Advice on Academic writing

1. Instituto Superior de Fomación Docente N°41
Language and Written Expression IV
Teacher: Stella Saubidet Ohyamburu
Student: Luz Fernández
Date: May 2020

2. Index
Using Resources…………………………..16
Specific types of writing………...17
The Abstract…………………………………….18
The Comparative Essay………………….19
Revising…………………………………………..20
Punctuation………………………………………….21
Some tools………………………………………...22
English Language……………………………23
Articles…………………………………………………24
Bibliography…………………………………………25
Some General Advice on Academic
Essay- Writing…………………….………..3
Planning and Organizing………….....4
Theories…………………………………..........5
Introduction and Conclusion………...…6
Paragraph………………………………..........7
Topic Sentence………………………….......8
Reading and researching……………..9
Critical reading towards critical
writing…………………………………………………..10
Dealing with new words…………………..11
Previewing…………………………………….……..12
Skimming……………………….………………..….13
Scanning………………………...………..……….14
Summarizing………………………………….....15

3. Some General Advice on Academic Essay-Writing
● An essay should have an argument.
● It should answer a question or a few related questions.
● It should try to prove something.
● It should have to develop a single“thesis” or a short set of closely
related points or hypothesis.

4. Planning and Organizing
Organizing an Essay
● It should be designed to present your arguments clearly and persuasively (how to
begins, develops and ends).
Before writing you should:
● Do some Reading.
● Make a list to display your powers of reasoning (ask to yourself questions about the
specific topic, compare, evaluate, argue, etc).
● Make an outline (a sentence outline by writing full sentences and a topic outline by
writing fragments rather than full sentences).
● Take the neccessary time to plan to produce logical and orderly argument.

5. Thesis
When you are asked to write an essay that creates an argument, your reader will
probably expect a clear statement of your position. Typically, this summary statement
comes in the first paragraph of the essay, though there is no rigid rule about position.
To write a good essay you should take into account;
Good thesis statements
● It makes a definite and limited
assertion that needs to be explained.
and supported by further discussion.
● It shows the emphasis and indicates
the methodology of your argument.
● It shows awareness of difficulties and
disagreements.
Some Myths about Thesis Statements
● Every paper requires one.
● A thesis statement must come at the
end of the first paragraph.
● A thesis statement must be one
sentence in length, no matter how
many clauses it contains.
● You cannot start writing an essay
until you have a perfect thesis
statement.

6. Introduction and Conclusion
A good introduction should identify your topic, provide essential context, and indicate
your particular focus in the essay. It also needs to engage your readers’ interest.
A strong conclusion will provide a sense of closure to the essay while again placing your
concepts in a somewhat wider context.
To write an effective introduction you should:
● Give some background information necessary for understanding the essay.
● Use a brief narrative or anecdote that exemplifies your reason for choosing the
topic.
To write a conclusion you should take into account that the conclusion:
● Involves critical thinking.
● Reflects upon the significance of what you’ve written.
● Tries to convey some closing thoughts about the larger implications of your
argument.

7. Paragraph
A paragraph is a sentence or a group of sentences that supports one central unified
idea. Paragraphs add one idea at a time to your broader argument.(They are usually
between one third and two third of a page).
Paragraphs are made up by:
● the topic sentence (it usually appears at the very beginning of paragraphs) (Not all
the paragraphs need a topic sentence).
● The body paragraph (develops your topic sentence through an ordered, logical
progression of ideas).
To make your ideas flow in a paragraph you should think about techniques:
● show connections.
● deliberate repetitions.
● use of pronouns.
● use of linking words.

8. Topic Sentence
A topic sentence states the main point of a paragraph: it serves as a mini-thesis for
the paragraph.
A topic sentence helps you to:
● Protect your readers from confusion by guiding them through the argument.
● Improve your essay by making it easier for you to recognize gaps or weaknesses in
your argument.
Note:
❏ It usually appears at the very beginning of paragraphs.
❏ Not all paragraphs need a topic sentence, sometimes the evidence in your
paragraph makes your point so effectively that your topic sentence can remain
implicit. But if you are in doubt, it is best to use one.

