The document provides advice on various aspects of academic writing such as understanding essay topics, organizing an essay, using thesis statements, writing introductions and conclusions, researching using the internet, and revising. It discusses challenges like writer's block and offers tips for overcoming it. Various types of academic writing are also explained, including book reviews, comparative essays, and academic proposals. General guidelines are presented for writing clearly and effectively at the college level.

1. ADVICE ON ACADEMIC WRITING
COLLEGE: ISFD 41
PROFESORADO DE INGLÉS
4TH YEAR
SUBJECT: PRÁCTICAS DISCURSIVAS DE LA
COMUNICACIÓN ESCRITA 4
TEACHER: STELLA SAUBIDET
STUDENT: EDUARDO GARCÍA MALDONADO
DATE:23rd MAY, 2021

2. INDEX:
Some General Advice on Academic Essay Writing 3 The Academic Proposal 16
Understanding Essay Topics 4 Revising and Editing 17
Writer’s Block 5 Punctuation 18
Organizing an Essay 6 Some Tools and Rules to Improve your Spelling 19
Using Thesis Statements 7 Bibliography 20
Introductions and Conclusions 8 Bibliography 21
Paragraphs 9 Bibliography 22
Using Topic Sentences 10
Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing 11
Research Using the Internet 12
Skimming and Scanning 13
The Book Review or Article Critique 14
The Comparative Essay 15

3. SOME GENERAL ADVICE ON ACADEMIC ESSAY
WRITING
- An essay should have an argument to prove something(thesis).
- It should have a good organization to present your argument clearly.
- You have to draft and redraft.
- When you have a final draft, revise sentences.

4. UNDERSTANDING ESSAY TOPICS
- Before researching or writing, think through the specific topic:
- Note the key terms which will help you to research: (why, how, analyse,
compare, evaluate, argue).
- Note which concepts or method the topic asks you to use.
- Ask yourself questions about the topic.

5. WRITER’S BLOCK
To avoid blockages you can ask yourself:
● Are you having trouble understanding the assignment?
● Have you done enough research?
● Have you done too much research?
● Do you have a topic?

6. ORGANIZING AN ESSAY
There are some basic guidelines to organize your essay:
● The best time to think about the organization is in pre-writing stage.
● Ask yourself some questions(What type of essay am I going to be writing?,
Does it belong to a specific genre?)

7. USING THESIS STATEMENTS
Characteristics of good thesis statement:
● It makes a definite and limited assertion that needs to be supported by
further discussion.
● It shows the emphasis and indicates the methodology of your argument.
● It shows awareness of difficulties and disagreements.

8. INTRODUCTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
SOME GENERAL ADVICE ABOUT INTRODUCTION:
● Do not waste so much time writing the introduction.
● Write the thesis at the end of your introduction.
SOME GENERAL ADVICE ABOUT CONCLUSION:
● Express a critical thinking in your conclusion.
● The last sentence should make the reader think and reflect about something.

9. PARAGRAPHS
- In every paragraph you have to develop a central idea(topic sentence)
- Topic sentences are similar to mini thesis statements
- The ideas have to connected.
- The length of the paragraphs depends on the needs of them.

10. USING TOPIC SENTENCES
What is a topic sentence?
● It is the sentence that states the main point of the paragraph
Where do topic sentences go?
● We usually place it at the beginning of the paragraph, but sometimes it can go
after one or two transitional sentences.

11. CRITICAL READING TOWARDS CRITICAL WRITING
If you want to write critically you have to take into account:
● Critical writing depends on critical reading.
If you want to read critically you have to take into account:
● Do not read only for information.
● Do read looking for ways of thinking about the subject matter.

12. RESEARCH USING THE INTERNET
Remember:
● Do not rely only on net resources.
● Narrow your research before logging on.
● Keep a detailed record of sites you visit.

13. SKIMMING AND SCANNING
SKIMMING:
● to get general overview before beginning to read in detail.
SCANNING:
● skimming with a more tightly focused purpose.

14. THE BOOK REVIEW OR ARTICLE CRITIQUE
- It is not a summary.
- It comments on and evaluate the book or the article.
- You can start writing it with the phrases:
● “The book/The article shows...”
● “The author argues…”

15. THE COMPARATIVE ESSAY
- In a comparative essay you compare two or more items.
- Take into account the following:
● You have to be sure that you know the basis for comparison
● You have to develop a thesis based on the relative weight of similarities
and differences between the items compared.

16. THE ACADEMIC PROPOSAL
- It is the first step in producing a thesis or major project
- It is expected to contain:
● a rationale for the choice of topic.
● a review of existing published work.
● an outline of your intended approach or methodology.

17. REVISING AND EDITING
- If you revise what you have written you will be able to preview your work with
the purpose of improving it.
- Revising will help you to change a mediocre first draft into an excellent final
paper.

18. PUNCTUATION
- Some advice to learn how to punctuate:
● take into account that punctuation is more than rules.
● take the risk of use other forms of punctuation.

19. SOME TOOLS AND RULES TO IMPROVE YOUR
SPELLING
- Use a good dictionary.
- Be consistent about using British or American spelling.
- Become familiar with English spelling rules.

20. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Silber, C.A.(n.d.). Some General Advice on Academic Writing.UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO.Available
at:https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/general/general-advice/
Procter, M. (n.d.). Understanding Essay Topics: A Checklist. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/general/essay-topics/
LeBel, S. (n.d.). Writer’s Block. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at: https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/general/writers-
block/
Plotnick, J.(n.d.). Organizing an Essay. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/planning/organizing/
Procter, M.(n.d.). Using Thesis Statements. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/planning/thesis-statements/
Freedman, L. &; Plotnick, j.(n.d.). Introductions and Conclusions. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available
at:https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/planning/intros-and-conclusions/

21. Procter, M. &; Visvis, V.(n.d.). Paragraphs. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/planning/paragraphs/
Hall, J. &; Plotnick, J.(n.d.). Using Topic Sentences. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/planning/topic-sentences/
Knot, D.(n.d.). Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/researching/critical-reading/
Brock MacDonald, W. &; Seel, J.(n.d.).Research Using the Internet. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/researching/research-using-internet/
Freedman, L.(n.d.). Skimming and Scanning. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/researching/skim-and-scan/

22. Procter, M. (n.d.). The Book Review. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at: https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/types-of-
writing/book-review/
Visvis, V. & Plotnick, J.(n.d.). The Comparative Essay. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/types-of-writing/comparative-essay/
Procter, M.(n.d.). The Academic Proposal. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available
at:https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/types-of-writing/academic-proposal/
Procter, M.(n.d.). Revising and Editing. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/revising/revising-and-editing/
Plotnick, J.(n.d.). Punctuation. UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/revising/punctuation/
Fitzgerald, H.(n.d.). Some tools and Rules to Improve your Spelling, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. Available at:
https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/revising/spelling/