This is a presentation from an ANLTC Workshop on Academic Writing, hosted by the Library at the National University of Ireland Maynooth. Participants have already participated in an introductory workshop.
English in written academic tasks has a distinctive style; it is objective, formal and precise. The University expects you to express your findings and arguments in ‘academic style’. Every student can become more confident in using it – and better at it.
These are the PowerPoint slides from a workshop I presented for ANLTC. The participants had already attended an introductory workshop. The presentation focuses on grammar, proofreading and editing
Literally all my notes from Honors II, I know we don't need the argument stuff or the word banks at the end, but it's all my notes form last year **laughing and crying emoji**
APA 7th Edition Guidelines: A Brief Overview.
Do you need your dissertation or thesis edited for APA? We can do it!
Go to ainathrive.org for more details on dissertation editing services.
Some Points about Writing the Term Paper 1. Make certain.docxrosemariebrayshaw
Some Points about Writing the Term Paper
1. Make certain that works cited formats adhere to MLA guidelines. Note that the 2nd and 3rd
lines are done with a hanging indent.
A book by one author:
Commager, Henry Steele. Theodore Parker. Beacon, 1947.
An essay in a collection:
Leavis, Q. D. “Hawthorne as Poet.” Hawthorne: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N.
Kaul. Prentice, 1966, pp. 25-63.
An article in a journal, found in a scholarly online database:
Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical Journal,
vol. 50, no. 1, 2007, pp. 173-96. ProQuest, doi:10.1017/S0018246X06005966. Accessed
27 May 2009.
Look in The MLA Handbook for further information; you are expected to provide correctly-
formatted works cited entries for your papers. Points will be taken off if the works cited page is
incorrect.
2. Make certain quotations are verbatim, punctuated properly, and introduced with an
independent clause. Immediately after the quotation, a comment is needed before you
proceed to your next point.
3. Long quotations (four lines or more) should be blocked, quote marks omitted.
4. Short quotations (less than four lines) should display quotation marks.
5. ALL QUOTATIONS SHOULD BE CITED PARENTHETICALLY.
6. Open .PDF files of articles in databases so that you will have page numbers to cite
parenthetically.
7. In citing works of literature, cite line numbers for poems; cite page numbers for stories and
essays; and cite the act, scene, and lines for plays.
8. Your thesis statement should be very specific—it should contain key words/phrases which
anticipate each and every body paragraph/section.
9. Mention names of the critics liberally. It is weak to write many critics feel or a critic has said.
Use the name and provide a quotation. Never refer to an author or critic by first name alone.
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10. Refer to titles correctly, using quotation marks or italics as required. Look in Harbrace
Essentials.
11. You is unacceptable in a formal college paper. One may write, however, Hawthorne
addresses the reader . . . .
12. Vary your verbs. Instead of says or tells, try discusses, explains, comments, remarks, replies,
retorts, suggests, claims, concurs, declares, asserts.
13. Do not use contractions; they are informal.
14. Use different from instead of different than in a formal college paper.
15. Do not use abbreviations such as e.g. Instead, write for example.
16. Do not write the reason is because, which is redundant.
17. Do not begin a sentence with Well.
18. Avoid utility words such as nice, funny, and great.
19. Avoid clichés such as what goes around comes around.
Remember that a research paper is like any other paper—with an introduction and thesis, body
paragraphs, and a conclusion. The research is only to SUPPORT your ideas; some think that
research alone constitutes the grade—not so—you stil.
DuPage County Presentation: Maya Angelou and Speech WritingAmy Vujaklija
How can we use Maya Angelou’s words to model writing our own speeches? By using research-based practice for increased comprehension, we will see how multiple, purposeful readings help students develop their analyzing skills. We will also create a foundation for students as they write their own speeches. This interactive presentation embeds Common Core Standards in Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening with ideas to take back to a middle or high school classroom.
NOTE: Animations and embedded videos have been removed to decrease file size.
