ADVICE ONACADEMIC WRITING

Martín, Eliana Julieta

Written Expression IV

General Information

Essay- It should have an argument- It should try to prove something- It should have a clear organization

In order to develop your essay:

- You should bear in mind all the possible questions and answers

- You should revise it as many times as necessary

Planning and Organizing

Stages of an essay:

Pre writing stage

Writing Stage

Revising Stage

Some techniques:

1- Index Cards: When researching, write every idea, fact and quotation on a card. Then organize them in the best possible order to make a draft

2- Computer: Take the advantage of “outline view” in Word which makes it easier for you to arrange your points

3- The circle method: To get your ideas onto a single page so you can see them all at once

Using a thesis statement

The reader will probably expect a clear statement of your position.

i.e1: -Shakespeare was the word greatest playwright

i.e2- This essay will show that the north American free trade agreement was a disaster for the

Canadian furniture industry

There is no rigid rule about the position of the thesis statement

Introductions and Conclusions

Play an important role in academic essays

A good introduction: should identify your topic, provide essential context and indicate your particular focus on the essay. It also should encourage the reader´s interest.

A good conclusion: will have to provide a sense of closure to the essay

Paragraphs

Each paragraph should contain the central idea:TOPIC SENTENCE: It has a specific main point

* NOT ALL PARAGRAPHS NEED A TOPIC SENTENCE SPECIALLY OPENING AND CLOSING PARAGRAPHS WHICH HAVE DIFERENT FUNCTIONS FROM BODY PARAGRAPHS

Reading and researching

Taking notes from researchReading

- Do not write down too much; your essay must be an expression of your thinking

- Copy out the exact words only when the ideas are memorably expressed

- Compress ideas in your own words. Paraphrasing word by word is a waste of time

Using the internet

- Do not rely exclusively on net sources

- Narrow your research topic before logging on; internet allows you with access to a lot of information and you can easily get lost

- Keep a detailed record of the sites you visit and use

- Double check all URLs before writting them on the paper

Previewing Will anable you to place your focus on the proper elements of the reading and to avoid wasting time on elements which are not important for your purposes.

- READ THE TITTLE- THINK ABOUT THE SUBJECT

MATTER- FIND OUT WHO WROTE IT AND

WHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED

Using resources

Use quotations: Only if

-The language is particulary elegant or memorable- You wish to confirm the credibility of your argument-The passage is worthly of further analysis - You wish to argue with someone

else´s position in detail

Verbs and phrases to introcuce quotations:ArguesMaintainsStatesWritesSuggestsClaimsPoints outInsists

CommentsExplainsNotesAssertsRevealsDemonstratesConcludesObservesSays

How to paraphase?

- You must provide a reference- The paraphrase must be in your own

words- You must also create your own

sentences structures- If you think you want to paraphrase

the passage, make a note only of the author´s basic points

- Capture the general idea

Styles and editing

Revising and editing

- Gives you the opportunity to preview your work on behalf of the eventual reader

- It involves the checking of details

GOOD REVISION AND EDITING CAN TRANSFORM A MEDIOCRE FISRT

DRAFT INTO AN EXCELENT FINAL PAPER

Using the compiter: makes a good typewriter. It easily lets you type in a text, shifts around and make a small proofreading changes

Punctuations: Try to venture beyond the comma and the period.

Commas, semicolon, colons, dashes and parentheses can also be used

When to use Passive voice?:

- When the actor is unknown - When the actor is irrelevant- When you want to be vague

about who is responsible for the action

- When talking about general truths

Why not to use passive voice?:

- Because you can sund vague about who is responsible

- Because too many passive voices can create confusion

Sometimes students use it to hide holes in their research

SpellingThe English language has many different ways to spell the same sound and many diffrent ways to pronunce the same spelling

- Use a good dictionary- Be consisten about using the

british or american spelling- Aways check “troublesome”

suffixes and preffixes - Use your computer spel checker,

but with caution

Sources:Website. University of Toronto. Writing advice. www.writing.utoronto.ca