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Keys to Effective Academic Writing

Orientation Week 2017

Academic Skills

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Writing is importantin every discipline

• You need to be able to communicate findings/evidence/data and their meaning to others

• It is important to learn how to communicate a focused, clearly organized message that is supported by detailed evidence and grounded by appropriate concepts or theories.

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Types of university writing

• Research papers

• Lab reports

• Essays

• Reviews

• Reflections

• Proposals

• Annotated Bibliographies

• Case studies

• Short answer assignments

• Brief summaries

• Online discussion board posts

• Presentation slides or handouts

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What’s the difference?

• University writing is• Explanatory & Analytical (not just a description or a

summary)

• Focused & Precise (not general and vague)

• Self-directed (not in-class or teacher-directed)

• Worth more marks (fewer assignments with a higher value)

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Myth busting: Forget these “Rules” for writing• A paper must have three supporting arguments

• 3 is not a magic number - you may have 1 or 2 supporting points that are complex and developed over a few paragraphs

• I cannot include my own ideas• Your ideas are your critical thinking and analysis

• All evidence should be in quotation marks• Evidence can be presented in many ways – but it always

needs to be cited

• Introductions should begin broadly• Use the course as a guide – introduce your specific topic in

the context of the course – avoid “in the history of the world” or “in today’s society”

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Six keys to good writing

1. It demonstrates your best effort

2. It is analytical

3. It uses good sources/evidence

4. It has a clear, logical structure

5. It is not the first draft

6. It is not written in isolation

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Good writing reflects your best effort.

Planning your research & writing

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Take some time. Do it right.

Plan

• Read instructions

• Set mini deadlines

Research

• Ask questions

• Narrow the topic

• Find, evaluate, read sources

Organize

• Develop analysis

• Create an outline

• Plan use of evidence

Write

• First draft

• Second draft

Revise

• Substance

• Structure

• Style

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Analyzing assignment instructions

1. Read once completely. 2. Read again, underlining key words:

• Instructional words• Content-specific words• Format requirements

3. Review syllabus & consider purpose/fit of assignment4. Break down questions or topics into parts.

• Prepare lab notes and tables OR find template for research notes.

5. Define key terms & identify relevant course concepts.6. Create a checklist for formatting, length, source

requirements.

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Break it Down, Space it Out!

Step Dates

• Choose topic • Ask research

questions

Sept 18

• Locate sources• Create working

reference list

Sept 18 – Sept 20

• Read and take notes from sources

1-2 hours/daySept 20-24

• Develop thesisand outline

Sept 25(Academic Skills)

• Write first draft 1-2 hrs/daySept 26-30

• Revise draft Oct 1-2

Final Draft Oct 4

Step Dates

• Prepare for lab• Develop hypothesis

Sept 18

• Complete lab• Review lab notes

Sept 20

• Locate and read research

Sept 21-23

• Complete data analysis

• Create figures

Sept 22-23

• Write Results and Methods

Sept 26-27

• Write Intro and Discussion

Sept 28-30(Academic Skills)

• Revise Oct 1-2

• Final Draft Oct 4(C) 2017 Academic Skills, Trent University 10

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Online Tools & Resources

• Time Management tools and templates• Assignment Calculator

• Prioritizing & Planning worksheet

• 2-week planner & 4-month calendar

• The Writing Process• Online Essay Guide: Thinking it Through

• Online Guide to Writing the Lab Report

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Good writing is analyticalAsking questions, making connections, and

explaining ideas

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A collage of information is not an essay!

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Start by asking good questions to think about evidence and ideas• Questions to understand

• What – When – Who – Where - How

• Questions to analyze• How do we know/understand?

• How can it be understood using theory/concept?

• Why is it understood this way? Or why isn’t it?

• What relationships/connections are important to consider?

• What are the implications? Why is it important to understand in this discipline?

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Do the work of a scholar: Show your analysis!

Explain more than you describe.• Explain how the evidence supports your thesis or

interpretation.

• Identify the key ideas that address your argument.

• Present specific examples or details to clearly illustrate your point.

• Demonstrate how evidence works together to build your argument.

• Explain the connections between ideas and/or sources.

• Discuss the implication or significance of your argument or interpretation.

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For example• Findings from Brennick et al. (2007)

suggest that exposure to stereotypic imagery in virtual media can alter social judgements. Furthermore, the results indicate that individuals who play video games with high frequency are more likely to condone negative stereotypic images of both males and females than individuals who play video games with low frequency. Together, these findings indicate that male high-frequency players may show increases in aggression and are more likely to accept this aggression perhaps due to hyper-masculine imagery rampant in such video games.