This is the PowerPoint from the annual Maynooth University Library "Writing for Academic Publication Workshop." The target audience is library staff who wish to write for publication but it will also be of interest to early-career academic staff
Writing for academic publication bibliography March 2017Helen Fallon
This is a bibliography of books and journal articles that will be of particular interest to librarians and others interested in writing for publication
Quality measurement in Irish Academic Libraries: Maynooth University Case StudyHelen Fallon
This presentation outlines the quality review process in Maynooth University in Ireland. It complements our chapter on the same topic:
Fallon, H. and Purcell, J. (2016) Self and Peer Assessment at Maynooth University Library IN J. Atkinson Quality and the Academic Library. Elsevier, pp. 45-53
This is a presentation I gave at a seminar on Advancing Academic Writing Among Librarians in January 2014. It describes an academic writing blog I founded which is useful for anyone aspiring to write for academic publication
Writing for intercultural empathy and understandingHelen Fallon
This is a presentation on the Ken Saro-Wiwa letters donated to National University of Ireland Maynooth, at "Writing for Intercultural Empathy and Understanding Symposium" at NUI Maynooth on 14th February 2014
Publishing and Disseminating your Research and PracticeHelen Fallon
Slides from a one-day workshop facilitated by Helen Fallon for librarians who wish to write for publication on Wednesday 26th June 2013, at National University of Ireland Maynooth
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
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3. Voice – active versus passive
Verbs
Adverbs
Adjectives
Tense
Adjectives
4.
Active Voice
◦ Subject + verb + object or just subject + verb
◦ The Library introduced self-service borrowing
at the start of the academic year
5.
Object + verb + subject or object + verb e.g.
mistakes were made
◦ Self-service borrowing was introduced by the
Library at the start of the academic year
Passive verb is a form of the verb ―to be‖ and
the past participle of the main verb. The
main verb must be a transitive verb (take an
object)
6.
To turn the passive voice to the active voice:
Ask: ―Who does what to whom?‖
◦ Increased seat occupancy was observed in the
months leading up to the examinations
◦ We observed increased seat occupancy
◦ A recommendation was made by the Library
Committee that a survey be carried out
◦ The Library committee recommended that a survey
be carried out
7.
Write with Verbs
Use Strong Verbs
Use verbs rather than their noun equivalent
◦ The author makes the suggestion that...
◦ The author suggests that...
Don‘t bury the main verb
◦ Keep the subject and main verb (predicate) close
together at the start of the sentence.
Use ―to be‖ verbs purposefully and sparingly –
is are was were be been am
8.
Minimise use of There are/There is
◦ There are many ways in which we can arrange the
collections
◦ We can arrange the collections in many ways
◦ There are many librarians who like to write
◦ Many librarians like to write
◦ The data confirm that there is a link between library
usage and exam results
◦ The data confirm a link between library usage and
exam results
9. The following verbs are frequently
used, particularly in abstracts:
addresses, asks, argues, concludes, covers, critiq
ues, demonstrates, describes, discusses, elucidat
es, examines, evaluates, expands, explains, expl
ores, identifies, maps, outlines, presents, propos
es, promotes, reports, reveals, reviews, shows, su
ggests, summarises.
10. Adverb – describes or modifies a verb
expresses manner or quality
◦ Very
◦ Easily
◦ Terribly
◦ Slowly
◦ Quickly
11.
Describes or modifies a noun
long/new/old/difficult/late/terrible
Compound adjective
When you join two or more words to describe an
object e.g. An up-to-date collection
12.
Tense Contributes to tone
― Forceful writing results from writing
concisely, actively and positively. The present
tense is usually more active and therefore
more forceful than the past tense.‖
(Henson, p. 48)
13. The American Psychological Association ( APA)
suggest:
using past tense to describe results and action
or a condition that occurred at a specific, definite
time in the past;the present tense to discuss
implications of results, to present conclusions
and to express a past action or condition that
did not occur at a specific, definite time or to
describe an action beginning in the past and
continuing to the present.
14. Use punctuation to vary sentence
structure and support meaning
Punctuation marks contribute to
continuity (flow) by showing
relationships between ideas
Punctuation should mirror speech
16. The semicolon connects two
independent clauses
It was the best of times; it was the
worst of times
She knew a lot about the Library; she
had worked there for twenty years
The book on academic writing is very
useful; it is full of interesting ideas
17.
