Academic Writing

Use Your Own Words in Paraphrases and Summaries

A paraphrase or summary presents ideas of a source but not in the exact words of the original and not in quotation marks.

Acknowledge Sources Fully, Including Online Sources

Academic writings build on the work of others by citing borrowed ideas and information. Always record the publication information for your sources, put other writers' words in quotation marks, and cite the source of every quotation, paraphrase, and summarize.

Cite Sources

As you draft, be conscious of when you're using source information abe conscientious about clearly marking where the borrowed material came from.

Evaluate Sources Carefully

Authors generally write from particular perspectives, and some are more overt about their biases than others.

Synthesize your own and others' ideas

College writing often involves researching and interacting with the works of other writers -- being open to their ideas, responding to them, questioning them, comparing them, and using them to answer questions.

Proposal Argument

Define a problem, give a solution, explain how the solution can be implemented, and respond to possible objections to the solution.

Research Paper

Develop an informative or argumentative thesis statement, draw on and cite multiple sources to support the thesis and emphasize synthesis of your sources' views and data from your own perspective

Organize Clearly within the Framework of the Type of Writing You're Doing

Develop your ideas as simply and directly as your purpose and content allow.

Informative Research Paper or Report

Draw on research to explain a subject, answer a question, or describe the results of a survey or an experiement.

Informative Essay

Explain a subject such as a situation or a process. Typically, this would begin with an introduction and a thesis statement that previews your major points. Depending on the assignment, it could focus on something personal.

Research Report

Explain your own original research of your attempt to replicate someone else's research. Includes an abstract (or summary), an introduction describing your research and reviewing prior.

Keep Track of Source Information As You Read

Get in the habit of always recording publication information (the author, title, date, and so on) of any source you read as well as any ideas you glean from it.

Before you consult sources, gauge what you already know and think about your subject

Give yourself time to know your own mind before looking to others for information. Then you'll be able to reflect on how the sources reinforce, contradict, or expand what you already know.

Instructors Serves as Coaches

Guide you toward achieving the goals of the course and, more broadly, toward academic aims of building and communicating knowledge.

Purpose

Has to be explanatory or mainly argumentative. This will help you clarify your subject by analyzing, describing, or reporting on it so that readers understand it as you do; to gain readers' agreement with a debatable idea about the subject.

Be Careful with Quotations

If you cut and paste a portion of an article, Web site, or other sources into your document, put quotation marks around it so that you don't mix your words, and the source's words accidentally

Specific Purpose

Includes your subject and how you hope readers will respond -- depends on the genre, the kind of writing you're doing. More complex.

Evaluation Argument

Judge whether something is good or effective. A common type of this would be a critical analysis of a text or visual.

Careless Plagiarism

More common among students. Often arising from arising from inattentive or inexperienced handling of sources. Cut and paste source information into your own ideas without clarifying who said what, or you might present a summary of a source without recognizing that parts of it are actually quoted.

Develop the Main Point in your writing

Most academic papers center on "this", or thesis, and support the thesis with evidence. This may be an opinion, a summary of findings, or a conclusion based on primary research you have conducted

Personal Writing

Narrates the writer's experience or describes a person or place, usually in vivid detail

Deliberate Plagiarism

Outright cheating: copying another writer's sentence or idea and passing it off as your own, buying a paper from the Web, or getting someone else to write a paper for you.

Response to Texts or Visuals

Personal Response to a Reading: - Use your own experiences, observations, and opinions to explain how and why you agree or disagree (or both) with the author's argument. Includes thesis statement that conveys the essence Critical Analysis (Critique) of a Text or Visual: - Closely examine a text or visual, identifying and describing important elements of the work and analyzing how the elements contribute to the whole. Includes an evaluation of the quality and significance of the work. The genre contains an arguable thesis stating your interpretation, a brief summary or description of the work, and examples from the text or visual support for your thesis and main points. Literary Analysis: - Argue for an interpretation of a work based on careful reading, giving particular attention to the work's language, structure, meaning, and themes. State your interpretation in a thesis and then support your thesis with examples from the work, usually quotations.

Arguments

Persuade readers, moving them to action or convincing them to think as you do.

Treat Sources Carefully

Represent an author's ideas and perspectives as they were originally presented, without misunderstanding or distortion

Position Argument

Seek to convince readers to agree with your position on a debatable issue such as lowering the drinking age or requiring military service. Introduces the issue, conveys your position in a thesis statement, makes claims and gives evidence to support your position, and responds to opposing views.

Informative Writing

Seeks to teach readers about a subject. You explore a subject in depth and provide information that readers may not know. Involves research.

Audience

Such readers look for writing that is clear, balanced, well organized, and well reasoned. Other assignments will specify or assume a ________ of experts on your subject, readers who look in addition for writing that meets the subject's requirements for claims and evidence, organization, language, format and other qualities.

Academic Integrity

The foundation of academic knowledge building.

Using appropriate Genre

The kind of writing and/or format. Literature Review: Standard content and Format Other Assignments Imply for This: Asks you to analyze, compare, and explain Likely a conventional academic essay -- introduction, thesis statement, supporting paragraphs, conclusion -- that analyzes and compares in order to explain.

Support the Main Point with Evidence, usually drawn from your reading, personal experience, or primary research

The kinds of evidence you will use will depend on the discipline you're writing in and type of paper you're doing.

Instructors Represent the Audience You're Addressing

They may actually be members of the audience, as when you address academic readers or subject experts. Or they imagine themselves as members of your audience -- reading, for instance, as if they sat on the city council. They're more interested in how effective your writing for the Audience.

Use Academic Language

Unless your instructor specifies otherwise, choose formal, standard English.