“My students are always kind of surprised to learn about what they have missed, what they haven't been paying attention to all their lives.”
Natural Sciences Professor Laura Alexander
help with writing
Since good academic writing requires thinking, creativity, analysis, synthesis, etc., etc., etc., writing can rarely be said to be easy. Knowing what your instructor expects and knowing how to go about writing, though, can make the process a whole lot easier.
What Your Instructor Expects
Each instructor has personal expectations for particular writing assignments, but there are some expectations that can be generalized for nearly all academic writing that is assigned. These are some of the qualities that are particularly characteristic of academic writing.
The writer makes a point, takes a position, formulates an opinion. The paper shouldn't be just a collection of facts on a topic, but a statement that the writer makes about a topic.
The writer supports the stated position with evidence. This is where facts come in--as support for a position taken.
The writer makes reference to the ideas of others who have written on the topic. Although instructors want to know your position as the writer, they also want to know that you've considered the ideas of others who have knowledge of the topic.
The ideas of others form a context and/or support for your own ideas. In academic writing, these ideas of others should also be acknowledged through reference citations.
The writer organizes ideas in a logical way and provides an introduction that orients the reader and a conclusion that "wraps things up."
Contrary to popular belief, the length of the paper is usually not a key factor in an instructor's assessment of the value of a paper. Besides these general qualities, there are many discipline-specific and assignment-specific requirements. If you have questions about a particular assignment, talk to your instructor, a Teaching Assistant (TA), or a Writing Tutor.
How to Write Academic Papers
Writing is a process that is both creative and analytical. There's no one way to write that works for everyone, but all writers need to go through a process that involves both "loosening up" to let ideas flow and "tightening" in order to structure ideas and express them effectively.
The strategies you choose will depend on your personality, the writing task, your level of knowledge and commitment to the writing, and other variables. Here are some strategy options for various stages of the composing process.
Assess the writing situation.
Read the assignment. Make sure you understand it. Ask questions.
Consider constraints and options: Length? Format? Purpose? Audience?
What do you already know about the topic? What do you still need to know?
What topic, subtopic, or emphasis within the topic interests you?
Explore ideas.
Generate your own ideas: brainstorm, list, draw a picture or diagram, ask yourself questions, talk to yourself, talk to a friend or a Writing Tutor at James House, freewrite (write fast, following your mind, unconcerned with correctness or form for the moment), take a walk.
Gather new ideas: read, search the net, talk to people who know something about your topic.
Focus, tentatively.
Evaluate the ideas you've generated and gathered, and select a main focus or a few key ideas.
After looking over all your ideas, put them aside and write what you think the most important ideas are or what you think you want to say in a sentence or two.
Formulate a tentative position or a thesis.
Sketch a tentative plan
Informally list the major supporting ideas.
Sketch a diagram of key and supporting ideas, visually showing the relations between them.
Construct an outline, grouping ideas into major categories.
Read the assignment again.
Have you considered all aspects of the assignment?
Have you gotten off track?
Do you need to discuss options with the instructor?
Gather more ideas.
What additional information do you need?
What supporting ideas or specific details are missing?
What ideas from other sources can you integrate?
Start writing a draft.
Start writing wherever it seems easiest to start. Some people like to start with their introduction. Others prefer to start with the section they know best and come back to the introduction later when they understand better what they want to say.
If you have trouble getting started, talk out your ideas. The Writing Tutors at James House will serve as interested listeners if you don't have someone readily available. They can help you "capture" key words on paper to help you get started writing.
Don't try to write well. Just try to express the ideas--as quickly and as fluently as you can. You can always revise the paper later. Write it--then make it "right."
Check your structure.
Did you write what you set out to write?
Do the ideas follow an order that makes sense?
Are the points you make adequately supported?
Does each paragraph make a point? Is that point linked to the points made in previous and subsequent paragraphs?
Can a reader follow your structure and understand your ideas? Ask an objective but supportive reader for feedback.
Revise and edit
Read your paper aloud as you edit. It's often easier to hear mistakes than to see them.
Use the spell check.
Listen for, and look for, the errors you know you tend to make.
Take your paper to a Writing Tutor at James House for guidance in editing.
Dialogue and feedback are helpful at any stage of the writing process. Use whatever resources are available to you. For assistance with specific assignments, feel free to use the peer writing tutors and professional writing tutors at ADC.
Call 3711 for an appointment.
