph 3

A. Background Information 1. Thesis statement
1. General background information that grabs attention 2. Supporting Ideas
(reference) a. Reason/Detail/Fact and transition
2. More specific background information to lead into (reference)
the thesis (reference) b. More information and transition (reference)
B. Thesis statement c. Maybe even more information (reference)
1. Topic 3. Summarizing/Concluding/Transition sentence
2. Outline your key points D. Maybe even another Support Paragraph 4 (or more)
II. BODY 1. Thesis statement
A. Support Paragraph 1 2. Supporting Ideas
1. Thesis statement a. Reason/Detail/Fact and transition
2. Supporting Ideas (reference)
a. Reason/Detail/Fact and transition b. More information and transition (reference)
(reference) c. Maybe even more information (reference)
b. More information and transition (reference) 3. Summarizing/Concluding/Transition sentence
c. Maybe even more information (reference) III. CONCLUSION
3. Summarizing/Concluding/Transition sentence A. Summarize/Review key points
B. Support Paragraph 2 B. Concluding thought
1. Thesis statement IV. REFERENCES (use APA or MLA format)
2. Supporting Ideas
a. Reason/Detail/Fact and transition
(reference)
b. More information and transition (reference)
c. Maybe even more information (reference)
3. Summarizing/Concluding/Transition sentence

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 OUTLINE - FISHBONE

THE VALUE OF THE FISH

• More visual than traditional outline
• First page used to highlight the key
premise of the paper
• Supporting pages to identify key
arguments and support for each assertion
• Easy for discussions with your supervisor
• Use as a template, key types of data and
support identified for each section
• Easy to hand write ideas

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OUTLINE - FISHBONE

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OUTLINE - FISHBONE

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OUTLINE - FISHBONE

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 DEPTHS OF COMPLEXITY

EXAMINE ALTERNATE PERSPECTIVES

To examine an issue or question critically and thoroughly, it

must be done from many different perspectives.

The following are 19 possible perspectives:

1. Ethical concerns 10. Safety
2. Societal, Global implications 11. Environmental concerns
3. Individual concerns: psychological, physical, 12. Pretext (false reasons)
emotional 13. Cultural impact
4. Family concerns 14. Mankind’s responsibility for a better future
5. Economics 15. Scientific concerns
6. Religious 16. Education
7. Medical benefits/concerns 17. Legal
8. Humane/Inhumane 18. Political implications (media politics)
9. Race relations 19. Military concerns

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 DEVELOPING A WORKING THESIS STATEMENT

CRITERIA

• It must be general enough so that all of the paragraphs

in the paper will relate to it.
• It must give direction to your paper.
• It should be specific enough to be clear and interesting.
• It will indicate the specific argument or opinion you wish
to make in your paper.
• The final conclusion in your paper should relate back to
your thesis statement.

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 DEVELOPING A WORKING THESIS STATEMENT

TIPS

• Don’t simply make an announcement:

“This paper will discuss higher education for women in the
1890’s.”
• Don’t simply make a factual statement:
“Higher education for women was quite limited in the
nineteenth century. “
• Don’t state your thesis in vague, general, or sweeping terms:
“Gender is an interesting concept in the history of higher
education.”

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 DEVELOPING A WORKING THESIS STATEMENT

TIPS

• Do state your limited subject and indicate the specific point

or argument you wish to make about your topic:

“Attitudes toward higher education for women in the 1890’s

hampered the intellectual development of women.”

• Don’t get stuck on your thesis.You can always revise the

thesis statement later.

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 DEVELOPING A WORKING THESIS STATEMENT

ASK SOME QUESTIONS

• Once you have developed your thesis, develop questions about

your topic and check to see if your thesis adequately answers
these questions

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 LOCATING RESEARCH MATERIALS

SOURCE QUALITY CHECK

• What are the author's education and experience? Look for

information about the author in the publication itself.
• Who is the audience for the publication (scholarly or
general)?
• Is the publication primary or secondary in nature?
• Wikipedia and 百度知道 are open source and
secondary sources; text is not always cited and
therefore, they are not credible references.
• Does it provide general background information or in-
depth information on a specific topic? Which do you need?
• How extensive is the bibliography? Can you use these
references to find more information?

