Academic Writing Guidance Notes

Academic Writing Guidance Notes

General Writing Process Best Practices

• Drafting Over Multiple Sittings: Academic writing demands critical thinking, research integration, and polished writing, all of which require time and effort.
• Professional Approach: Professional writers draft, revise, and rewrite, often relying on editors to refine their work.
• Avoid Shortcuts: Professors can easily identify shortcuts in academic writing. Instead, take the time to read the assignment carefully, proofread thoroughly, understand MLA requirements, and seek help from librarians or writing tutors.
• Realistic Expectations: Achieving an 'A' is possible, but aiming for a perfect score of 100 on a writing and research assignment is often unrealistic. This is normal and acceptable.
• Achieving Higher Grades: To improve your grade, move beyond analysis to synthesis. This involves connecting ideas with strong support and meaningful transitions and drawing substantive conclusions that go beyond simply restating information.

Research Process Best Practices

• Time Allocation: Allocate more time for research than you initially anticipate. Quality research differs significantly from quick internet searches.
• Tentative Research Plan: Develop a tentative research plan before initiating the research process.
• Librarian Consultation: Do not hesitate to seek assistance from librarians.
• Database Interface: Don't be discouraged by basic database interfaces. Databases offer access to global resources.
• Recommended Databases: Start with JSTOR and EBSCO for scholarly sources, accessible through the Learning Commons (LLC).

Writing Introductions

• Emphasize Analysis: Prioritize analysis over summary in the introduction.
• Avoid Clever Hooks: Academic writing focuses on quality scholarship rather than attention-grabbing techniques.
• Omit Redundancy: There is no need to repeat the assignment details or explain the purpose of the paper.
• Avoid Over-Generalizations: Refrain from making overly broad statements.
• Minimize Personalization: Avoid or minimize personal opinions and the use of first-person pronouns such as "I".
• Introduce Topic and Thesis: Introduce the topic and establish it with a clear thesis statement or purpose statement. Theses do not need to be three-pronged.
• Introduce Research Approaches: Briefly introduce any relevant approaches to research or analysis.

Writing Supportive Body Paragraphs (Part 1)

• Central Idea: Start the paragraph with the main idea and its connection to the thesis or purpose of the paper.
• Develop Support: Develop the central idea with supporting evidence rather than simply naming or listing points.
• Perspective-Taking: Engage in perspective-taking to consider different viewpoints.
• Acknowledge Counterclaims: Recognize and address potential counterclaims.
• Incorporate Source Material: Integrate relevant source material to support your arguments.
• Analysis vs. Summary: Focus on analysis over summary. Aim to analyze HOW and WHY, not just WHAT.

Writing Supportive Body Paragraphs (Part 2)

• Third-Person Perspective: Write in the third person, avoiding the use of first-person pronouns such as "I".
• Focus on Artifacts: Make the artifact(s) or the history and culture(s) the subject of your analysis, avoiding the use of second-person pronouns such as "you" or "we".
• Historical Figures: Refer to historical figures by their full name or last name, not their first name only.
• Discipline-Specific Vocabulary: Use discipline-specific vocabulary to demonstrate knowledge and application of course concepts.

Organization

• Beyond the 5-Paragraph Essay: Think beyond the traditional 5-paragraph essay structure.
• Highlight Thesis: Choose an organizing structure that effectively highlights your thesis and main ideas.
• Distinct Sections: A well-developed introduction and conclusion are crucial.
• Clear Indentations: Maintain clear and consistent indentations (minimum of five spaces).
• Paragraph Length: Ensure paragraph length is consistent for academic writing, while sentence length and structure may vary.
• Sub-Headings: Use sub-headings intentionally (though these are not needed for shorter papers). They should not replace good writing.

Writing Transitions

• Transitions as Art: Effective transitions are more than just a formulaic list (e.g., First, Secondly, Next). They make connections, raise questions, and introduce valuable sources.
• Active Transitions: Well-written transitions are active and help vary sentence structure, improving readability and layering critical thinking.