9. Reading and researching
Taking notes
If you take notes efficiently, you can read with more understanding and also save time
and frustration when you come to write your paper. These are three main principles:
● Know what kind of ideas you need to record.
● Do not write down too much.
● Label your notes intelligently.

10. Critical Reading
towards Critical Writing
● To read critically is to make judgements about how a text is argued (don’t read
looking only or primarily for information).
● do read looking for ways of thinking about the subject matter.
To make critical writing
● First determine the central claims or purpose of the text (its thesis).
● Begin to make some judgements about context . What audience is the text written
for? Who is it in dialogue with?
● Distinguish the kinds of reasoning the text employs.
● Examine the evidence.
● Critical reading may involve evaluation. Your reading of a text is already critical if
it accounts for and makes a series of judgments about how a text is argued.

11. Dealing with new words
A System for Reinforcing New Vocabulary Words
● Say the word out loud according to the dictionary pronunciation guide.
● Write down the word and mark it up to show its inner structure (root word +
prefixes or suffixes). Keep saying it over aloud (or at least in your head).
● On the other side of the card, write down a brief definition. Then copy out the
sentence where you saw the word used—and say it aloud as you write. You will
probably find sentences from other readings to add later.
● Read over the card periodically. Eventually try writing a sentence of your own using
the Word
● spend as long as you read with an active interest in the words that you find there.
As your “passive” vocabulary from reading increases.

12. Previewing
When reading for academic purposes, it is preferable to read with certain goals in mind.
This will enable you to place your focus on the proper elements of the reading and to
avoid wasting time on elements which are not important for your purposes.
1. Read the title
2. Think about the subject matter
3. Ask to yourself:
● Who wrote this text? What information do you have about this author?
● Where was this text originally published? What type of publication is this?
Who would be the audience for this kind of writing?
● When was this text originally published? What is the significance of this time
period in this field of study?
1. Read the chapter titles or the headings that break up
the chapter or article.

13. Skimming
By first skimming a text, you can get a sense of its overall logical progression. Skimming
can also help you make decisions about where to place your greatest focus when you have
limited time for your reading.
Previewing techniques.
1. Read carefully the introductory paragraph and try to predict the direction of the
coming explanations or arguments.
2. Read carefully the first one or two sentences of each paragraph, as well as the
concluding sentence or sentences.
3. In between these opening and closing sentences, keep your eyes moving and try to
avoid looking up unfamiliar words or terminology.
4. Read carefully the concluding paragraph or paragraphs. (What does the author’s
overall purpose seem to be?).
5. Finally, return to the beginning and read through the text carefully,

14. Scanning
Scanning is basically skimming with a more tightly focused purpose: skimming to locate a
particular fact or figure, or to see whether this text mentions a subject you’re
researching.
Scanning is essential in the writing of research papers, when you may need to look
through many articles and books in order to:
● Find the material you need.
● Keep a specific set of goals in mind as you scan the text, and avoid becoming
distracted by other material.

15. Summarizing
A summary has two aims: (1) to reproduce the overarching ideas in a text, identifying
the general concepts that run through the entire piece, and (2) to express these
overarching ideas using precise, specific language:
1. Include the title and identify the author in your first sentence.
2. The first sentence or two of your summary should contain the author’s thesis.
3. When summarizing a longer article, try to see how the various stages in the
explanation or argument are built up in groups of related paragraphs. Divide the
article into sections if it isn’t done in the published form. Then, write a sentence
or two to cover the key ideas in each section.
4. Omit ideas that are not really central to the text (Avoid writing opinions).
5. Be careful not to plagiarize the author’s words. If you do use even a few of the
author’s words, they must appear in quotation marks.

16. Using sources
How not to plagiarize?
Always write down the author, title and publication information (including the specific
identifying information for online publications) so you can attach names and dates to
specific ideas.
Resources:
● Using Quotations.
● Paraphrase (in you own words).
● Providing references.
● Summarize.
● Absorb the meaning and then to capture in your own words the most important
elements from the original passage.

