Some General Advice on Academic Writing

1. Teacher training college Nº41
Discursive practices of
written communication IV
Teacher: Stella Saubidet
Student: Rocío Molinari
2021
Advice on Academic Writing

2. INDEX
1. Some General Advice on Academic Essay-Writing
2. The Transition from High School to University Writing
3. How to develop your powers of reasoning
4. Organizing an Essay
5. Using Thesis Statements
6. Introductions and conclusions, paragraphs, topic sentences.
7. Critical Reading, Taking Notes from Research Reading
8. Skimming and Scanning, Summarizing
9. How Not to Plagiarize, Standard Documentation Formats
10.Using Quotations, paraphrasing
11.Revising And Editing, Hit Parade Of Errors In Grammar, Punctuation, and
Style
12.Using the Computer to Improve Your Writing, Wordiness
13.Punctuation
14.Improve Your Spelling
15.Specific Types of Writing
16.Using Articles
17.Using Gerunds and Infinitives
18.Verbs for Referring to Sources

3. Some General Advice on Academic Essay-
Writing
An essay should have an argument
and it has to prove something by
reasoning and evidence.
After thinking and reading,
create a provisional thesis or
hypothesis and imagine what can
be said against it.
The essay’s organization should
be designed to present your
argument clearly and
persuasively.
Some methods of composing an essay:
1. Start writing early.
2. Keep the essay’s overall purpose
and organization in mind.
3. Revise sentences, with special
attention to transitions, diction
and economy.
4. Lastly, proofread the final copy.
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4. Essays → have as many paragraphs as
needed.
Paragraphs → are one-third and two-
thirds of a page and vary in length,
begin with a topic sentence, the topic
sentence doesn’t reiterates the point.
Thesis Statement → it’s two or three
sentences long,not needed in every
essay, occurs everywhere, doesn’t have
to be supported by any specific number
of points.
Introduction → raises the essay topic.
Conclusion → should do more than
summarize.
University Expectations
Essays → five-paragraph
structure: introduction, three
main points, and a conclusion.
Paragraphs → long/short, begins
with a topic sentence,the
conclusion reiterates the point.
Thesis Statement → one sentence
long,occurs at the end of the
opening paragraph, supported by
3 main points.
Introduction → general statement.
Conclusion → summary of the main
points.
High School Rules

5. How to
develop your
powers of
reasoning
Note the key terms
Note which concepts or methods the
topic asks you to use
Ask yourself questions
about the specific topic
Formulate a tentative
thesis statement
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6. Organizing an Essay
The earlier you begin planning, the better. As a potential argument
begins to take shape in your mind, you may start to formalize your
thoughts in the form of a tentative plan. Some techniques for
integrating note-taking and planning:
Index cards
Write down every
idea on index
cards.
The computer
Use “outline
view” in Word,
which makes it
easy for you to
arrange your
points
hierarchically.
Circles
Write ideas in
circles and
connect them if
an idea supports
another idea.
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7. Thesis
Statement
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
5

