This sometimes poses difficulties for the writer when a set question implies that your opinion is required. Studies (reference required) of student performance on essay writing reveal that students who receive training in plagiarism avoidance are more likely to perform well in their essay tasks. After all, the readers were not involved in analyzing or formulating the conclusions presented in your paper (although, we note that the point of your paper is to persuade readers to reach the same conclusions you did). Unnecessary words confuse and frustrate the reader (marker). The important thing is to consider the purpose of your writing - that will help you to decide how to write it. avoid using I, we, you, us, our), using standard English (e.g. In my opinion (as a struggling student), we should have lessons in essay writing from day one!!! If you feel strongly about a topic, you may be tempted to use emotional words that are inappropriate for academic writing. That means that academic writing must be: - formal, because informal writing is not always understood in the same way by every reader; - structured, because complex ideas need to be controlled to produce an unambiguous statement; - precise, so that none of its ideas can be challenged; - appropriate, so that it communicates to its audience in the most effective way. A MORE APPROPRIATE STYLE: Many students had difficulties with using information correctly in their writing, for example, paraphrasing and summarising. If you want to list information, avoid using bullet points. The wind was strong <--replace with--> The wind measured 6 on the Beaufort scale. colloquial This may be due to a succession of wave after wave of change in education practices. First year university students were challenged when university administrators expected them to abide by the plagiarism rules set by the university. The first person is becoming more acceptable under Modern English usage standards; however, the second-person pronoun “you” is still generally unacceptable because it is too casual for academic writing. colloquial Gone are the days when English is drilled into students at school. rewrite Many students find it difficult to find time to learn the basics of grammar and punctuation while they are studying. Lots of students agree that they are marooned if they can’t write a decent essay. Macquarie Dictionary) and invest in a writer’s guide if you are unsure about the rules of English (e.g. the letter. For most academic essays, you are expected to use a formal writing style. Decide on the audience for whom you are writing. Other writing (such as essays) requires the writer to select and organise the material they are writing and so develop a structure. UNE). It is better to use a pair of commas and say what you mean. Go through a paragraph that you have written and cross out any words, or phrases or even a sentence that may be unnecessary. colloquial, slang) variations. Study these paragraphs and select the correct comment about the writing style. You can cut out unnecessary words—without changing the meaning—to reduce your word count. Use past tense to narrate events and to refer to an author or an author’s ideas in an historical sense or if you using an example from a past event (e.g. Sometimes, students think that a formal style means that they have to copy their lecturer’s writing style or that of the books and journals that they read. newspapers, magazines, advertising). This is not surprising as many journalists use this technique to write much of our everyday reading matter (e.g. But, what does ‘formal’ mean? As an extra tip, before submission, you should always read through the most recent issues of a journal to get a better sense of the editors’ preferred writing styles and conventions. (Note: DO NOT use italics, bold or underlining for direct quotations. Avoid using non-quantifiable descriptions, such as: The company's production rate was high <--replace with--> The company produced 16,00 units per week. Structure is also important in academic writing - it helps to make your ideas clear, guides the reader's comprehension and can strengthen your arguments. The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. FOR EXAMPLE: Many students had difficulties with using information correctly in their writing (e.g. College Admissions Essay Editing Services, - University Assignments Editing Services, - Business and Corporate Editing Services, academic community used first-person pronouns until the 1920s, How to Write a Research Paper Introduction, Which Verb Tenses to Use in a Research Paper, How to Write an Abstract for a Research Paper, Common Transition Terms in Academic Papers, Active and Passive Voice in Research Papers, 100+ Verbs That Will Make Your Research Writing Amazing. Use this site for examples of linking phrases and ways to refer to sources. This is English used by the general community (e.g. The order in which information is presented should be logical so that the reader can follow the thinking, ideally with just one point or idea per paragraph. Helping students to achieve study success with guides, video tutorials, seminars and one-to-one advice sessions. I’ve worked in academic publishing for 14 years and recently delivered my 100th presentation on how to publish academic articles. reports) where bullet points are allowed. However, in academic writing, you should say what you mean in words. It was a fantastic strategy as most of their students did not have to face being accused of plagiarism. You should report your own findings and those from research in present tense (e.g. This may be due to a succession of wave after wave of change in education practices. Use straightforward language. Colloquial