17. Specific types of writing
There are many types of writing. For example:
● The Abstract.
● The Comparative Essay.
● Writing an annotated Bibliography.
● Writing about History.
● Writing about Literature.
● Writing about Science.
● Writing about Philosophy.
All of them have different characteristics. Some are more focused on searching
information and others on specific terms. e.g:

18. The Abstract
Abstracts are important because they give a first impression of the document that
follows, letting readers decide whether to continue reading and showing them what to
look for if they do so. Typically, an informative abstract answers these questions in
about 100-250 words:
● Why did you do this study or project?
● What did you do, and how?
● What did you find?
● What do your findings mean?
● What are the advantages (of the method or apparatus)?
● How well does it work?
Note:
If possible avoid trade names, acronyms, abbreviations, or symbols.

19. The Comparative Essay
A comparative essay asks that you compare at least two (possibly more) items. These
items will differ depending on the assignment you might be asked. To compare:
● Develop a list of similarities and differences. Once you know your basis for
comparison, think critically about the similarities and differences between the
items you are comparing, and compile a list of them.
● Develop a thesis based on the relative weight of similarities and differences.
Come up with a structure for your essay:
Alternating method: Point-by-point pattern. In the alternating method, you find
related points common to your central subjects A and B, and alternate between A
and B on the basis of these points
Block method: Subject-by-subject pattern. In the block method (AB), you discuss
all of A, then all of B.Your ideas about B build upon or extend your ideas about A.

20. Revising
Revising and Editing
Revising gives you the chance to preview your work on behalf of the eventual reader.
Revision is much more than proofreading, though in the final editing stage it involves
some checking of details.
● First check whether you have fulfilled the intention of the assignment.(think about
the assignment, the genre of the document, the concepts, the methods of
reasoning discussed in the course and the evidence).
● Then look at overall organization. (introduction, sections, connections, conclusion)
● Edit your style by moving to smaller matters such as word choice, sentence
structure, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
● Read passages aloud to see if you have achieved the emphasis you want, be sure to
use spell check.

21. Punctuation
Punctuation provides you considerable control over meaning and tone. Some of the main
sources of punctuation are: commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, and parentheses.
● Commas (After many introductory phrases, when the phrase is longer, when joining
two independent clauses, etc).
● Semicolons to combine two closely related independent clauses into one sentence.
● Colons offer a way of urging your reader forward.
● Dashes serve some of the same functions as commas and colons, but they assert
themselves more forcefully.
● Parentheses offer a third way of introducing interrupting material.

22. Some Tools
Some Tools and Rules to Improve Your Spelling
● Use a (good) dictionary.
● Be consistent about using British or American spellings in your writing.
● Always check certain “troublesome” suffixes in your dictionary.
● Create your own “difficult-to-spell” lists.
● Learn the standard pronunciations for frequently misspelled words.
● Watch out for homophones, near-homophones, and other easily confusable words.
● Become familiar with English spelling rules.
❏ Plurals (Regular/Irregular).
❏ Possessives and Possessive Pronouns
❏ Some basic grammar

23. English language
It is important to use the language in a creative way in order to make better writings.
We should to take into account:
● Expressions of Quantity: (e.g., all, few, many, much, some
● Expressions of time, money and distance usually take a singular verb
● Expressions using the phrase number of depend on the meaning of the phrase
● Gerunds and Infinitives
● Articles

24. Articles
Articles are special modifiers that appear before nouns or noun phrases. Like other
adjectives, they help clarify the meaning of the noun in your sentence.
There are only two articles in the English language: the (uncountable )and a (and its
variant an, used before a word that starts with a vowel sound) (countable).
Where exactly do articles go?
Articles (definite and indefinite) belong in front of all other modifiers preceding a noun
Special Uses of Articles
● Media and communications.
● Means of transportation.
● Forms of entertainment.
● Place/object of activity nouns.
● Directions.
● Periods of time.

25. Bibliography
.University of Toronto, “Advice on Academic Writing” (n.d) Last
Visited May 25th. Available at: https://writing.utoronto.ca/