This document provides advice on academic writing. It discusses establishing an argument in an essay, dealing with writer's block, planning and organizing an essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion, choosing topic sentences, reading and researching critically, summarizing sources, revising, editing for spelling and grammar, and properly formatting assignments. Tips are provided for avoiding plagiarism and improving English skills like using articles and gerunds/infinitives. The overall message is that academic writing requires investigation of topics, organized ideas, and attention to structure and mechanics.

1. Advice on
Academic Writing
Student: Gabriela Rocio Soto
Valic
Year 2017

2. Some general ADVICES
 An essay should:
- have an argument.
- answer a question or two related questions.
- include examples and citation which prove the
hypothesis.
- present the argument clearly and persuavely
taking into account its organization

3. Writer´s Block
 Writing is never a smooth process. Writer’s
block refers to those greater-than- ordinary
blockages.
 It occurs when a writer feels truly stuck and
unable to write.
 The main possible causes could be anxiety,
stress, or a simply lack of understanding of
the material.

4. How to avoid “writer´s block?
 Ask questions about anything that you find
new or confusing. Ask for help in order to
understand the assigment better.
 Do all the research you need.
 If you find difficulty in writing introductions,
write it after writing the body. Sometimes it is
useful to have an idea of what your opinion
about the topic you are writing is.

5. Planning and Organising
 STRUCTURE
INTRODUCTION
- Provide background information necessary to understand the essay.
- Inform the reader of what the main topic of the essay is.
- Do not include details and explanation that will appear in the essay’s
body.
- Improve and rewrite your introduction if it is necessary.
- The size of your introduction will depend on the complexity of the paper.

6. Planning and Organising
BODY
- It will be composed by paragraphs.
- Every paragraph will have a serie of related sentences developing a
central idea which is the topic.
- The body will support your hypothesis.
- The best strategy to enhance flow within a paragraph is to show
connections:
- Deliberate repetition of key words.
- Strategic use of pronouns keeps the focus on the ideas announced at
the beginning.
- Specialized linking words can also be tools for pulling ideas together.
- Paragraphs vary in length depending on the needs of the paragraph.
Avoid long paragraph, that is a page or longer, and short paragraph, that
is composed by two or three sentences.
- Make sure that nothing vital is being omitted.

7. Planning and Organising
CONCLUSION
- A conclusion is not a summary. If you want to summarize
and remind your thesis, do so in fresh language. Remind the
reader of how the evidence has contributed to your thesis.
- Involve critical thinking.
- Try to include some closing thoughts about the larger
implications of your argument.
- The length of the conclusion should reflect the length of the
essay.
- Use an apt quotation in order to support your conclusion.
- Return to an anecdote, example, quotation that you introduced
in your introduction and add further insight from the body of your
essay.

8. Topic Sentence
 A topic sentence states the main point of your
essay. It functions as a mini – thesis.
 It will guide the readers through the argument.
 It usually appears at the beginning of the
paragraph but it is possible to write after two or
three sentences.
 It is an abstract idea which will be developed and
support with concrete examples as evidence.

9. What makes a good topic
sentence?
 Ask yourself what’s going on in your paragraph.
 Relating your topic sentences to your thesis can
help strengthen the coherence of your essay.
 Remind that a topic sentence is not only used to
establish a connection between the paragraphs
and your thesis. It also used to show how your
paragraph contributes to the development of
your argument.
 Do not be repetitive. Do not write similar topic
sentences even in different words.

10. Reading and Researching
CRITICAL READING TOWARDS CRITICAL
WRITING
Critical writing depends on critical reading.
- It is very important not to read looking only for
information.
- It is necessary to take notes, highlight, etc.
- Avoid approaching a text by asking “What
information can I get out of it?” Rather ask “How
does this text work? How is the evidence used and
interpreted?”, etc.

11. How to get the MOST out of READING
- Do not read fast, read carefully with comprehension
and memory.
SOME TIPS ON READING DIFFERENT MATERIAL IN
APPROPRIATE WAYS.
TEXTBOOKS PRIMARY SOURCES RESEARCH
READING
- Intensive reading.
- Summarize in your
own words.
- Use different symbols
to show different kinds
of points
- Read through each
literary work or
historical document.
- Stickies are useful.
In going through
sources for a research
essay, you need facts
to support or modify
your original view of
the topic.