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Summary of evidence

Explanation of the evidence in relation to the thesis or key message of the paper

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Online Tools & Resources

• Reading sources critically • Reading in the Humanities and Social Sciences• Reading Scientific Papers

• Writing the Lab Report• Analyzing results: Writing the Discussion

• Writing the Essay• Developing a thesis• Making connections within and

between paragraphs

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Good writing uses effective evidence

Expectations for research and academic integrity

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Research Process

• Plan your research• Review your course materials to start• Preliminary general research can help you plan• Identify key words and appropriate sources for research on

specific topics

• Find sources• Use the library website to find scholarly work

• Evaluate sources• Begin with the abstract• Pay attention to publication date and type of source

• Read and take notes• Do not cut/copy/paste/quote. Paraphrase! • Make working reference list

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No matter which system you use, you must keep track of five central elements:

I. Ideas from the sources that you summarize or paraphrase in your own words.

II. “Passages that you quote directly” (USE QUOTATION MARKS)

III. The context of the information you are making notes on (to maintain accuracy).

IV. Your own thoughts and critical evaluation (how you will use the source)

V. The page number and source info!

Taking Good Notes

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Avoiding plagiarism

• Anytime you use someone’s ideas or information (that you have put in your own words), include a parenthetical reference with the author’s last name, year of publication, and page number.

• Anytime you use someone’s words, “put them in quotation marks” and include a parenthetical reference with the author’s last name, year of publication, and page number.

• Include a References page at the end of the paper that lists all of your sources.

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Referencing Styles – Learn how to look it up

• Assignment instructions will indicate required style or offer choice

• All academic work requires both in-text citation and a reference list (works cited/bibliography)

• Citation generators are helpful, but do check for accuracy!

• Information required for a journal article: author, date of publication, article title, journal title, volume #, issue #, page range, doi # (or URL)

• Academic Skills Online Documentation Guide

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Online Tools & Resources

• Library Skills tutorials – Using TOPCAT, Finding Articles

• Library subject guides – Select subject area

• Paraphrasing and Summarizing: Putting it in Your Own Words

• Avoiding Plagiarism with Good Writing Techniques

• Online Essay Guide: Research

• Online Documentation Guide

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Good writing is clearly organized

Creating order and making connections

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Plan before you write. Outlines are for everyone.

• Outlines help you to create a clear and logical order in which to present your ideas.

• An outline helps you to avoid the terror of the blank page by taking a big task and breaking it up into smaller tasks.

• There are many ways to create an outline:• Traditional Outline• Mind Maps• Free writing and reverse outlining

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Outline templates

• Intro: Key message/thesis• Background: Theory,

Concepts, Terms• Point 1

• Idea 1A – main idea, evidence, analysis, link

• Idea 1B

• Point 2• Point 3• Point 4• Synthesis: Pts 1-4• Conclusion: So what?

Thesis

Background/Context

•Theory

•Terms

Point 1

•Idea/Example

•Idea/Example

•Connection

Point 2

•Idea 1

•Idea 2

•Idea 3

•Connection

Point 3

•Idea

•Connection

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Keep in Mind

• In general, all essays have:• Introduction (1-2 paragraphs w/ the thesis)

• Body (paragraphs that develop and prove your ideas)

• Conclusion (1 paragraph that ties points together)

• The 5-paragraph essay model is too limited for university level writing. Consider how your supporting ideas work together (or how they don’t) to refine your thesis and develop coherence in your writing.

• Organize your writing around your thesis. Each section of the paper should be clearly linked to the thesis.

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What is a good paragraph?

• Topic Sentence

• Evidence

• Elaboration / Analysis

• Conclusion

ALL points must support your topic sentence

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Online Tools & Resources

• Online Essay Guide:

• Organizing and Outlining

• Paragraphs: The Building Blocks of Essays

• Writing the Lab Report: • Using an Outline

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Good writing is not the first draft

Take some time to refine and clarify your writing

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Revise in stages

• Substance• Focused topic and controlling idea• Specific evidence with analysis• Clear connections between ideas

• Structure• Follows conventions for assignment/discipline• Consistency between intro and conclusion• Coherence within and between paragraphs• Logical order of paragraphs

• Style• Formal tone: precise and appropriate language• Sentence structure and punctuation• References and format

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Proofreading Strategies

• Take time away from your paper in order to see it with fresh eyes.

• Do not rely solely on spellcheck. Keep track of common errors and look for them in your paper.

• Read for clarity and not just errors.

• Read from a hard copy

• Read your paper slowly and/or out loud

• Cover your paper so you read only one sentence at a time

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Learn from Comments

• Common problems• Vague/general writing or ideas

• Quoting without analyzing the quotation

• Not writing simply or clearly

• Improper use of sources or referencing

• Submitting an unrevised, unedited, insufficiently proofread draft

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Online Tools & Resources

• Online Essay Guide:

• Revising, Editing & Proofreading

• Writing for Science:

• Structure, Style & Common Errors

• Grammar & Clear Writing Guide

• Improve your Writing: Learning from Instructors' Comments

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Good writing does not happen in isolationScholarship is based on feedback and revision

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Academic Skills Services & Resources

Appointments available Monday to Friday Book it: www.trentu.ca/sep

Drop In: Mon 1-4 (GC); Tues 1-4 (OC); Wed 1-4 (CC); Thu 1-4 (EC)

Essays & reports: organization, grammar, citation Study skills: reading strategies, exam prep, time

management

Online resources on documentation, grammar, writing, & time management

www.trentu.ca/academicskills/resources

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