(writing academic essay) academic-writing-language.pptx

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1. Academic Essay Writing

2. Academic writing Academic writing is a formal approach to assignments: Formal structure following academic conventions Formal tone and use of language Writing in an academic style is something that can be learnt through guidance and conscientious practice

3. What is Academic Writing Style? When writing in an academic writing style, do not write as you would normally speak. Avoid informal language, such as slang or colloquialisms, or contractions. Structure your language carefully, using complete sentences and paragraphs. Although bulleted lists are acceptable, they should not be overused because your writing would start to look like it was just notes. You can get ideas of the kind of writing favored in your subject area by looking at relevant research papers in academic journals. Also, when you are reading for your course, you might find it useful to look at the style of writing. You will find your ability to write in an effective academic style will improve the more you read, and the more practice you get in writing. is formal. is impersonal and objective. is cautious or tentative. references other writers ’ work.

4. Informal vs. Formal words or phrases INFORMAL try to find out carry out look at carefully make sure is true show get rid of FORMAL Investigate conduct examine verify demonstrate eliminate

5. Success on your course is determined by your understanding of course content and your discipline Your understanding is shaped by how you engage with course content Your engagement with course content is assessed by what and how you communicate in your assignments Academic writing style is the ‘ how ’ The Importance of Academic Style

6. A ccuracy B revity C larity Characteristics of Academic Style ‘Think about it – talk about it – write about it’ All the information you provide must accurately reflect the content of your source materials Keep it brief. Including a wide range of material, within your word count, means there’s no room to go off-topic Make sure the content of your essay is easy for your reader to follow and understand.

7. Academic Writing Style Tips Strive to be clear, concise, and precise. Say exactly what you mean. Complete sentences. Clear construction of paragraphs. Treat each paragraph as a section around an idea. Do not extend paragraph length more than one full page. Avoid first person. Sentence variety. Very rare use of hypothetical questions. They tend to weaken the voice of the writer.

8. Read Write Learn Successful Academic Writers… Take notice of writing styles and conventions. Be influenced by the writers you enjoy reading. Read your work critically. Identify what you need to change to improve fluency edit and re-write it. New vocabulary. Have a systematic approach to help you memorise unfamiliar terms.

9. Relevant Organised Follows academic conventions Strategies for Academic Writing Your writing should be clearly related to your essay question; make frequent references to the question. Develop a fluent narrative by linking the points you raise in a logically consistent way. For essays: Introduction, middle section, conclusion. Include a range of perspectives. Fully referenced.

10. Adopt a formal voice Avoid trying to sound too clever or pompous Try to sound natural Formality The slides which follow provide opportunities for you to make a judgment about appropriate academic style.

11. It’s clear that the CEO of RBS’s rushed decision to buy ABN Amro wasn’t the smartest move. or… The combination of a domineering chief executive, an overly compliant management team and a false sense of urgency were crucial in RBS’s disastrous decision to acquire ABN Amro . Too informal or… The synthesis of solipsism with sycophancy within RBS’s climate of elusory exigency evinced an impolitic acquisition of ABN Amro . Too clever Formality

12. Be specific – how many? When? Avoid vague generalities Do not make things unnecessarily complex – try to express ideas clearly. Don’t use excessively long sentences or abstruse language! Provide specific details, aim for fluent, clear descriptions Precision

13. Many young people drink too much. or… Twenty three percent of people aged 16-25, consume >140ml of ethanol alcohol (C 2 H 6 O) per week. or… One in four 16-25 year-olds consume more alcohol than the Government’s recommended weekly maximum. Precise enough? (expand/explain/reference) Imprecise Too detailed? (reference) Precision

14. Avoid narrow subjectivity – not everyone will agree with your argument Structure your writing to show that you are questioning and analysing your sources Try to adopt a neutral voice, unless you are aiming for a clear and convincing conclusion Objectivity

15. It is totally obvious that wealth needs to be distributed more fairly. or… The accumulation of capital by a small segment of the population correlates negatively with GDP growth. or… It is clear from the above discussion that without greater redistribution of wealth, world economic growth will slow. Too emotive Objective, but clear? Objectivity

16. Write to inform, not to impress You may know what you mean, but will your reader? Avoid making value judgments – let your reader decide, after considering the evidence you present Clarity

17. There are quite a few reasons why micro-SMEs often fail during their first year of operating. or… There are three main reasons why micro-SMEs can fail during their first year of operating: lack of capital; external market factors; and poor business planning. or… Whilst micro-SMEs can fail for a number of reasons during their first year of operation – lack of capital, external market factors, etc. – the most significant factor is inadequate and inaccurate business planning. Equivocal Clear Clear & argumentative Clarity

18. Helps your reader to follow your argument Clarifies and confirms your sources Consolidates the points you are making http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/ Signposting

19. Having discussed the scale of the problem, a possible solution can now be presented. Viewing this from the perspective of Smith’s (2012) model, what becomes clear is that… Whilst many studies have considered the relationship between profitability and environmental responsibility, few have done so from an ethnological perspective. Highlight transitions Highlight your sources Highlight your approach Signposting

20. Avoid over-confident, simplistic claims. There are (at least) two sides to every story Avoid being over-cautious. Say it how it is. If the evidence is inconclusive, you can state that further research is needed in the field Hedging

21. This proves that the banking crisis of 2007 was caused by subprime mortgages. or… This seems to suggest that subprime mortgages might possibly be partly responsible for some aspects of the banking crisis of 2007. or… This suggests that subprime mortgages were a key factor in precipitating the banking crisis of 2007. Over-certain Over-cautious Hedging

22. Helps your reader to understand Shows your reader that you understand Nurtures debate and reflection and avoids a soundbite style Explaining Yourself Fully

23. Based on the above discussion, it seems reasonable to claim that… As Marx explained: ‘the bureaucrat has the world as a mere object of his action’ (Marx 1843). As Marx explained: ‘the bureaucrat has the world as a mere object of his action’ (Marx 1843). In other words, bureaucracy creates alienation and indifference to others… Justification What does this mean? Shows understanding Explain Yourself

24. Writing is a Process Improvement takes time and effort – don’t be hard on yourself, stay focused and keep practising! Make use of your feedback – implement the necessary changes next time Re-read the essays you wrote last year. This will give you a clear sense of how your writing has improved.