language and slang Do not use everyday conversational English or slang terms in your academic writing. In this section, we will get ourselves familiar with article writing and the article writing format. This makes your writing confusing and annoying. If there is a brief, follow it. clarify meaning by eliminating passive voice constructions; establish authority and credibility (e.g. Many students become creative with fonts (e.g. So     I analysed the data    becomes   The data was analysed. You should not switch bracket styles ( ), [ ], { }, < > as most bracket styles have a usage convention. However, this is NOT required. To cut down larger amounts of word count, try writing one sentence which sums up each paragraph. Therefore, it is better to avoid using dashes in your formal writing unless you have a very good grasp of the rules. This may result in writing that is stilted and unclear. The purpose of academic writing is to communicate complex ideas in a way that makes them least likely to be challenged. colloquial At the end of the day, grammar and punctuation still count in your essay writing. This style may vary if you are asked to write in an informal style. Don’t you see how many marks are given for this? Important: In academic writing you are responsible for the writing you produce. An objective tone in your writing is achieved by: Clarity in your writing ensures that the person who is reading (marking) your work can understand what you are saying. Important: In academic writing you are responsible for the writing you produce. Everyday conversational English (including slang) is practised daily in our lives. This involves avoiding the personal pronouns ‘I’ and ‘we’. However, writing passively isn't always suitable. For example: Evaluate the effectiveness of plagiarism training workshops for university students. So it's important to avoid any ambiguity. Appealing to your reader by using strong words is not acceptable in most academic writing. For example: It was extremely disappointing that the bureaucracy chose to target students who did not understand the rules of plagiarism in the first year of their university studies. racial, ethnic, religious, age, sexual). That’s right—there’s no reason why you can’t use these words! Be careful how you define “we.” It should only refer to the authors and never the audience unless your intention is to write a conversational piece rather than a scholarly document! Detailed explanation of how English grammar works with lots of exercises to put your knowledge into practice. bold, underlining, italics, capital letters) in academic essays. Some academic writing, such as scientific research methodology, needs to be especially precise. Where abbreviations and acronyms are required to avoid repetition, ensure that, on first mention, the unabbreviated term appears together with the abbreviation or acronym, for example: First mention: "An article in the American Journal of Philology (AJPh) reported...", Subsequent mention: "Writing in the AJPh, Brown concluded that...". Don’t you see how many marks are given for this? For example: " The dog that bit me ran away." When you are evaluating theories and discussing implications, lecturers expect that your argument should appear to be well-considered and reasonable. Following are some examples of colloquial language taken from student essays: colloquial Most of us don’t have time to, say, play around with learning grammar and punctuation while we’re studying. rewrite This exercise demonstrates some of the problems students have with their formal writing. Hedging words and phrases DO NOT USE WORDS AND PHRASES IN ACADEMIC WRITING THAT ARE TOO STRONGLY OPINIONATED. Shortened forms of words and phrases DO NOT USE CONTRACTIONS AT ALL (e.g. Click on the links to see an explanation. Therefore, training in plagiarism avoidance is recommended for university students. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group. The main motive behind writing an article is that it should be published in either newspapers or magazines or journals so … You should deal with facts in an impersonal way, without distortion by personal feelings or prejudices. For example: All students should have lessons in plagiarism avoidance from day one!!! reflecting on teaching practice). The Aske Stables, Aske, Richmond, North Yorkshire, U.K. 10F, 205, Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 2850, ShuBLDG, 2-28-10, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0013, Japan, 01-102, 1F, Building 25, Hanhe Garden, Haidian District, Beijing, China. When you begin academic studies, you will be expected to conform to the academic standard of using formal language. If you are a University of Reading student and English is not your first language, the Academic English Programme (AEP) provides training courses in academic writing skills, speaking skills, and pronunciation practice. Take out the paragraphs that are least important. Check with the lecturer and ensure that you use the appropriate format and punctuation for using bullet points in that discipline. Academic writing uses language to report, argue and critique. Identifying foreign words not absorbed in English (e.g. It doesn't mean using lots of long words and complicated sentences! Most students use them incorrectly as the rules are complicated. an interactive course on English grammar aimed at university students. Academic writing has a purpose. Comic Sans) and font styles (e.g. Write down your main points. The era when English was drilled into school students has passed. Although there are some rules about article usage to help, there are also quite a few exceptions. As most academic writing should be objective, you are usually