The semicolon is also used to separate
items in lists that have internal
punctuation
◦ The number of books issued has reduced
dramatically: in 2008 25,000 books were
borrowed; in 2009, 19,000; by 2010, when the
new library was built, only 15,000 items were
issued
18. Use a colon after an independent clause to
introduce a quote, a list, an explanation or
conclusion
Quote
Formal quotations are introduced by a colon
and enclosed in quotation marks
The Library policy states: ―Journals may not
be borrowed by undergraduates.‖
19. List
The committee now includes the following
people:
librarian
undergraduate student
postgraduate student
mature student
Part-time student
20.
Use for items in a list, except the penultimate
one
◦ She ordered three books, a journal, a thesis and an
article
Where you have inserted a clause to provide
extra information
◦ She liked the Library, where she had worked for
some time, but left to take up a post in a different
town
Introductory phrases
◦ However, borrowing increased during the period
21.
Use for a missing letter in a word
◦ The Library isn‘t open today
◦ Where‘s the journal kept?
Use to denote possessive
◦ The student‘s books
◦ The Library‘s stock (one library)
◦ The Libraries‘ stock (means the stock of more than
one Library)
You don‘t need to add the possessive ―s‖
when the name ends in ―s‖ – unless it is common usage: Mary
Jones‘ book/St. James‘s hospital
22.
Use for time phrases when the time modifies
a noun
◦ The Library will open in one day‘s time
◦ Six months‘ ban on borrowing
Don‘t use apostrophe for possessive
pronouns or for plurals of words or for dates
◦ The book isn‘t hers; the departments stock, 1970s
23. ―A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a
comma, less formal than a colon, and more
relaxed than parentheses. Use a dash only
when a more common mark of punctuation
seems inadequate.‖—Strunk and White
to add emphasis
to insert a definition or description almost
anywhere in the sentence
to announce a long explanation or summary
24.
Use to connect compound words
It‘s a little-know fact that the book dated from the earlyEighteenth Century
Use for figures written out and when you use figures
as adjectives
◦ Twenty-four; a three-year old book; a 20-minute
presentation
◦
Use for titles
◦ Vice-President
Use for prefixes
pre-Christian, post-natal
25.
Generally double quotation marks for direct
speech and single ones for speech within
speech.
◦ He said: ―I meant to say ‗The Library will close in
one hour‘.‖
Punctuation goes inside the quotation marks
if the whole sentence is a quotation
He said: ―The Library was closed when I arrived.‖
Punctuation goes inside the quotation marks
if the punctuation refers only to the words
quoted
―I was forced to steal the book,‖ he said
26.
Use parentheses to insert an afterthought or
explanation (a word, phrase or sentence) into
a passage that is grammatically complete
without it. If you remove the material within
the parentheses, the main point of the
sentence should not change.
◦ She travelled to Nigeria in 1964 (having completed
a science degree in UCC) and remained there for
over thirty years.
27.
shows a relationship between a noun (or
pronoun) and other words in a sentence –
to/on/over/up/through/among/between/
with/for/in/over/besides
Omit needless prepositions
―that‖ and ―on‖ are often superfluous
◦
◦
◦
◦
The meeting happened on Monday
The meeting happened Monday
They agreed that it was true
They agreed it was true
28.
Affect and effect
Affect = Verb; effect = noun
Will the financial cuts affect service?
What was the effect of the financial cuts on
service?
Practice (noun) practise (verb)
Precede (go before), proceed (continue)
Stationary (adjective – still), Stationery (noun)
Dependent (adjective) She is dependent...,
dependant (noun)
29.
Writing as storytelling
Beginning, middle and end (not necessarily in
that order)
What makes a story interesting?
A story has a theme
A story has movement
A story has a flow
Something happens/changes
Perhaps try to write your piece from start to
finish before beginning editing
30.
There are different ways to structure articles
Study the structure of articles in your target
journal
Model articles on other articles that work well
(template)
Different structures can achieve the same
results ways
Be aware of your audience
32. There needs to be a unity of thought
in a sentence. This may be achieved
with one main clause; generally there
is only one subsidiary clause
Place the subject towards the
beginning of the sentence
33.
