How does an academic discipline affect writing choices?

FOUNDATIONS OF ACADEMIC WRITING

How does an academic discipline affect writing choices?

Academic Writing Conventions

General Overview

DO

DON’T

· Pay attention to format:

DO

· 8 ½ by 11 inch paper size (Letter, not A4)

· The entire essay should be double-spaced (including references)

· 12 pt. Times New Roman Font

· One-inch margins

· Title page (usually)

· Page numbering (according to formatting/documentation style)

· Indent the first line of paragraphs

· Forget to read your syllabus/assignment sheet for the professor’s instructions

· Misspell your professor’s name

· Change the font type/size/colour

· “Justify” the margins (the words should not appear as a straight line down the right hand side)

· Turn in an essay that does not meet the minimum standard for the writing. If the assignment is a 3 page essay, this means 3 full pages of writing! (Not 2 ½ or 2 ¾, and not including the title/references page)

· Hand in a paper without a staple, in a folder or with writing on it or dirty pages.

· Document ALL your sources:

DO

· Use the style your professor asks for (i.e. MLA, APA, Chicago)

· Document all ideas, theories, stories, examples, facts that you read and borrow using correct citation

· Cite all summary, paraphrase and quotation

· Use quotation marks to identify copied words, phrases, sentences

· Include a page of references in correct style, and in alphabetical order

DON’T

· Borrow ideas, theories, stories, examples, facts, structures without giving a citation and reference that is correctly cross-referenced (the first word of the citation should match the first word of the reference entry)

· Copy and paste from websites

· Copy words, phrases, or sentences without using “quotation marks”

· Forget a page of references

· Include references of sources you did not cite in the essay

· Content/Grammar/Tone:

DO

· Use a meaningful title

· Use formal grammar, including complete sentences

· Introduce ALL evidence with context (source information, credentials of the authors)

· Use spell-check to make sure you don’t have careless errors

· Include as much of your own ideas/interpretation

· Use third person plural and simple present tense (usually)

· Use dictionary/thesaurus/corpus to select as much academic vocabulary as possible.

DON’T

· Use meaningless titles such as “Essay #1”, etc.

· Use informal grammar, idioms, or childish vocabulary (good/bad, important, happy/sad/angry, gonna)

· Submit an essay with spelling errors

· Use “you/we/our/us” in any academic work

· Overuse the word “people” in an essay (the rule to follow is one usage per 3 pages of writing)

· Write a paragraph that exceeds one page in length

· Use passive voice (“It was given to them by…”)

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What is formatting in Academic Writing?

What is it?

Formatting refers to the way that your writing appears, as well as the way in which you indicate and give credit to the research in your writing (called citation/referencing). Because your instructors are typically busy individuals, they prefer to have all essays sent to them with the same appearance and reference/citation system. This allows them to read your essays quickly and efficiently.

How is it used?

There are a number of different styles of formatting used at the university. Three common styles used at the university are MLA (used in English Literature at TWU), Chicago (used in Political Science), and APA (used in the social sciences such as psychology and sociology). The instructor of your course typically tells you which formatting style they want you to use when you write your essays. In the leadership program, you will use APA style for all of your papers.

Why does it matter?

At the university, you often don’t get much opportunity to get to know your instructor, who is going to give you your grade. When you turn in your writing for grades, this is one of the best ways the instructor gets to know you, because they will take the time to read your ideas. If your formatting is not correct, the instructor might form a negative impression about you (that you are lazy or don’t pay attention to details) before they have even read your ideas—this could negatively affect your grade. Think about when you have to give a presentation in front of others. Do you pay more attention to your appearance that day? The same idea applies to writing. Formatting is the “appearance” of your writing, and you want to make sure you get it correct so that you can maximize your grade and leave your instructor with a positive impression about you.

Why else does it matter?

The style you use for writing essays at the university is also a system for documenting the research and evidence you are using in the writing. It allows you to show your instructor when you are borrowing ideas, and how you are using research to support your own opinions and ideas. It shows your reader where they can access the research you used should they want to study the subject more deeply on their own, and also allows them to form their own opinion about the quality of the evidence you are using to support your ideas. This becomes increasingly significant at higher levels of education.

The Importance of Careful Documentation

Importance of documentation – integrity is a significant aspect of academic culture in North American universities. Integrity is maintained in academic writing most clearly through accurate citation/referencing.

1. What is plagiarism/academic dishonesty?

Plagiarism is knowingly copying the ideas/writing of others without using proper quotation or citation/referencing. Plagiarism is considered cheating at the university and has significant penalties. Plagiarism includes the following:

· Copying ideas from other sources (such as books or the internet) without using proper citation/reference.

· Copying the exact language from another source without using “quotation marks” and/or citation/reference.

· Having someone else write an essay, a portion of essay, or even a sentence in an essay without the permission of the professor (a tutor may suggest alternative words for you and correct grammar, but should not write sentences for you).

· Copying the ideas or writing from a previous student’s essay for the same assignment.

· Lending essays to your friends for courses they are taking that you have finished.

· Using the same essay for two different courses without the professor’s permission (Yes, you can even plagiarize yourself!)