12. Skimming and Scanning
 Skimming serves to get a sense of the overall logical
procession of the text. It also helps you make decisions
about where to place the focus of the text when you have
limited time for your reading.
- Use some of the previewing techniques.
- Read the introductory paragraph carefully and try to
predict the direction of the coming explanations or
arguments in the text.
- Read the introductory carefully and concluding sentences.
Then, read the body of the paragraph and noticed terms
that you missed in the skimming.
 Scanning is basically skimming with a focused purpose. It
is used to locate a particular fact o figure.

13. Summarizing
Summarizing is a useful tool as well as good writing practice.
It usually has two aims.
1) To reproduce the main ideas.
2) To express these ideas using precise, specific language.
A good summary will:
a) include the title and identify the author in your first
sentence.
b) have the author’s thesis in the first sentence.
c) divide the article into sections and omit ideas that are not
really central, details and examples.
d) avoid personal opinions and not plagiarize the author’s
ideas.

14. Using Sources
 Avoid plagiarism.
 Do not quotate too much. The focus of your
essay will be on your understanding of the topic.
If you quotate, provide some indication of who
your source is.
 Try to paraphrase or summarize someone else´s
ideas. With quotation, paraphrase or summarize
you can integrate your sources into your papers.

15. Revising and Editing
Revising gives you the chance to preview your work on
behalf of the eventual reader.
Revision is necessary to check if you have said what
you wanted.
- Check if you have fullfilled the intention of your essay.
Think about the genre, the evidence, etc.
- Check the overall organization (introduction, sections
, connections and conclusion)
- Polish and edit your style.

16. Some tools and rules to improve
your spelling
 USE A GOOD DICTIONARY: Good spellers never
depend only on memory. Search dictionaries which
give more information and examples.
 ALWAYS CHECK CERTAIN “TROUBLESOME”
SUFFIXES IN YOUR DICTIONARY: Check these
words when you are editing.
 CREATE YOUR OWN LIST OF DIFFICULT
WORDS.
 CHECK EASILY CONFUSABLE WORDS.
 USE YOUR COMPUTER´S SPELL-CHECKING
WITH CAUTION.

17. Some tools and rules to improve your
spelling
Become familiar with some English RULES.
1) When adding suffixes that begin with a vowel (-able,-ible, -ous,
etc.) to words ending in silent e, drop the final e.
2) When adding suffixes to words ending in “y” change the “y” to
an “I”
3) When adding suffixes, double the final consonant of a word
only if any of the following conditions apply.
- The final consonant is preceded by a vowel.
- The word has only one syllable or has the stress on the last
syllable.
- The suffix begins with a vowel.
- The word ends in “L”or “P”

18. A note on appearence
BASIC EXPECTATIONS FOR ANY TYPE OF
ASSIGNMENT
- Include a cover page giving the title of your paper, the
name of your course, your name, etc.
- Number your pages.
- Use a standard font.
- Put the reference list or bibliography on a separate
page at the end.

19. English as a Second Language
USING ARTICLES
- Articles belong in front of all other modifiers preceding
a noun.
- Determine the correct article by answering three
questions: Is the noun countable or uncountable? Is it
singular or plural? Is it definite or indefinite?
- Articles are used to refer to classes of objects. There
are three ways to refer to a class: using the definite
singular (the) , the indefinite singular (a), or the
indefinite plural.
- Do not place an article in front of the names of people.

20. English as a Second Language
USING GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES
Gerunds and infinitives are verb forms that can take
the place of a noun in a sentence.
- Following a verb (gerund or infinitive): Both can
replace a noun as the object of a verb. It depends
on the main verb in the sentences.
- Following a preposition (gerund only).
- Following an indirect object (infinitive only)

21. Conclusion
To sum up, when we write an essay we are suposed
to investigate about the topic.
Before writing, organize your ideas and take notes
for a better reading.
Take into consideration the importance of revising
and editing your writings.
Do not forget to check new words, spelling, the use
of articles, gerunds and infinitives. And it also a
good idea to check the appearance of the essay.

22. Bibliography
- Current membership: Rachael Cayley (chair,
ELWS), Patricia Golubev (Trinity College),
Deborah Knott (New College), Elaine Khoo
(UTSC), Jerry Plotnick (University College),
Margaret Procter (U of T writing coordinator,
retired). (1996-2017).University of Toronto -
Writing. Retrieved May 7, 2017, from Writing at
the University of Toronto Web site:
http://writing.utoronto.ca/