Advice on academic writing

1. ISFD 41
Language and Written
Expression IV
Teacher: Stella Maris Saubidet Oyhamburu
Student: Noelia Peralta

2. Index
3. Academic Essay
4. Some important differences between high school
rules and university
5. Understanding Essay Topics.
6. Writter’s Block.
7. Critical Reading.
8. Planning and Organizing.
9. Introdutions and Conclusions.
10. Using Tesis Statements.
11. Paragraphs.
12. Reading and Researching.
14. Dealing with new words.
15. Research Using The Internet.
16. Using Sources.
17. Revising.
18. Spelling.
19. Specifilc Types of Writing.
20. English Language.
22. Sources

3. Academic Essay
• An essay should have an argument.
• It should try to prove something.
some practices recommended are:
 Early writing
 Essay overall’s pupose on mind
 Revision (draft and redraft)
 Revise sentences
 Proofread

4. Some important differences between high
school rules and university
• High School Rules
• Essays have a five-paragraph
structure.
• Paragraphs are as long or as
short as needed to meet the five-
paragraph requirement and the
page limit.
• Essays must include a thesis
statement.
• Argumentative essays can be
based on personal experience or
opinion.
• University Expectations
• Essays have as many paragraphs
as needed.
• Paragraphs are usually between
one-third and two-thirds of a page
and vary in length according to the
needs of the paragraph.
• Not every essay needs a thesis
statement.
• Argumentative essays should be
supported by evidence from your
sources.

5. Understanding essay topics:
• Note the key terms to define the
kind or reasoning you should be
using: analize, compare, evaluate,
argue.
• Notes which concepts or methods
the topic asks you to use.
• Ask yourself questions about the
topic.
• Formulate a tentative tesis
statement at a fearly early stage.
a checklist

6. Writter’s block
• Ask anything you find new or confussing to your
instructor/ look up the key words in the assignment to
help you.
• Find material of your topic (library)
• Make notes of key ideas from your research material
(and also your own ideas about that)
• Come up with a narrow research question in order to
discard material.
• Get the topic
• Be familiar with the genre
When a writter feel trully stuck and
unable to write

7. Critical
Reading
It is to make judgements about how a text
is argued.
Looking
Ways of
Thinking
• Determine the central
claims or purpose of the text.
• Distinguish the kinds of
reasoning the text employs.
• Examine the evidence.
• Evaluate the arguments that the text
propose.

8. Planning and Organizing
Organizing a Essay
Pre-writing stage- A well taugh out plan.
Ask yourself: What type of essay I am going to be writing?
Avoid a common pitfall.
Essay outline.
Put a plan together.
Techniques to integrating note taking and planning.
Reverse outline.

9. Introductions and Conclusions
• How do I write an interesting,
effective introduction?
• How do I write an interesting,
effevtive conclusión?
• How does genre affect my
introduction or conclusión?

10. Using tesis statements
• Typpically, the summary statement comes in the first paragragh.
• A good 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.

11.  Opening and closing paragraphs contain a TOPIC
SENTENCE (the main point of the paragraph).
 How to develop ideas in a paragraph?
 How to flow ideas in a paragraph?
 How long should a paragraph be?
Paragraph
Related sentences
developing a central idea
(topic). A thematic unity.

12. Reading and Researching
Critical reading.
How Do I Read Looking for Ways of Thinking?
How to read different materials in appropiate
ways:
Textbooks- Primary Sources- Research Readings.
Taking Notes from Research Reading.
Critical writing depends on critical reading.
The judgments and interpretations you make of the texts you read are the first
steps towards formulating your own approach.

13. It is preferible to read with certaing
goals in mind
• Mark only key passages in the
text.
• Remember that you are looking
for facts to support or modify your
original view of the topic.
• Read with a purpose in mind.
• Label your notes intelligently
• By first skimming a text, you can
get a sense of its overall logical
progression.
• Do Scanning to see whether this
text mentions a subject you’re
researching.
• Summarize. Make decisions about
which concepts to leave in and
which to omit, taking into
consideration your purposes.

14. Dealing With
New Words
Do not need to interrupt your reading to look up every
hard word right away in the dictionary.
SOUND it out.
Examine the STRUCTURE.
Then look at the CONTEXT
Check the DICTIONARY
Reinforce your understanding
by WRITING a usable brief definition or
synonym in the margin of your reading

15. Research Using The Internet
Basic guidelines to remember
• Don’t rely exclusively on Net resources.
• Narrow your research topic before logging on.
• Know your subject directories and search
engines.
• Keep a detailed record of sites you visit and the
sites you use.
• Double-check all URLs that you put in your paper.

16. Using Sourses
The purpose of any paper is to show your own
thinking.
Mentioning what others have said doesn’t lessen
the credit you get for your own thinking—in fact, it
adds to your credibility.
• Give the reference as soon as you’ve mentioned the idea
you’re using.
• Have in mind that some ideas are “common knowledge” in
the field.
• Use quotations, paraphrases, or summaries.
• Select facts that serve as evidence for your argument or
interpretation.
• The way you introduce a reference can indicate your
attitude and lead into your own argument.

17. Revising
 Check whether you have
fulfilled the intention of
the assignment.
 Then look at
overall organization.
 polish and edit your style.
 Check Errors In Grammar,
Punctuation, and Style.
 Avoid Wordiness.
 Use Unbiased Language.
 Try to experiment with all forms
of punctuation in order to
expand your expressive range
as a writer.
 Revise the use of active and
passive voice in your
sentences.

18. Spelling
 Use a dictionary
 Be consistent about using British or American spellings in your
writing.
 Create your own “difficult-to-spell” lists.
 Become familiar with English spelling rules.
 Become familiar with standard pronunciations (in order to avoid
misspelled words)
Tools and Rules

19. Specific types of writing
The Book Review or Article Critique
Annotated Bibliography
Literature Review
Abstract
Comparative Essay
History
Literature
Philosophy Essay
Science
Admission Letters
Application Letters
Academic Proposal
Lab Report
Oral Presentations
Public Writing

20. English
language
• Using Articles: Is the
noun countable or uncountable? Is
it singular or plural? Is it definite or indefinite?
• Cases in the Use of the Use of Definite Articles.
Is the noun indefinite (unspecified) or definite
(specific)?
• Expressions of Quantity: Special Cases of Subject-
Verb Agreement
• Gerunds and Infinitives: Whether you use a gerund
or an infinitive depends on the main verb in the
sentence.
• Verbs for Referring to Sources. (Specific verbs to
indicate your attitude to the sources you cite)
You need to have in
mind..


21. Thanks
for
watching

22. University of Toronto – Writing Courses, Advice on Academic
Writing. Last visited: May 27th, 2020. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/