New paragraph signals a move from one clear
idea to another or change of direction
Should relate logically to the previous
paragraph and relate to the overall theme of
the text
The first sentence or two usually present the
topic or theme and the following sentences
expand on this
Short paragraphs, surrounded by white
space, can be very effective in keeping
attention and creating a visually attractive
manuscript
34.
Act as signposts
Break up text
Make the structure clearer
Allow the reader see at a glance the main
themes of the paper
Help organise ideas
Help readers anticipate key points and track
the development of the article
35.
Create connections between the different
parts of the paper
Can make a manuscript visually more
attractive
Endings of sections that hark back to what
has gone before or opening sections that
indicate what is to come act as unofficial
signposts
36.
Transitional words
◦ help maintain flow of thought
time links (then, next, after, while, since)
◦ cause-effect links (therefore, consequently, as a
result)
◦ addition links (in
addition, moreover, furthermore, similarly)
◦ contrast links
(but, conversely, nevertheless, however, although)
◦ Provide signposts for readers
37.
Use positive rather than negative
constructions
◦ The nursing team did not believe the drug was
harmful
◦ The nursing team believed the drug was safe
◦ Not important/Unimportant
◦ Did not remember/Forgot
Use concise language
◦ A majority of/most
◦ Due to the fact that/because
◦ Gave rise to/caused
38.
All writing is rewriting
Draft and redraft
Number, date and save drafts
Refer back to your abstract
Ask a critical colleague to read
Revise title, abstract & article
Check references against journal guidelines
39.
All writing is rewriting
Draft and redraft
Number, date and save drafts
Read aloud
Wordiness
Delete unnecessary adjectives
◦ Cut unnecessary words and phrases; delete
repetitive words
◦ Helpful tips, terrible tragedy
Delete unnecessary adverbs
◦ very, really, quite, basically, generally
40.
Verbs
◦ Underline the main verb in each sentence. Watch for: (1)
lacklustre verbs (2) passive verbs (3) buried verbs
Does each paragraph contain one main
theme?
◦ It can be helpful to write down the main topic of the
paragraph in the margin or at the top of the paragraph
◦ If the paragraph contains more than one main idea, divide
it
41.
Prepositions
◦ Omit unnecessary prepositions – that, on
Delete unnecessary adjectives
◦ Helpful tips, terrible tragedy
Delete unnecessary adverbs
◦ very, really, quite, basically, generally
Does your writing have movement,
coherence, clarity?
42.
This requires concentration; proofread when
you are alert
Try to allow some time between writing the
piece and proofreading it
If possible have a colleague proofread it first
Take breaks
Consider using ―track changes‖ function in
Word
43.
If correcting manually make changes in the
body of the text and on the margin
Use a red pen to make your corrections stand
out
Mark each page that has to be changed
After proofreading and making changes save
version with a new date
44.
Read aloud slowly
Read each word
Watch out for widows and orphans
Check hierarchy of headings
Check paired items such as brackets and
speech marks
Check type font is consistent
Check grammar and use of English
Check punctuation is consistent
Check abbreviations
45.
When finished put aside for a period then
reread
Spell check
Date and File preprint
Let go
If you have already sent a query e-mail to the
editor refer to that in your submission
46. Kenneth T. Henson, Writing for Publication:
Road to Academic
Advancement, 2005, Boston: Pearson
Strunk and White‘s Elements of Style
http://www.bartleby.com/141/
Editor's Notes
Tense contributes to tone. You need to choose the tense in which you are principally going to write in. You can move backward and forward provided it fits the style of what you are writing. The American Psychological Association ( APA) suggest using the past tense to describe results and action or a condition that occurred at a specific, definite time in the past;the present tense to discuss implications of results, to present conclusions and to express a past action or condition that did not occur at a specific, definite time or to describe an action beginning in the past and continuing to the present. (APA, p. 78 )
Place the subject towards the beginning of the sentenceAllows reader to see what issue needs to be at the forefront of their mind in reading the sentence; helps to ensure grammatical accuracy
If a paragraph contains more than one main topic divide it
Your eyes may not tell you if the grammar is correct but your ears probably will