Advice on academic writing
- 1. ADVICE ON ACADEMIC WRITING BOGADO NOELIA
- 2. ESSAY • An essay should have an ARGUMENT. • it should answer a question. • It should try to PROVE something. • You should formulate the QUESTIONS you will seek to answer in your essay. • You should develop by thinking, reading and jotting a HYPOTHESIS. • You should ask yourself what might be said AGAINST it.
- 3. SUCCESFUL METHODS OF COMPOSING AN ESSAY • Start writing early • Write first what seems readiest to be written. • Keep the essay’s overall purpose and organisation in mind. • Revise extensively sentences (with special attention to transitions, be sure that the reader will be able to follow the sequences of ideas within sentences) • Revise DICTION (exactness and aptness of words) and ECONOMY(the fewest words without loss of clear expression and full thought)
- 4. ESSAY CHARACTERISTICS • Essay structure: There is no predetermined number of points. • Paragraphs: It have as many paragraphs as needed. Usually between one-third and two-thirds of a page and vary in length according to the needs of the paragraph. Will be clearer and more coherent if they begin with a topic sentence. Should end whenever you have provided enough evidence and analysis to support the point in your topic sentence. Wil be more coherent if you place the transition at the start of the next paragraph. • Thesis Statement: The opening paragraph often ends in a thesis statement. Can be two or three sentences long, or even longer. • Introduction and Conclusion: The introduction should raise the essay topic or question as soon as possible in specific and concrete terms. The conclusion should do more than summarize what you have already done in the paper. • Argument: You may incorporate narrative or plot elements into your arguments as long as you analyse them in sufficient depth. Argumentative essays should be supported by evidence from your sources. • Presentation: Plain format with no fancy fonts, colours…
- 5. ESSAY TOPICS • Note the key terms, look for words that define the kind of reasoning you should be using: why, how, analyse, evaluate, argue. • Note which concepts or methods the topic ask you to use. An essay assignment expects you to use course concepts and ways of thinking. • Ask yourself questions about the specific topic in terms of the concepts or methods that seem applicable (look for controversies) • Formulate a tentative thesis statements at a fairly early stage.
- 6. PLANNING The best time to think about how to organize your paper is during the pre-writing stage. It allows you to pay more attention to sentence-level issues when you sit down to write. Other important issue is what type of essay am I going to be writing? Does it belong to a specific genre? Books reviews typically begins with a SUMMARY of the book, then a critical DISCUSSION of the book STRENGHS and WEAKNESSES, and conclude with an OVERALL assessment of the value of the book EVALUATION.
- 7. OUTLINES The structure of an essay should not be determined by the structure of its source material. Most essays outlines will never be handed in. A topic outline consist of fragments rather than full sentences. Techniques for integrating note-taking and planning: • index cards • computer • the circle method
- 8. THESIS STATEMENTS An essay creates an argument, usually in the first paragraph of the essay. • It makes a definite and limited assertion that needs to be explained and supported by further discussion: irrelevant – intriguing. • It shows the emphasis and indicates the methodology of your argument: emotional, vague –worth attention. • It shows awareness of difficulties and disagreements: sweeping, vague – suitable complex.
- 9. INTRODUCTION A good introduction should identify your topic, provide essential context, and engage your reader’s interest. Strategies: Illustrate the seriousness of the problem you will address. Quote an expert. Mention a common misperception that yours thesis will argue against. Give some background information necessary for understanding the essay. Use a brief narrative or anecdote that exemplifies your reason for choosing the topic.
- 10. CONCLUSSION A strong conclussion will provide a sense of closure to the essay. While placing your concepts in a somewhat wider context. It also add a stimulus to further thought. Strategies: If your essay deals with a contemporary problem, warn readers of the possible consequences of not attending to the problem. Recommend a specific course of action. Use an apt quotation or expert opinion to lend authority. Return to an anecdote that you introduce in your introduction, but add further insight that derives from the body of your essay.
- 11. PARAGRAPH A paragraph is a sentence or a group of sentences that supports one central, unified idea. The topic sentence express the central idea of the paragraph, it works best at the beginning of the paragraph.
- 12. TECHNIQUES FOR EXPANDING A TOPIC SENTENCE AND DEVELOP IDEAS • Illustration : examples • Definition paragraph: defines a term • Analysis or classification paragraph: develops a topic by distinguishing its components parts and disscusing each of these parts separately. • Comparison or a contrast paragraph: zeroes in on a key similarity or difference between two ideas. • Qualification paragraph: acknowledges that what you previously asserted is not absolutely true or always applicable. • The process paragraph: involves a straight foward step-by-step description(cronological sequence).