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 LOCATING RESEARCH MATERIALS

Wikipedia

• Wikipedia generally cites its sources, follow the links and

reference the original source.

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 LOCATING RESEARCH MATERIALS

百度知道

百度知道 sometimes cites its sources, follow the links and

reference the original source. If no sources are listed, skip
and find a creditable source.

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 LOCATING RESEARCH MATERIALS

SOURCE QUALITY CHECK

• What is the publication date?

• How up-to-date are the citations in the bibliography?
• How current do you need for your topic?
• Determine whether the information is fact, opinion or
propaganda.
• Are there footnotes to show the source of the facts
or quotes?
• Does the publisher have a particular bias?
• Are opinions or propaganda easy to recognize?
• Do the words and phrases play to your emotions or
bias the content?

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 AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

NEED TO DOCUMENT

• When you are using or referring to somebody else’s words

or ideas from a magazine, book, newspaper, song, TV
program, movie, Web page, computer program, letter,
advertisement, or any other medium
• When you use information gained through interviewing
another person
• When you copy the exact words or a "unique phrase"
from somewhere

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 AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

NEED TO DOCUMENT

• When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts, and

pictures
• When you use ideas that others have given you in
conversations or over email
• When you use any statistic
• When you use content from a paper your previously
wrote

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 AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

PARAPHRASING

• To paraphrase means to express exactly the same idea in

different words and in a different structure than that of the
source.
• You cannot just change a few words in a source sentence
and call the sentence your own.
• Even if you use several words in succession from a source,
you are quoting, not paraphrasing.You must cite your
source.

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 AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

PARAPHRASING

• As a paraphrased idea belongs to another, it must be cited

unless it is considered common knowledge.
• An idea is considered common knowledge if it is found in
many different sources rather than one, or if it would be
familiar to an average educated person.
• Whenever you are in doubt, cite the source of the
idea.

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 AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

PARAPHRASING

Source: That whenever any form of government becomes

destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to
alter or to abolish it and to institute new government, laying
its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers
in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect
their safety and happiness (Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of
Independence).

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 AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

PARAPHRASING

Unacceptable Paraphrase: Whenever government

becomes destructive of the rights of the people, the people
have the right to alter or abolish it, and to form a new
government on such principles and organization of powers
as seem most likely to bring them safety and happiness.

Acceptable Paraphrase: The people have the right to

change or do away with any government that violates their
basic human rights and to form a new government founded
on precepts they feel will afford them these rights.

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 CITING SOURCES

WHICH TO USE

• The function of in-text citations is to point the reader to

the source from which information was borrowed.
• The source is listed at the end of the paper within a
“Work Cited” or “Reference” list.
• The information from the “Work Cited” or “Reference”
list should direct the reader to the original source.
• There are several different methods for citing sources
• It is important to find out which method your
instructor would like you to use.

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 CITING SOURCES

MLA

• Parenthetical Documentation
• The MLA citation includes the author’s last name and
the page number of the source

Example: Anytime that information is borrowed

from an outside source, it must be cited (Perez
204).

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 CITING SOURCES

MLA

• Works Cited
• Place the author’s last name first, followed by the
first name. If a work has more than one author, invert
the first and last name of only the first author listed.
If a work does not include an author’s name,
alphabetize by the title. Use quotation marks around
the titles of articles in journals, magazines, and
newspapers.
• Italicize the titles of books, journals, magazines, and
newspapers. At the end of each entry, mention the
medium type of each source (Print, Web, etc). After
marking Web sources, write the date of access.

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 CITING SOURCES

MLA

• Works Cited
• The first line of each works cited entry is flush with
the left margin. Subsequent lines should be indented
one-half inch. This is called a “hanging indentation.”

Example: Bullock, Richard, and Maureen D. Goggin.