25. Grammar Checks for Writing Subject-verb agreement Run on sentences—two or more complete sentences together punctuated as one sentence. Use a semi colon (; ) or a period ( .) to correct this. Avoid second person (YOU); use third person, and stay consistent using third person. Select present tense if possible; sometimes past tense is necessary, but stay consistent with tense. Spelling Use of quotation marks—put commas and periods inside of quotes. “ The new dog is brown. ” Introductory clauses need a comma. Use “ who ” and not “ that ” when referring to people. Certain words or phrases should be avoided if possible: “ hopefully ” and “ a lot. ”

26. Academic Writing Sample Interpersonal communication is defined as an interactional process between two people, either face-to-face or through mediated forms (Lane, 2001). Interpersonal communication theories explore concepts such as cognitive processing, relationship development, processing and maintenance, and influence (Burleson, 2001). In general, interpersonal communication theories provide a way for individuals to better understand themselves and others in the context of their communication (Arai, Shockley- Zalabak , & Wanca -Thibault, 2001). It is hardly practical to study each individual person in society; therefore, researchers studying interpersonal communication have had to concentrate on generalizations that can be made to produce broader knowledge regarding communication behaviors ( Salwen & Stacks, 1996). There are four specific perspectives from which interpersonal communication can be studied: (a) relational (qualitative) communication, in which the roles of sender and receiver are shared by two people concurrently in order to generate meaning; (b) situational (contextual) communication, which takes place between two people in a specific context; (c) quantitative, dyadic interactions, including impersonal communication; and (d) functional (strategic) communication strictly for the purpose of achieving interpersonal goals (Lane, 2001). While the study of interpersonal communication is clearly expansive, scholars must gain a broad understanding of interpersonal communication theories in order to determine how people can improve and enhance organizational communication skills.

27. Writing Tips Do not give life to inanimate objects. For example, schools cannot "think. “ Avoid ambiguous sentences. Follow "this," "that," "these," and "those," with the words to which the terms refer. Spell out acronyms when they first appear; thereafter, use the acronym [Example: "The National Education Association (NEA) cited the following..."] Do not use the first names of reference citations in your text. Cite primary sources whenever possible. Sometimes secondary sources have inaccurate pages citations and quotes, or both. If you intend to use the information in your paper, go back to the original source. Prefer the active voice to the passive voice. "The man bit the dog" is more interesting than "The dog was bitten by the man," and uses fewer words. No. An in-service program was set up by the school system. Yes! School personnel established an in-service program.

28. Writing Tips Avoid weak, verbose, wishy-washy constructions. No. It was hoped that in the near future the students would seem to benefit from the new program. Yes! Students will soon benefit from the new program. No. In an article by Smith and Jones (2004) it was contended that high expectations by a school faculty could help scores obtained by students to increase. (There are many better ways!) Yes! Smith and Jones (2004) noted that high faculty expectations seemed... Don ’ t write or say “ between you and I. ” Don ’ t write “ alot . ” Don ’ t confuse the contraction “ it ’ s ” with the possessive “ its. ” Don ’ t use “ loose ” when you mean “ lose. ” Don ’ t confuse “ their, ” “ there, ” and “ they ’ re. ” SPELL CHECK DOES NOT CATCH EVERYTHING!!!

29. Writing Tips Paragraph. Except for emphasis and news reporting, one sentence is not a paragraph. A paragraph has a topic sentence, some sentences expanding on the topic sentence, and a conclusion or transition sentence. Plan. Draft. Edit. Revise. Consider your idea carefully. Write it. Review and edit your writing. Check spelling, grammar, and content. Proofread your work carefully. Is your work clear, concise, cogent, and correct? Does it make sense to you? Have someone else proofread your work. You often are too close to your own work to see inconsistencies, errors, etc. Does your work make sense to a friendly critic? Will your work make sense to an unfriendly critic?

30. Commonly Confused Words and Phrases Affect or effect? As a verb, effect means “ to bring about ” or “ to accomplish, ” while affect means “ to influence. ” Allude or elude? You allude to the document where a fact may be found; you elude a question that you cannot answer. Can or may? Can refers to ability; may refers to permission. Farther or further? Farther is more appropriate as a distance word, while further works best as a term of time or quantity. Good or well? In reporting conditions such as health or performance use well rather than the adjective good , although when describing attitude, it is proper to say, “ I feel good today. ”

31. Commonly Confused Words and Phrases Imply or infer? When you imply , you indicate or suggest something by word or action, without actually say it. When you infer , you deduce or draw a conclusion from the evidence. Irregardless or regardless? Irregardless is incorrect. Precede or proceed? When you go ahead or in front of, you precede . When you begin or carry on some action, you proceed . Principle or principal? A principal is the head of a school, a chief official or an original sum (as in a loan). A principle is a fundamental truth.