Advice on academic writing

1. ADVICE ON ACADEMIC WRITING
Language and Written Expression IV
Zacarías Cintia
2016

2. What is an essay?
An essay is a piece of writing that aims to
analyze and evaluate a topic or issue and
is designed to get your academic opinion
on that particular matter.

4. An essay should :
• Have an argument.
• Answer a question.
• Prove something by reasoning and
evidence.
• Have a clear organization .

5. HELPFUL TIPS
Start writing early.
Write what seems readiest to be written.
Keep the essay's overall purpose and organization in
mind.
Revise extensively: transitions, diction, economy.
Draft and redraft.
Put essay aside for a few days, allowing the mind to
work indirectly or subconsciously in the meantime.
Proofread the final copy.

6. PLANNING
AND
ORGANIZING

7. STRUCTURE
INTRODUCTION: informs the reader about
the nature of the topic and provides
essential context.
BODY: discusses and evaluates the topic.
It consists of all the paragraphs between
the introduction and the conclusion.
Paragraphs add one idea at a time to your
broader argument.
CONCLUSION: provides a sense of
closure and summarises the overall points
made.

8. ORGANIZING AN ESSAY
 Organize your essay during the pre-writing
stage
 Have in clear what type of essay you are
going to write and the genre.
 Generate an outline:
1. Introduction
2. Main idea
• Supporting ideas
1. Conclusion
 Unify your paragraph around a thesis
statement (your position in the essay).
 Unify your ideas in a paragraph around a
main point: the topic sentence
No predetermined set of points

9. PLANNING YOUR ESSAY
 The earlier you begin planning the better!!!
 Organize your thoughts in a tentative plan.
 Do some reading and search for evidence.
ADVANYAGES:
• You can produce a logical and orderly
argument that your readers can follow
• You can spot repetition
• You can notice whether you have left anything
out
• You concentrate on writing issues such as
grammar, word choice, and clarity

10. Reading
Researching

11.  Read looking primarily for information
 Read looking for ways of thinking about
the subject matter
1. Determine the central claims or purpose of
the text: how they are developed or
argued.
2. Pay attention to the context.
3. Distinguish the kinds of reasoning the text
employs.
4. Examine the evidence the text employs.
5. Evaluate the texts: assess the strengths
and weaknesses

12. “You are not being asked just to collect facts, but to
develop and display your powers of reasoning.”
 Critical reading involves the judgements and
interpretations about the texts you have read.
 Information can come from many different sources:
textbooks, other books, journal articles, websites.
 Do not rely exclusively on Net resources.
 Begin by skimming research materials before choosing
where to focus your critical efforts.
 Scan with a specific set of goals in mind.
READ WITH COMPREHENSION AND MEMORY

13. TAKING NOTES
 A preliminary list of your topic and subtopics will
guide your attention when reading
 Formulate your research question.
 Look for facts and theories that help answer it.
 Don´t write down too much, just relevant ideas.
 Compress ideas in your own words.
 Mark only key passages in the texts.
 Use symbols to show different kinds of points.
 Put your notes on separate cards or sheets.
 Brainstorm your own ideas

14. INDEX CARDS: use both white and coloured
cards. Write the main points on the coloured
cards and the supporting notes on the white
ones. Arrange them into a workable plan.
THE COMPUTER: collect your points
consecutively, then, sort out your ideas when
you are ready to start planning.
THE CIRCLE METHOD: When you have an idea,
write it down on paper and draw a circle
around it. Do the same with the supporting
ideas but connect the two circles with a line.

16. o Do not copy or borrow passages from
books or articles or Web sites without
identifying them.
o Quote only when the original words are
memorable.
o Mention author, page and date.
o Show your own thinking.
o Paraphrase or summarize the original
ideas.
Plagiarism is prohibited!!!

17. USEFUL VERBS FOR REFERRING TO SOURCES
Pattern 1: reporting verb + that + subject + verb
acknowledge
admit
agree
allege
argue
assert
assume
believe
claim
conclude
consider
decide
demonstrate
deny
determine
discover
doubt
emphasize
explain
find
hypothesize
imply
indicate
infer
note
object
observe
point out
prove
reveal
say
show
state
suggest
think

18. Pattern 2: reporting verb + somebody/something +
for + noun/gerund
Pattern 3: reporting verb + somebody/something +
as + noun/gerund/adjective
applaud
blame
censure
criticize
disparage
fault
praise
ridicule
single out
thank
appraise
assess
characterize
class
classify
define
depict
describe
evaluate
identify
interpret
portray
present
refer
view

20. “Good revision and editing can transform
a mediocre first draft into an excellent
final paper.”
 Revision involves reasoning in your
paper, adding or deleting sentences
and paragraphs, shifting or reshaping
them.
 Polish and edit your style paying
attention to word choice, sentence
structure, grammar, punctuation, and
spelling.

21. Further suggestions:
• Include a cover page: title of your paper, name
of the course, your name, date, and the instructor's
name.
• Number your pages in the top right-hand
corner.
• Double-space your text and leave
margins of 2.5 cm on all sides of the page.
• Use a standard font in twelve-point size.
• Put the reference list or bibliography on a
separate page at the end.
• Staple your pages.

22. BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/
http://www.massey.ac.nz/
https://www.canberra.edu.au/