The Norton Field Guide to Writing. 3rd ed. New
York: W.W. Norton & Co. 2013. Print.

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 CITING SOURCES

MLA

• Guidelines
• Type your paper on a computer and print it out on
standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
• Double-space the text of your paper, and use a
legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font
you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and
italics type styles contrast enough that they are
recognizable one from another. The font size should
be 12 pt.
• Leave only one space after periods or other
punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by
your instructor).

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 CITING SOURCES

MLA

• Guidelines
• Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all
sides.
• Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from
the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the
Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five
times.
• Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively
in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the
top and flush with the right margin. (Note:Your
instructor may ask that you omit the number on your
first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.)

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 CITING SOURCES

MLA

• Guidelines
• Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of
longer works and, only when absolutely necessary,
providing emphasis.
• If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate
page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the
section Notes (centered, unformatted).

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 CITING SOURCES

MLA

• Formatting the First Page of Your Paper

• Do not make a title page for your paper unless
specifically requested.
• In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list
your name, your instructor's name, the course, and
the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
• Double space again and center the title. Do not
underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation
marks; write the title in Title Case (standard
capitalization), not in all capital letters.

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 CITING SOURCES

MLA

• Formatting the First Page of Your Paper

• Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to
other works in your title, just as you would in your
text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play;
Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking”
• Double space between the title and the first line of
the text.

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 CITING SOURCES

MLA

• Formatting the First Page of Your Paper

• Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that
includes your last name, followed by a space with a
page number; number all pages consecutively with
Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from
the top and flush with the right margin. (Note:Your
instructor or other readers may ask that you omit
last name/page number header on your first page.
Always follow instructor guidelines.)

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 CITING SOURCES

APA

• Parenthetical Documentation
• The APA citation includes the author’s name and the
year of publication of the source. Elements in an APA
citation are separated by commas, and p. and pp. are
used with page numbers.

• The parenthetical citation in the text comes after the

closing quotation marks and before end punctuation.

Example: “Editors know they can get pictures like

the ones they have already published” (Alexander,
1994, p.296).

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 CITING SOURCES

APA

• Reference List
• In APA format, the sources used in the paper are listed
alphabetically on a final page, with the heading
“References” centered at the top of the page.
• Double-space after the heading and double-space
between lines of each citation and between citations.
• Provide a complete biographical entry for each of the
sources cited in the text.
• Place the author’s last name first, followed by the first
initial of the author’s first name and middle name. If a
work has more than one author, list each author in the
same format and use the ampersand symbol “&” in
between the authors’ names.
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 CITING SOURCES

APA

• Reference List
• If a work does not include an author’s name,
alphabetize by the title.
• Do not use quotation marks around the titles of
articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers.
Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of the
title.
• Italicize the titles of books and journals. The italics
continue through commas and periods. The issue
number of periodicals is not italicized.

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 CITING SOURCES

APA

• Reference List
• The first line of each entry should be flush with the
left margin. Subsequent lines should be indented one-
half inch. This is called a “hanging indentation.”

Example: Andrew, J.A., Capelin, D., Foster, S. L., &

Hops, H. (2000). Adolescent and family predictors
of physical aggression, communication, and
satisfaction in young adult couples: A prospective
analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical
Psychology, 68, 195.

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 CITING SOURCES

APA

• Guidelines
• Your paper may include the following items in the
order listed below.Your instructor will indicate the
specific requirements for the assignment.
• Title page • Tables
• Abstract • Figure captions
• Text • Figures
• References • Reference List
• Appendixes
• Author note
• Footnotes/Endnotes

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 CITING SOURCES

CMS

• Formatting Footnotes
• Unlike MLA and APA, CMS does not use
parenthetical citations. Instead, footnotes are used to
cite sources.
• Footnotes are in-text citations that are located at
the bottom of each page of the paper.
• Begin with the number one and continue
consecutively throughout the paper, to be located at
the end of the sentence to which the footnote is
referring.
• Be superscripted and follow the sentence
punctuation.