Writing Conclusions

• Conclusion Challenge: Writing strong conclusions can be challenging.
• Rewriting: The best conclusions are often rewritten after drafting.
• Synthesize Ideas: Good conclusions synthesize the ideas and analysis discussed throughout the paper.
• Significance: Conclusions often address the broader significance of the topic.
• Connections: Conclusions make strong connections to provide closure and ensure the reader understands the writer's perspective.
• Future Outlook: Conclusions may look ahead by applying the topic to the future or offering a shift in perspective.

Source Quality

• Academic Sources: Academic writing requires academic sources, prioritizing peer-reviewed materials.
• Minimize Web Sources: Limit the use of web-based sources.
• LLC Databases: Utilize sources accessed through LLC databases like JSTOR and/or EBSCO.
• Open-Access Resources: Consider other open-access resources such as museums, public archives, and governmental and educational institutions.
• Discernment: Differentiate between sources for learning and sources for supporting a research paper.

Citations

• Credibility: Precise and well-documented citations enhance credibility, lend authority, and ground your writing with reputable evidence.
• Paraphrasing: Document all paraphrased information and avoid undocumented use of paraphrase.
• Avoid Low-Quality Sources: Avoid low-quality sources such as Wikipedia, tertiary sources, or non-academic media. Favor scholarly journals, books, and institutional archives.
• Complete Documentation: Use full documentation rather than shortcuts. MLA or APA requires in-text citations and a Works Cited page.
• URL Citation: Citing a URL is not sufficient; the citation must follow MLA or APA format.
• Works Cited Content: Only list sources used in the paper on the Works Cited page. (Longer academic projects may ask for a Works Consulted or a Bibliography - assignments for this class do not.)

Revision, Editing, Proofreading Best Practices

• Time Investment: Allocate sufficient time for good writing to allow for multiple drafts.
• Fun-House Strategy: Strategy: imagine “fun-house mirrors” (from John Lee, Writing from the Body); read your paper with a specific issue in mind, such as punctuation, transitions, etc.
• Physical Revision: Strategy: try physical revision, change the appearance of the page, quadruple space, print and cut/rearrange.
• Read Aloud: Read your paper aloud.
• Read Backwards: Strategy: Read backwards/in reverse.
• Trusted Reader: Find a trusted reader, but aim to become your own best reader.
• Limit Online Tools: Minimize the use of online tools; writing is a human practice.

Addressing Procrastination Best Practices

• Human Process: Understand that writing is a human process influenced by personal strengths, weaknesses, ego, and insecurities.
• Positive Mindset: Maintain a positive mindset, recognizing the creative energy involved in the writing process.
• Address Avoidance: Recognize that procrastination often stems from avoiding negative feelings associated with a task.
• Small Tasks: Tackle projects in small, manageable tasks to overcome mental obstacles.
• Time Commitment: Commit to working on the project for just 20 minutes to initiate progress.
• Positive Self-Talk: Monitor self-talk, avoiding critical thoughts.
• Separate Tasks: Separate brainstorming and research from writing to create space between these efforts.
• Physical Well-being: Prioritize physical health through exercise, nutrition, and sleep to support brain function. Also taking breaks to look away from your screen.

Turn It In Reports

• Report Review: The instructor closely reviews Turnitin reports.
• Plagiarism Consequences: Plagiarism will result in failure of the assignment.
• Drafting Process: A strong drafting process minimizes plagiarism by reducing the temptation to copy and paste.
• Note-Taking: Slow down, take notes, and properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism.
• Report Settings: The Turnitin report is set to the highest setting, meaning even properly documented quotations will be flagged.
• Similarity Index: A high similarity index may indicate excessive use of quotations, even if properly cited.

Avoiding AI Tools

• Professional Standards: All professional organizations have or are adopting AI-use policies.
• Transparency: Professional bodies expect full transparency about AI use, requiring authors to assume full responsibility.
• No AI Use: The instructor expects 0% usage of any artificial intelligence or machine learning technologies in introductory courses, particularly generative AI.
• Human Resources: Utilize human resources like the writing lab or Brainfuse instead of AI tools.
• Simple Tools: Simple tools like spellcheck are acceptable, but avoid tools like Grammarly or Citation Machine to internalize basic writing skills.