grs seminar: 20 academic writing tips · the university of western australia 20 academic writing...
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GRS Seminar: 20 Academic Writing TipsGraduate Research School27 Nov 2015
The University of Western Australia
20 Academic Writing Tips
1-5 Getting started6-10 Academic writing conventions11-20 Revising, editing and proofreading
The University of Western Australia
1
Use writing to clarify your thinking
Rethink the way you think Test your thinking on paper Develop your ‘voice’
The University of Western Australia
2
Turn off your ‘internal critic’ when you draft
Early drafts are just early drafts They will not be read by anyone other than you Get your thoughts down on paper in whatever way is easiest for you Don’t edit too early
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3
Develop good writing habits
Undergraduate training can establish poor writing behaviours
Assess your writing behaviours - schedule, environment, avoidance….
‘If it isn’t broken don’t try to fix it’
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4
Have a framework for writing (or not)
Review textbooks/handbooks & theses If structure is giving you a headache - consider unstructured writing
Paper: Write that Journal Article in 7 dayshttp://prezi.com/ruj35uigcuwo/write-that-journal-article-in-7-days/
Information Services Finding a Thesishttp://www.is.uwa.edu.au/research/theses
Academic Phrasebankhttp://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
The University of Western Australia
5
Know your disciplinary conventions
Follow the style of a journal you aspire to publishing in Follow a thesis you like the ‘look’ of Assess writing for style & structure
Read an academic writing style guide
Be aware that academic writing conventions differ across languages, cultures and disciplines
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6
Simple sentences, complex concepts (often but not always)
1 topic per sentence Topic should be close to beginning of sentence Verb should be close to topic Avoid interruption of sentence
StudySmarter online & face-to-face support http://www.student.uwa.edu.au/learning/studysmarter
Purdue University Online Writing Laboratory – Academic Writinghttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/2/
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7
Understand what a paragraph is
Focuses on one concept Topic sentence introduces concept Topic sentence usually provides link to previous paragraph ~3-5 sentences
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8
Understand use of tense
What was done/found = past tense Referring to data in figures & tables = present tense What someone else thinks = past or present tense What you think = present tense Future studies = future tense
University of Melbourne – Using Tenses in Scientific Writinghttp://services.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/471294/Using_tenses_in_scientific_writing_Update_051112.pdf
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9
First person, third person, active or passive?
Know your disciplinary norm Be consistent Active simplifies sentences Passive still very common Thesis ‘I’ or ‘We’?
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10
Minor things
Format quotations correctly Choose AUS, US or UK spelling (for whole document) Avoid Latin phrases Know rules for abbreviations & acronyms Remove all pronouns Use commas, colons, semi-colons & apostrophes consistently and correctly Avoid colloquialisms Use transition words & connectives sparingly & appropriately
Punctuation Made Simplehttp://punctuationmadesimple.org/
The University of Western Australia
11
Check your ‘narrative’ using a reverse outline
Identify key point(s) in each paragraph List on separate piece of paper Draw arrow between each point Label each arrow with the link between the keypoints
Shuffle keypoints to improve structure / linking / reduce redundancy Look for description of links in text
Explorations of Style: A Blog about Academic Writing – Reverse Outlineshttp://explorationsofstyle.com/2011/02/09/reverse-outlines/
The University of Western Australia
12
Take a break from a draft
Keep a notebook / journal / smartphone handy
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13
Know some writing techniques
Writer’s block When the going gets tough Unconscious writing techniques (freewriting, Write or Die App) Conscious writing techniques (Journalists prompts, lists, mind maps)
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14
Keep a style guide
You will make stylistic choices List them Prior to handing in a draft / final thesis check through your list Add your supervisor’s suggestions to the list
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15
Read your work out loud
Read to yourself Better: Read to an inanimate object Better still: Read to another person Best: have your work read to you
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16
Be kind to your reader
Consider font, size, justification, white space Headings and subheadings are important
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17
Tame Word, Endnote & Outlook (or whatever software you are using)
Custom settings
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Manage multiple drafts
Develop your own form of version control Don’t delete anything Have multiple backups in remote locations
18
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19
Be repetitive but avoid repetition
Ground your reader by ensuring your terminology is consistent Do not repeat concepts or large tracts of text – summarise
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20
Enjoy being a writer (it is part of being a researcher)
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See StudySmarter workshops / online resourceshttp://www.student.uwa.edu.au/learning/studysmarter