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 CITING SOURCES

CMS

• Formatting Footnotes

In Text-Example: Eleanor of Aquitaine was the

queen of France, the queen of England, and the
Countess of Aquitaine during her lifetime.1
In Text-Example: 1. Bernard Jones, “Who Was
Eleanor of Aquitaine?” European History Quarterly
349 (2011): 438.

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 CITING SOURCES

CMS
• Block Quotes
• When using CMS, quotations of five lines or more are
block quoted.
• There should be an extra line of space added before and
after the block quotation.
• The entire block quote should be single-spaced and
indented 0.5 inches from the left margin.
• The footnote is placed at the end of the block quote
following the same procedures stated above.

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 CITING SOURCES

CMS

• Bibliography
• The Bibliography page for CMS provides the same
function as the Works Cited page for MLA and the
Reference page for APA.
• Use “Bibliography” as the title of the page and leave
two blank lines between “Bibliography” and the first
citation.
• Arrange citations alphabetically by author. If the
source includes more than one author/editor, all
authors/editors must be listed. List the names in the
order that they appear on the title page of the
source.

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 CITING SOURCES

CMS

• Bibliography
• Within each citation, single space the information;
however, between each source, a double-space is
needed.
• Do not use the “&” symbol, use the word “and.”

Example:Ward, Geoffrey C., and Ken Burns. The

War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945. New York:
Knopf, 2007.

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 CITING SOURCES

CMS

• Guidelines
• Your paper may include the following items in the
order listed below. Your instructor will indicate the
specific requirements for the assignment.

• Title page
• Abstract
• Body
• References
• Footnotes/Endnotes
• Bibliography
• Tables and Figures

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 CITING SOURCES

CITATION MAKERS

• There are many citation builders, like EasyBib; take

advantage of resources like this. Some are free, some
have fees
• http://www.easybib.com/

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 ABSTRACT

WHAT IS AN ABSTRACT?
• An abstract is a self-contained, short, and powerful statement that
describes a larger work.
• An abstract is not a review, nor does it evaluate the work being abstracted.
• While it contains key words found in the larger work, the abstract is an
original document rather than an excerpted passage.
• An abstract should be a single paragraph and double-spaced.
• An abstract should be between 150 and 250 words.

WHY WRITE AN ABSTRACT?

• Abstracts allow readers who may be interested in a longer work to quickly
decide whether it is worth their time to read it.
• Many online databases use abstracts to index larger works.

76
 ABSTRACT VERSUS AN INTRODUCTION

ABSTRACTS
• Abstracts summarize the whole text
• May contain results, conclusions and recommendations
• Can stand alone as a separate entity
• Mainly found in research papers, thesis, dissertations, etc.
• Does not include references or footnotes

INTRODUCTIONS
• Introductions introduce the text
• Does not contain results, conclusions, and recommendations
• May not make sense without the main text
• Can be found in a wide variety of texts
• May contain reference or footnotes

77
 GENERAL PAPER PRESENTATION

FORMAT

The paper represents you, do not submit a paper that is not perfectly
formatted; it lowers the perception and quality of the paper.

FONTS

Use san-serif typefaces like Calibri, Helvetica, Garamond, or Arial. Never use
courier or SimSun

78
 GENERAL PAPER PRESENTATION

SPELLING

Spelling mistakes are inexcusable… set your dictionary to USA or UK English

GRAMMAR

I’s worthwhile to use a grammar checker, especially if compiling a group paper.

The paper needs to appear seamless

79
 COMMON STYLING ERRORS

NOT A CONVERSATION

Do not say things like “we will examine,” or “as you can see”

BE CONSISTENT

If it’s a group paper, maintain the same writing styling, throughout so that the
reader can not differentiate the writers

80
 COMMON STYLING ERRORS

EXHIBITS ARE SUPPLEMENTAL

Don’t require your reader to read and interpret exhibits, explain what it is
they are looking at

WRITE IN THE LANGUAGE DUE

Translation software doesn’t work. If it’s due in English, write in English. It’s
better to lose minor points for grammar rather than submit something that
incomprehensible.