8. Introductions and Conclusions
A good introduction should identify your topic,
provide essential context, and indicate your
particular focus in the essay.
A strong conclusion will provide a sense of
closure to the essay while again placing your
concepts in a somewhat wider context.
Paragraphs: related sentences developing a central idea. the body
paragraph demonstrates and develops your topic sentence through an
ordered, logical progression of ideas.
Topic Sentence: it serves as a mini-thesis for
the paragraph. Use a topic sentence to show how
your paragraph contributes to the development
of your argument by moving it that one extra
step forward.
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9. Critical Reading:
To read critically is to make judgements about how a text is argued.
1. Determine the central claims or purpose of the text.
2. Begin to make some judgements about the context.
3. Distinguish the kinds of reasoning the text employs.
4. Examine the evidence the text employs.
5. Critical reading may involve evaluation.
Taking Notes
from
Research
Reading
make a preliminary list of the subtopics you would
expect to find in your reading.
compress ideas in your own words.
record bibliographic information in a master list
when you begin looking at each source.
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10. Skimming a text
01 Read the introductory paragraph. Try to predict the
direction of the coming explanations.
02 Read carefully the first one or two sentences of each
paragraph. Keep your eyes moving.
03 Read carefully the concluding paragraph. Return to the beginning and
read the text noting the complexities you missed in your skimming and
filling in the gaps in your understanding.
Scanning is
skimming to
locate a
particular fact
or figure.
Summarizing a text
01 First sentence: title, author and thesis.
02 Omit minor details and specific examples.
03 Avoid writing opinions.
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11. If you quote a passage in quotation marks, paraphrase it in your own words,
or just summarize it, you need to identify the source.
How Not to Plagiarize
Here are the main times you should give acknowledgements:
● Quotations, paraphrases, or summaries.
● Specific facts used as evidence for your argument or
interpretation.
● Distinctive or authoritative ideas.
Standard
Documentation
Formats
Traditional Endnotes or Footnotes with
Superscript Numbers (humanities)
MLA System: Parenthetical Author-
Page References (humanities)
APA System: Parenthetical Author-Date
References (social sciences)
Numbered Note
Systems
(sciences)
Electronic Sources
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12. Using Quotations
You can quote a passage from one of your sources if any of the following
conditions holds:
● The language of the passage is elegant,powerful or memorable.
● You wish to enlist 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.
How do I paraphrase?
1- Make a note only of the author’s basic point. You
don’t need to use full sentences.
2- Write down the source as well as the page number.
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13. Check whether you
have fulfilled
the intention of
the assignment.
Revising And Editing
Look at overall
organization.
Polish and edit
your style.
Hit Parade Of Errors In Grammar,
Punctuation, and Style
Some of the most common errors:
Faulty Agreement → e.g Subjects and verbs must agree in number.
Run-on [fused] Sentences → A sentence should express only one
central idea.
Vague Pronouns → Make sure that pronouns such as “it” and “this”
refer to something specific.
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14. Using the Computer to Improve Your Writing
The computer can streamline the work of documenting your sources. You will also
create the Bibliography list as you go.
Useful tools:
● Comment command from the Insert or Review.
● The grammar checkers.
● The Track Changes function.
Wordiness: Danger Signals and Ways to React
Doubling of Words → choose one.
Padded Verbs → use a one-word form.
Passive Verbs → change to active voice, if
possible with a personal subject.
Unbiased Language: Many standard wordings assume that every individual is
male. Repeating he and she at every reference is clumsy. Finding alternatives
can be as simple as using plural rather than singular, or avoiding a pronoun
altogether.
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15. Punctuation
Used to combine two
closely related
independent clauses into
one sentence or to
separate list elements
that are long.
Semicolons
When joining two
independent
clauses with a
coordinating
conjunction, you
normally place a
comma before the
conjunction.
Commas
The words preceding
the colon create an
expectation; the
words following the
colon fulfill it.
Colons
Dashes
A pair of dashes will
tend to call more
attention to what lies
in between.
Parentheses
Offer a tentative and
modest way of
introducing
interrupting material. 13

16. Improve Your Spelling
➔ Use a good dictionary.
➔ Be consistent about using British or American spellings
in your writing.
➔ Always check certain “troublesome” suffixes in your
dictionary.
➔ Create your own “difficult-to-spell” lists.
➔ Learn the standard pronunciations for frequently
misspelled words.
➔ Watch out for homophones, near-homophones, and other
easily confusable words.
➔ Become familiar with English spelling rules.
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17. CREDITS: This presentation template was
created by Slidesgo, including icons by
Flaticon, infographics & images by Freepik
Specific Types of Writing
● The Book Review or Article Critique: it comments on and
evaluates the work in the light of specific issues and
theoretical concerns in a course.
● The Literature Review: it conveys what knowledge and ideas
have been established on a topic, and what their strengths
and weaknesses are.
● The Comparative Essay: it compares and contrasts at least
two items.
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18. Articles are used in front of all other modifiers preceding a
noun. They clarify the meaning of the noun in your sentence.
If the noun is definite, it always takes the article the; if the
noun is indefinite it never takes the article the.
Using Articles the and a/an
Definite Article
Use of the word the → ask yourself these three
questions:
1. Is the noun indefinite or definite?
2. Is the noun modified?
3. Is the noun generic?
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19. Using Gerunds and Infinitives
● Gerunds and infinitives can replace
a noun as the object of a verb.
● Gerunds can follow a preposition;
infinitives cannot.
● Some verbs are followed by a pronoun
or noun referring to a person, and
then an infinitive. Gerunds cannot
be used in this position.
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20. Pattern 1: reporting verb + that + subject + verb
E.g. Positivists find that social disorders are exacerbated by class factors.
Pattern 2: reporting verb + somebody/something + for + noun/gerund
E.g. Banting thanked Best for his contribution to the discovery of insulin.
Pattern 3: reporting verb + somebody/something + as + noun/gerund/adjective
E.g. Jones describes the findings as resting on irrefutable evidence.
Verbs for Referring to Sources
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21. Bibliography
“Advice on Academic Writing” Writing at the University
of Toronto, http://www.writing.utoronto.ca.