Academic Writing It’s not like other writing!* *but don’t let that intimidate you

Getting started Have a clear, concise, focused research question/statement in mind as you read and research. Make notes and use highlighter on the text you read with your question in mind. o Don’t just highlight what is interesting to you, make note of the evidence that actually supports or disagrees with you! Write a summary in your own words Pick out direct quotes that support your argument Write a brief critical response o In other words: if you had to argue with this person, what would you say? Keep note of bibliographic details on your notes so you know where you got something!

Opening paragraph HOOK: hook us with a story, a fact, something to make us care about your topic and grab attention State your research question/statement and let us know this paper will answer that question/prove this point

Background Give us all the background we need to understand your topic: o Important events/dates/names/places o How this topic impacts people’s lives o Concepts we need to understand o This can be a few paragraphs or just one. You are setting the stage for your evidence. o This part continues to tell us why we should care about your topic!

The meat: presenting your evidence Each paragraph should present evidence that supports your argument/answers your question. Each paragraph should be about one piece of evidence! o For example, if you are writing about school uniforms don’t have one paragraph that tells us school uniforms help kids study better and that school uniforms lessen bullying. Each of these ideas should be in its own paragraph (or paragraphs!) Start each paragraph with a topic sentence, then present the evidence, then include your conclusion/analysis.

Writing paragraphs A topic sentence accomplishes the following tasks:  Expresses a claim (not a fact) that supports the thesis  Indicates the content of the paragraph (central idea)  Creates a transition from the previous paragraph  Maintain proper pacing (long/short sentences, etc.).  Ex: “Although previous studies of weather patterns have focused on rain and wind, this study proposes an analysis of tornado formation.”  Ex: “However, these studies have neglected the importance of tornado formation.”  Ex (Avoid): “Tornado formation is a major problem.” Let’s look at the sandwich technique handout

Ways of writing: transition words Transition words signal relationships between your ideas  Know relationship between the ideas!  Are you adding information? (furthermore, more importantly, additionally, etc.)  Or you contrasting information? (however, conversely, on the other hand, etc.)  Are you telling us about information that has time order? (previously, subsequently, simultaneously, etc.)

Using direct quotes Quotes must be worked into your sentences. o Ex: According to John Smith in his recent study, weather patterns “dictate the very fabric of our lives.” o Ex: Many New Yorkers like Jane Smith found their lives forever altered by the “Snowpacalypse: “We had no power, no food, no hope, really, for nearly a week.” Her testimony was a common refrain among the community. o Ex (Avoid): Weather is “dictates the very fabric of our lives” in Smith’s study. Studies must be cited according to field’s conventions. o Ex: Smith (2001) proposes a new mode of weather analysis. o Ex (Avoid): Smith (2001) proposes a “new” mode of “weather analysis.”

Active Voice The active voice relates subjects to verbs explicitly(“I made a mistake”). The passive voice uses a “to be” verb (“Mistakes were made”).  Use active language!  Active Voice:  Captain Ahab’s monomania drives him to pursue Moby Dick.  Previous studies demonstrate the importance of weather analysis.  Passive Voice:  Moby Dick is pursued by the monomaniacal Captain Ahab.  The importance of weather analysis has been demonstrated.  Avoid use of “I” as in “I think” or “I believe” UNLESS a teacher tells you to write in a personal voice. If not sure, ask!

How to make use of sources When you direct quote or paraphrase a source, avoid using the verb: says, said. Try some of these: argues, affirms, states, takes the position, observes, maintains, reports, declares, describes, identifies

When to paraphrase/direct quote If you can’t say it better yourself, do a direct quote BUT rules to know: In research papers, you should quote from a source o to show that an authority supports your point o to present a position or argument to critique or comment on o to include especially moving or historically significant language o to present a particularly well-stated passage whose meaning would be lost or changed if paraphrased or summarized You should summarize or paraphrase when o what you want from the source is the idea expressed, and not the specific language used to express it o you can express in fewer words what the key point of a source is

How to paraphrase Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase. Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source. Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.

Let’s practice!