81
 GEORGE ORWELL: 6 QUESTIONS / 6 RULES

6 QUESTIONS
1. What am I trying to say?
2. What words will express it?
3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?
4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?

And he will probably ask himself two more:

1. Could I put it more shortly?

2. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?

82
 GEORGE ORWELL: 6 QUESTIONS / 6 RULES

6 RULES
1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of
speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will
do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it
out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the
active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or
a jargon word if you can think of an everyday
English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say
anything outright barbarous.

83
 SHOULD I USE “I” OR “WE”

FIRST PERSON

• In many cases, using the first-person pronoun can improve your writing, by
offering the following benefits:
• Assertiveness: In some cases you might wish to emphasize agency
(who is doing what), as for instance if you need to point out how
valuable your project is to an academic discipline or to claim your
unique perspective or argument.
• Clarity: Because trying to avoid the first person can lead to awkward
constructions and vagueness, using the first person can improve your
writing style.

84
 SHOULD I USE “I” OR “WE”

FIRST PERSON

• Positioning yourself in the essay: In some projects, you need to

explain how your research or ideas build on or depart from the work
of others, in which case you’ll need to say “I,” “we,” “my,” or “our”; if
you wish to claim some kind of authority on the topic, first person
may help you do so.

85
 DECIDING ON YOUR YOUR STYLE

Original example:
In studying American popular culture of the 1980s, the question of to what
degree materialism was a major characteristic of the cultural milieu was
explored.

Better example using first person:

In our study of American popular culture of the 1980s, we explored the
degree to which materialism characterized the cultural milieu.

The original example sounds less emphatic and direct than the revised
version; using “I” allows the writers to avoid the convoluted construction of
the original and clarifies who did what.

86
 DECIDING ON YOUR YOUR STYLE

Original example:
As I observed the communication styles of first-year Carolina women, I
noticed frequent use of non-verbal cues.

Better example:
A study of the communication styles of first-year Carolina women revealed
frequent use of non-verbal cues.

In the original example, using the first-person grounds the experience heavily
in the writer’s subjective, individual perspective, but the writer’s purpose is to
describe a phenomenon that is in fact objective or independent of that
perspective. Avoiding the first person here creates the desired impression of
an observed phenomenon that could be reproduced and also creates a
stronger, clearer statement.

87
 CONCLUSION

WRITING IS FORMAL

WRITING TAKES PREPARATION

WRITING MUST BE REVIEWED

FORMATING, SPELLING AND GRAMMAR MISTAKES ARE

AVOIDABLE AND THEY REDUCE THE QUALITY OF YOUR
PAPER AND DISTRACT THE READER
THERE IS NO TOLERANCE FOR PLAGERISM; LOWERING YOUR
GRADE

THERE IS NO TOLERANE FOR PLAGERISM

88
 REFERENCES

In addition to original thought and experience, content from the

following sources have either been used or adapted into this
presentation

GradeSaver
A successful research paper is a smart one
https://www.gradesaver.com/writing-help/elements-of-a-successful-research-paper
Accessed May 19, 2018

ThoughtCo.
Writing an Opinion Essay
https://www.thoughtco.com/writing-an-opinion-essay-1856999
Accessed May 19, 2018

89
 REFERENCES

Shoreline Community College

What is a Thesis?
https://app.shoreline.edu/doldham/102/HTML/What%20is%20a%20Thesis.html
Accessed May 19, 2018

Harvard College - Writing Center

Developing a Thesis
https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/developing-thesis
Accessed May 19, 2018

Germanna Community College

Guide to Writing a Research Paper
August 2016

SeattlePI
The Importance of Doing an Outline Prior to Writing a Paper
http://education.seattlepi.com/importance-doing-outline-prior-writing-3570.html
Accessed May 19, 201

90
 REFERENCES

Dr. Sandra Kaplan – University of Southern California

Depths of Complexity
1996

Germanna Community College

Guide to Writing a Research Paper
August 2016

George Orwell
Politics and the English Language
1946

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Writing Center

Should I Use “I”?
https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/should-i-use-i/
Accessed May 19, 2018

