Presentation for Week 6 of the Developing Skills for Work Based Learning pre-entry course: Academic writing conventions

1. Developing Skills for Work Based Learning
Week 6: Academic writing conventions
• Characteristics of academic writing
• Ensuring accuracy and clarity in writing
• The paramedic method
• Proofreading

2. In this session…
• Characteristics and features of academic writing
• Making sure your writing is clear and accurate
• Applying the paramedic method of writing
• Proofreading before submission.

3. • Tone is formal, balanced and informative.
Your focus is on presenting a persuasive case, making recommendations and,
crucially for work-based students on demonstrating impact of your learning.
• Structure is key. In Week 5 we discussed the importance of having structure in
writing. Make sure you have a clear intro, body (where you develop your
argument) and end. Use signposting and linking to boost coherence.
• Uses evidence. We have covered the importance of having an
evidence base (Week 1) and using referencing throughout your
writing (Week 2). All academic writing is underpinned by
evidence in the form of referencing. This can help you
demonstrate how much you know about your sector and highlight
important influences on your professional practice.
Characteristics of academic writing

4. How to make people work harder is a topic that lots of
people have written about in the last few years. There are
lots of different theories etc and I think some of them are ok.
When we think about this we should remember the old
proverb that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t
make it drink. So, how do we increase production? It’s quite
a complex subject but I’ll just talk about a couple of ideas.
The level of employee motivation can be considered crucial
to a firm’s survival in the current economic climate. The
concept of motivation has been the subject of numerous
research studies within the last decades. This essay will
focus on two important theories: Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs theory (1943) and Herzberg’s two-factor theory
(1966) and their contemporary relevance to the need to
motivate employees effectively will be examined critically.
Academic writing…
This example is
conversational, informal,
personal and does not use
any evidence.
This example is more formal,
includes specific detail and
evidence.

5. Academic writing…
• Is based on fact, not opinion.
• Uses a breadth of terminology and vocabulary, but needs to be easy
to understand.
• Should be accurate, concise and clear.
• Is usually passive (about a topic rather than an action or active
person).
• However, as a work based learner, you WILL be writing about your
own practice and development. This will requote a specific type of
writing called reflective writing where you write about your own
experiences.

6. Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning cycle has four key
components.
Arguably, the most important stage of Kolb’s (1984)
experiential learning cycle is abstract conceptualisation.
Arguably, the most important stage of Kolb’s (1984)
experiential learning cycle is abstract conceptualisation.
However, this is refuted by Johns (1991) whose own
focus on developmental reflection merely asks the
question ‘so what?’
Fine. Formal.
Clear. But just a
statement.
Good. Now an
evidenced claim
is being made.
Even better. A critical
observation, backed
up with evidence.
This is what you’re
aiming for.
Academic writing…
…can also be critical. By this we mean comparing different sources to form
an evidenced point of view.

7. Making sure your writing is clear and accurate
• You may be asked to write about complex concepts or use
terminology and vocabulary that is specific to your area of railway
operations. It is important, then, that your writing is easy to follow.
• It is important that you put the building blocks from the past 6 weeks
of this course together to develop a writing style that is clear,
detailed, compelling and thorough.
• Think about other authors’ writing styles to develop you own. Are
there styles of writing that you find difficult to read? Consider some
of the features that might contribute to this.
• Say less about more. When you write, keep description to a
minimum. That way you can get rid of unnecessary detail.

8. Making sure your writing is clear and accurate
• Check for repetition. Stating the same point multiple times can make
parts of your discussion unclear.
• Say what you mean. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking your writing
needs to be complex. Quite the opposite is true.
• Use a dictionary and thesaurus to vary your language, but make sure
you use terms accurately.
• Write in short, succinct sentences. Make one point per sentence, then
start another sentence on a related topic.

9. • A very useful writing development technique is the Paramedic Method
(https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/paramed
ic_method.html) .
• The Paramedic Method encourages writers to take a critical and
decisive look at their writing. The method encourages the use of clear,
succinct sentences that are informative and easy to read, and link
together to form a compelling argument.
• The process advocates identifying and eliminating unnecessary words
or phrases to make sentences and arguments more concise, and is
really effective.
• The paramedic method is a great way to approach your writing from
the perspective of a reader, and a really good reflective practice to get
into.
The Paramedic Method of writing

10. 1. Circle the prepositions (of, in, about, for, onto, into)
2. Draw a box around the "is" verb forms
3. Ask, "Where's the action?"
4. Change the "action" into a simple verb
5. Move the doer into the subject (Who's kicking whom)
6. Eliminate any unnecessary slow wind-ups
7. Eliminate any redundancies.
The Paramedic Method of writing

11. Proofreading
Always take time to make sure your assignments are well-presented, neat,
use accurate and consistent language and make sense. This process is
referred to as proofreading. Here are some important aspects to remember:
• Never rely solely on your computer’s spelling and grammar-checker.
Remember that you will still need to check the work yourself too.
• Leave time between the end of the writing process and the start of
proofreading. 24-48 hours is recommended.
• Try proofing backwards! Read your work from the end to the beginning,
either sentence by sentence or paragraph by paragraph.
• Proofread several times – looking for different things each time: paragraph
structure; spelling; punctuation; repetition of words.

12. Activity
Please now complete the activity in the Activities folder:
Week 6: Academic writing conventions.