- 13. IDEAS FLOWING IN A PARAGRAPH The best overall startegie to enhance flow within a paragraph is to: • show connections • Deliberate repetition of keywords • Strategic use of pronouns • specialized linking words : reinforcement of ideas(also, in other words, in addition) change ideas(but, on the other hand, however) conclution(thus, therefore, so)
- 14. TOPIC SENTENCE It states de main piont of a paragraph. It serves as a mini-thesis for the paragraph. It usually appear at the very begining of paragraphs, but sometimes a transitional sentence or two will come before before a topic sentence. The transitional sentence prepares the way for the topic sentence.
- 15. CRITICAL READING TOWARDS CRITICAL WRITING Critical writing depends on critical reading. In order to write your own analysis of a subject you will need to do careful critical reading of sources(make judgements about how a text is argued) and to use them critically to make your own argument.
- 16. SPECIFIC TYPES OF WRITING THE BOOK REVIEW OR ARTICLE CRITIQUE An analytic or critical review of a book or article is not primarily a summary; rather, it comments on and evaluates the work in the light of specific issues and theoretical concerns in a course. Keep questions like these in mind as you read, make notes, and write the review 1. What is the specific topic of the book or article? What overall purpose does it seem to have? For what readership is it written? (The preface, acknowledgements, bibliography and index can be helpful in answering these questions. Don’t overlook facts about the author’s background and the circumstances of the book’s creation and publication.) 2. Does the author state an explicit thesis? Does he or she noticeably have an axe to grind? What are the theoretical assumptions? Are they discussed explicitly? (Again, look for statements in the preface, etc. and follow them up in the rest of the work.) 3. What exactly does the work contribute to the overall topic of your course? What general problems and concepts in your discipline and course does it engage with? 4. What kinds of material does the work present (e.g. primary documents or secondary material, literary analysis, personal observation, quantitative data, biographical or historical accounts)? 5. How is this material used to demonstrate and argue the thesis? (As well as indicating the overall structure of the work, your review could quote or summarize specific passages to show the characteristics of the author’s presentation, including writing style and tone.) 6. Are there alternative ways of arguing from the same material? Does the author show awareness of them? In what respects does the author agree or disagree? 7. What theoretical issues and topics for further discussion does the work raise? 8. What are your own reactions and considered opinions regarding the work?
- 17. LITERATURE REVIEW A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. Often it is part of the introduction to an essay, research report, or thesis. In writing the literature review, your purpose is to convey to your reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. As a piece of writing, the literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (e.g., your research objective, the problem or issue you are discussing, or your argumentative thesis). It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set of summaries
- 18. THE COMPARATIVE ESSAY • A comparative essay asks that you compare at least two (possibly more) items. These items will differ depending on the assignment. You might be asked to compare • positions on an issue (e.g., responses to midwifery in Canada and the United States) • theories (e.g., capitalism and communism) • figures (e.g., GDP in the United States and Britain) • texts (e.g., Shakespeare’s Hamletand Macbeth) • events (e.g., the Great Depression and the global financial crisis of 2008–9) • Although the assignment may say “compare,” the assumption is that you will consider both the similarities and differences; in other words, you will compare and contrast.
- 19. REVISING AND EDITING Revising gives you the chance to preview your work on behalf of the eventual reader. Revision is much more than proofreading, though in the final editing stage it involves some checking of details. Good revision and editing can transform a mediocre first draft into an excellent final paper. It’s more work, but leads to real satisfaction when you find you’ve said what you wanted.
- 20. BIBLIOGRAPHY Knott D. (n.d.)”Critical Reading towards Critical Writing”, New College Writing Centre. “Researching”, from University of Toronto database. Progter M..(n.d.) “Understanding Essay Topics: Checklist”, Writing Support. “General” , from University of Toronto database. Progter M.(n.d.) “Using Thesis Statements”, Writing Support. “Planning” , from University of Toronto database. Progter M. and Visvis V.(n.d.) “Paragraphs”, Writing Support. “Planning” , from University of Toronto database. Plotnick J..(n.d)”Organizing an Essay”. University College Writing Centre. “Planning”, from University of Toronto database. Plotnick J.and Freedman L.(n.d)”Introductions and Conclutions”. University College Writing Centre. “Planning”, from University of Toronto database. Plotnick J. and Hall J .(n.d)”Using a Topic Sentence”. University College Writing Centre. “Planning”, from University of Toronto database. Silber C. A. .(n.d)”Some General Advice on Academic Essay-Writing”, Department of English. “General”, from University of Toronto database. Vogan B. and Plotnick J. .(n.d)”The Transition from High School to University Writing”,University College Writing Centre. “General”, from University of Toronto database.