2. Introduc)on
— Writing
for
Canadian
University
courses
may
be
different
from
the
kind
of
writing
you
have
done
before.
— This
presentation
will
talk
about
the
types
of
writing
assignments
you
will
get
and
where
you
can
go
for
help
with
these
assignments.
3. Types
of
writing
assignments
In
university,
you
will
encounter
a
variety
of
writing
assignments:
— Essays
/
Term
Papers
— Research
Papers
— Lab
Reports
— Science
Posters
— Business
Reports,
Letters,
Memos,
E-‐mails
— Tests,
Exams,
Take-‐Homes
— Applications
— Job
Application
Letters
and
Resumes
(CVs)
4. Rules
vary
— Each
of
these
types
of
writing
will
follow
different
rules
about
layout,
organization,
and
style.
— The
same
types
of
assignment
may
also
follow
different
rules
in
different
disciplines.
— How
do
you
find
out
what
these
rules
are?
5. Figuring
out
the
rules
— Read
the
assignment
instructions
carefully.
— Ask
your
professor/
TA
if
you
are
unsure
about
any
of
the
requirements.
— Read
published
papers
in
your
field
and
pay
close
attention
to
the
way
they
are
written.
— Talk
to
other
students
in
your
class.
— Go
to
the
Dalhousie
Writing
Centre.
6. Academic writing conventions
— According
to
data
collected
by
Rosenfeld,
Leung
&
Oltman
(2001),
these
are
the
most
important
features
of
academic
writing.
The
paper
— Is
organized
into
major
and
supporting
ideas
— Uses
relevant
reasons
to
support
ideas/position
— Uses
appropriate
vocabulary
— Shows
a
good
command
of
English
— Paraphrases/summarizes
others’
ideas
— Stays
on
topic
— Demonstrates
audience
awareness
— Uses
transitions
to
connect
ideas.
7. Understanding the assignment
Ensure
that
you
understand
the
key
words
in
the
assignment
and
seek
help
if
you
are
unclear.
Also
consider
the
following
questions:
— Can
I
use
the
first
person
(I)?
— What
referencing
style
should
I
use
(MLA/
APA)?
— Should
I
use
external
sources
or
only
my
own
ideas?
— How
much
discipline-‐specific
language
(jargon)
should
I
use?
— Can
I
use
the
passive
voice?
— Should
this
paper
have
a
formal
or
informal
writing
style?
8. Understanding
the
assignment
— Determine
the
audience
for
the
assignment
(for
example,
instructors
familiar
with
the
material,
a
business,
fellow
students,
etc.).
— Determine
the
type
of
writing
you
are
expected
to
do
(an
essay,
a
research
paper,
a
proposal,
etc.).
Consider
both
the
standards
of
the
form
(for
example,
the
use
of
headings,
referencing
style,
etc.)
as
well
as
any
particular
requirements
your
instructor
may
have
(for
example,
requirements
regarding
format,
number
of
sources,
word
limit).
— Determine
the
types
of
evidence
necessary
to
complete
the
task.
Will
you
need
secondary
source
material?
Lab
results?
Primary
source
material?
9. Understanding
the
assignment:
Key
terms
Identify
the
verbs
in
the
assignment
and
determine
their
meaning.
The
following
list
includes
the
four
verbs
most
often
used
in
academic
assignments:
Analyze
To
break
a
topic
into
parts,
categorize
these
elements,
and
determine
how
they
relate
to
the
whole.
To
analyze
is
to
demonstrate
critical
thinking.
For
example,
Analyze
the
use
of
images
in
Shakespeare s
Sonnet
73 .
In
this
case
the
student
would
record
the
images,
decide
how
these
images
might
be
grouped
thematically,
and
determine
what
these
groupings
reveal.
10. Understanding
the
assignment:
Key
terms
(cont.)
Apply
To
use
a
theory,
concept,
or
data
set
to
inform
your
understanding
of
the
topic.
For
example,
Apply
Maslow s
hierarchy
of
needs
to
the
employee
issues
at
XYZ
Corp.
Argue
To
defend
a
point
of
view
persuasively.
For
example,
Determine
key
features
of
the
organization s
culture
and
present
a
paper
in
which
you
argue
which
features
must
change
to
enhance
production.
Discuss
To
address
the
main
issues.
Most
instructors
will
expect
the
discussion
to
include
some
evaluation
of
the
key
ideas
rather
than
a
simple
description.
For
example,
Discuss
the
use
of
child
labour
in
India.
11. Understanding
the
assignment
— Circle
the
key
words.
For
example,
Discuss
the
sequence
of
imagery
in
Shakespeare s
Sonnet
73 .
How
do
these
images
relate
to
one
another?
Is
the
order
of
sequence
important?
What
are
the
differences
between
them,
and
what
do
these
differences
suggest?
— Ask
questions
about
each
of
these
key
words
as
you
begin
the
pursuit
of
the
topic.
For
example,
What
is
the
sequence
of
events
in
the
poem?
What
images
appear
in
the
poem?
What
is
the
order
of
the
images?
In
what
ways
are
the
images
different?
Why
does
Shakespeare
select
this
order?
12. Example
papers
— This
Writing
Centre
guide
has
a
section
on
Writing
in
the
Disciplines.
— On
the
page
for
your
discipline
you
will
find
— example
papers
with
notes
explaining
the
important
features
— useful
links
— presentations
13. Intellectual
property
issues
As
a
Canadian
university
student,
you
are
expected
to
participate
in
the
academic
community.
In
this
community
we
credit
the
work
of
others
and
distinguish
this
work
from
our
own.
— There
are
heavy
penalties
for
plagiarism
— Acknowledge
the
work
of
others
–
both
direct
quotations
and
paraphrases
— Use
the
appropriate
citation
(documentation)
style
— Use
the
style
consistently
and
accurately
14. People
that
can
help
you
— Your
professors
— The
teaching
assistants
(TAs)
for
your
courses
— Your
international
student
advisor
(ISA)
— Your
subject
librarian
— The
Writing
Centre
tutors
15. The Dalhousie Writing Centre
— What
is
the
Writing
Centre?
— A
free
writing
tutoring
service
for
students
— Why
should
I
go
there?
—
The
friendly
tutors
will
help
you
to
improve
your
writing
— Where
is
the
Dalhousie
Writing
Centre?
— The
Killam
Library
Learning
Commons
–
G40M
16. How can I use this centre?
— Drop
in
to
G40M
and
ask
a
quick
question
— E-‐mail
or
phone
to
ask
a
question
— writingcentre@dal.ca
— 494-‐1963
— Book
a
free
one-‐on-‐one
appointment
— Take
a
non-‐credit
ESL
course
— Take
a
free
non-‐credit
seminar
— Visit
the
Website:
http://writingcentre.dal.ca
17. ESL
Course
&
Seminars
— ESL
course
–
classes
are
one
evening
a
week
for
ten
weeks.
There
is
a
small
fee.
— Check
the
website
for
details
http://writingcentre.dal.ca/esl/
— Seminar
Series
–
regularly
scheduled
seminars
on
a
range
of
academic
writing
topics
— See
http://writingcentre.dal.ca/services/seminars
for
dates
and
times
18. References
— Rosenfeld,
M.,
Leung,
S.
&
Oltman,
P.
(2001).
The
reading,
writing,
and
listening
tasks
important
for
academic
success
at
the
undergraduate
and
graduate
levels.
TOEFL
Monograph
Series,
21.
Educational
Testing
Service.