91
 REFERENCES

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Writing Center

Abstracts
https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/abstracts/
Accessed May 19, 2018

92
 EXAMPLES

LOOK FOR THE MISTAKES

• Review samples from student papers and identify the following type of mistakes:
• Formatting
• Style
• Grammar & Punctuation
• References
• Word Choices

93
 EXAMPLE 1

Don’t write “this paper” or “this assignment” 94

 EXAMPLE

Don’t pass off bullets points as paragraphs; bullets points should only be used as a list 95
 EXAMPLE 3

Mind your formatting, especially spacing between paragraphs 96

 EXAMPLE 4

Do not use “we can see” / Watch your tenses / Don’t use “what” unless asking a question97
 EXAMPLE 5
Conjunctive Adverbs
accordingly next
also nonethe
anyway now
besides otherwi
certainly similarly
consequently still
finally then
furthermore thereaft
hence therefor
however thus
incidentally undoubt
indeed
instead
likewise
meanwhile
moreover
nevertheless

Never begin a paragraph with a conjunctive adverb / Not common knowledge… should cite
98
 EXAMPLE 6

Idioms are informal and should be avoided / Don’t assume something is “simple enough” 99
 EXAMPLE 7

Properly state the subject/noun… is it the ”capital of China” or the Chinese government?100
 EXAMPLE 8

Is the Green peace really the reason why China changed? 101
 EXAMPLE

Keep source citations on the same page as the referenced chart 102
 EXAMPLE 9
1

An abstract should be a single paragraph 103

 EXAMPLE 10

Add space between paragraphs or indent / Bad formatting / Bullets begin with capital letters
104
 EXAMPLE 11

The title highlights the section, no need to say “in this section / Avoid using “we” / Use past tense
105
/ Do we “well know?”
 EXAMPLE 12

Asking a question in an academic paper alludes to a discussion. There isn’t, so don’t ask questions
106
 EXAMPLE 13

Don’t tell a reader to ”see” or refer to a table, detail the relevant statistic(s) in the paper107
EXAMPLE 14

Keep indents common 108

 EXAMPLE 15

Key Words

Avoid “this paper” or “this assignment” / Missing ”key words” / Don’t use “we” / Bad grammar
109
 EXAMPLE 16

Bad word choice / 3 cited sources ??? 110

 EXAMPLE 17

Wikipedia and other open sources are not credible sources / incomplete citations 111
 EXAMPLE 18

Add space between paragraphs / Avoid asking questions 112

 EXAMPLE 19

Never use low quality and hard to read figures, graphs, and charts 113
 EXAMPLE 20

This is not common knowledge, citations are required 114

 EXAMPLE 21

Don’t minimize your argument / Check for errors / Never start a sentence with “so” / “also”115
and
“another” are interchangeable, only use one
 EXAMPLE 22

Figure is completely illegible and has been squeezed. Figures like this are easy to make yourself
116
 EXAMPLE 23

This is more of a presentation slide than a figure; it should not be used in an academic paper
117
 EXAMPLE 24

Poor copy and paste / Very low quality, and generally speaking, graphs and charts should be b&w
118
 EXAMPLE 25

Proof-read your paper / Expressions are informal and should be avoided, don’t use “we” or “us”
119
 EXAMPLE 26

Is this a source? If so, it’s not formatted properly and follows another citation 120
 EXAMPLE 27

Formatting – use colons and there is no space in front of a colon / No citation for source121
 EXAMPLE 28

Unsubstantiated statement; In the USA, over 52% of sales are from small businesses /
Incomprehensible statement and bad choice to end a paper 122
 EXAMPLE 29

No citation, the authors are not experts on the law / This is not a chart, they’re bullet points
123
 EXAMPLE 30

No reference to the table, it’s just dumped into the paper 124
 EXAMPLE 31

No need to say “In Conclusion,” let alone capitalize it / Never introduce new topics or use bullet
125
points in the conclusion