advised to avoid using personal pronouns (e.g. 3. An article is a piece of writing written for a large audience. Now, let’s discuss how to help students to stop plagiarising in their academic essays. There is a long tradition of using the passive voice ("The data were analyzed using a chisquared minimization fit...") in scientific literature. Active vs. passive voice in Scientific Writing, How to Introduce Evidence and Examples: 41 Effective Phrases. For most subject areas the writing is expected to be objective. It is BEST to write the full term in the text of your writing. Jackson and Smith argue [present tense] that …). As different subject areas have their own conventions, do refer to programme handbooks for specialist guidance. (e.g. It is customary to write most academic papers in the present tense. Additionally, artistic disciplines may also encourage personal perspectives more than other subjects); to emphasize or distinguish your perspective while discussing existing literature; and. If you are referring to future action, verbs such as will, shall, is going to, are about to, tomorrow and other adverbs of time will assist you to indicate future tense (e.g. USE ACRONYMS (e.g. For example: In dealing with plagiarism, lecturers warned the students that they should: In dealing with plagiarism, lecturers warned students that they should: check their work for plagiarised statements, ensure that their in-text references were adequate and make certain that the items in the reference list matched the in-text references. Academic essays can attract a considerable proportion of assessment marks in most degree programs. It is often easier to write fluently and then to edit out unnecessary words and phrases. Essay writing is an important skill for tertiary students. One minute they are writing in one tense, then you abruptly switch to another tense. I, me, my, we, us, our, you) in your writing. it’s for it is or it has; would’ve for would have) Contractions are classed as informal language. Given that no one has complained or asked for a refund, I like to think that at least a few souls took on board some kernels of knowledge and put them into practice with their own ideas and plans for publication. Essay writing is an important skill for tertiary students. the last statement in the conclusion of your essay). Be consistent in your use of tense throughout your paper. For this the first person (I, we, me, my) should be avoided. Academic writing is objective (i.e. For example: QUESTION Essay writing is an important skill for tertiary students. make certain that the items in the reference list matched the in-text references. QUESTION AND COMMAND SENTENCES ARE NOT REQUIRED IN FORMAL ACADEMIC WRITING. Most of us don’t have time to, say, play around with learning grammar and punctuation while we’re studying. If you have not, then delete it permanently. Many students experience (present tense) difficulties with plagiarism until they are assisted (present tense) to understand some basic rules. While you are expected to develop your own ideas from your research and reading about a topic, you must express those ideas in an impersonal objective manner. Macquarie Writer’s Friend). (Mind-mapping can help with this.). I, me, my, we, us, our, you) in your writing. Gone are the days when English is drilled into students at school. ‘collaborative group work’). Include only necessary detail. This exercise shows a couple of things about formal writing. Do not use exclamation marks (!!!) A paragraph can be planned (like a mini-essay) using the PEAL format: P: Sentence introducing the point with any necessary detail. colloquial This exercise shows a couple of things about formal writing. The tense of a verb indicates whether the time of an event is in the past, present or future. Brackets In formal academic writing, brackets are used for in-text referencing systems (other than footnoting). This exercise demonstrates some of the problems students have with their formal writing. Don’t you see how many marks are given for this? Brackets and dashes AVOID USING BRACKETS & DASHES TO ADD INFORMATION. This takes time and practice. Exclamation marks have no place in formal academic writing. Usually in the introduction the writer sets out the structure so that the reader knows what to expect and the order in which it will be presented. Your reader needs to understand the information or ideas that you are conveying. A high proportion of marks are allocated to the compilation of essay assignments as part of a university course to the point where it could be the causation of terminating a degree program because of failure. They also help to make sure your meaning is understood. Thus, using personal pronouns as the first one or two words of a sentence will draw unnecessary attention to them (unless, of course, that was your intent). assert ethos, the Aristotelian rhetorical term referring to the personal character); express interest in a subject matter (typically found in rapid correspondence); establish personal connections with readers, particularly regarding anecdotal or hypothetical situations (common in philosophy, religion and similar fields, particularly to explore how certain concepts might impact personal life. The rules of plagiarism, such as copying another’s work inappropriately, were carefully explained). If you are using research or ideas based on work by others (books, journals, websites) you must reference everything fully and in the correct way for your assignment (check your instructions for this). For example: COMMAND Now, let’s discuss how to help students to stop plagiarising in their academic essays. You will need to check for this when you are proofreading your work.