Academic Writing Skills. Tonight s Collaborate Session will begin at 7pm AEST.

Transcription

1 Academic Writing Skills Tonight s Collaborate Session will begin at 7pm AEST. While you re waiting please make sure your audio is working run the audio setup wizard located under the tools setting

2 What We Will Cover Tonight Academic writing process Brainstorming and planning Developing your argument Structure Introduction, Body, Conclusion Academic language Critical/analytical, formal and objective Magic words and flow Common problems and solutions

3 What is Academic Writing? Academic writing refers to a formalised writing process that explains a researchers field / discipline or point of view. You will have different types of assessment tasks: Essays, reports, blogs, reflective essays, lesson plans, presentations, annotated bibliographies, etc. These have different styles and formats but all use academic writing skills. Academic writing requires wide and critical reading and the development of a reasoned and coherent argument/position based on your analysis of different theories, research and evidence.

4 Academic Writing Process Analyse Question Criteria & Rubric Research & Reference as you go Draft Structure & Outline Brainstorm Key Ideas Proofread, review criteria, final draft Submit Originality Report

5 Brainstorming Jot down key ideas, concepts and theories based on your research Identify any connections, similarities or differences Identify main points and use these to plan your argument/position Plan what to cover in each paragraph of your essay Be selective: only include important, relevant and credible information

6 Questions to Ask While Brainstorming What? Why? How? So What? What is the topic/issue? Why is this relevant? What is the cause or reason? Explanation and examples from research. Alternative perspectives. Why is it important? What are the implications? What is the outcome? What is my argument or position?

7 Developing Your Position / Argument Your argument is your position or your academic point of view on the topic. It s a combination of reason, analysis and evidence. It should: Be coherent: have a logical structure where your argument develops throughout your essay to reach a logical conclusion Explain your reasoning: background to topic, key concepts/theories, analysis of evidence and conclusions reached Use evidence/research to explain, support and develop your point of view or refute the point of view of others: include examples, research results, arguments from academic literature and key theorists. Use reason: make logical connections and explain your analysis or reasoning so that your argument is easily understood

8 Structure and Outline Use your brainstorming notes to start planning your essay structure or outline What will you include in your introduction and conclusion? Select 3-4 main points to include in the body of your essay? Each main point will be a separate section of your essay Make a dot point list of what you will include in each section. Identify gaps in your knowledge where you need to do further research Check your word count, how many words will you include in each section? Check your essay outline against the assessment criteria/rubric, have you covered everything you need to?

9 Essay Structure Introduction BACKGROUND ARGUMENT/POSITION Approx. 10% Body Conclusion MAIN POINT 1 Paragraph 1 Paragraph 2 MAIN POINT 2 Paragraph 1 Paragraph 2 MAIN POINT 3 SUMMARY OF MAIN POINTS FINAL COMMENT Note: The body is the longest part of your essay. It can have as many paragraphs as necessary to support your answer (within the word limit). Approx. 80% Approx. 10%

10 Essay Writing Guide

11 Start Writing! Brainstorm Use your essay outline and brainstorming notes as your guide Research/ Reference Reference as you go Proof Read Give yourself enough time to proof read and edit your draft

12 Introduction Checklist General statement to introduce topic Background information on the topic from the research Why the topic is important Your argument or position on the topic Summary of main points you will cover in essay

13 Body Checklist Each paragraph focusses on ONE main point or ONE aspect of a main point Each paragraph builds and develops your argument with supporting research, examples and evidence Critical analysis of supporting research and evidence Logical progression of argument

14 Paragraph Structure Topic sentence Main point or argument. Background and introduction to point. Explanation, evidence & analysis Supporting Sentences: Explain and develop argument Evidence: Supporting research and examples. Paraphrase from literature with citations. Analysis: Analyse and interpret evidence. What is the significance, implication, impact? Concluding sentence Restate main point and conclusions reached Transition to main point of next paragraph

15 Conclusion Restate your argument / position Re-summarise the main points of your argument and any conclusions reached Final broad concluding statement

16 Academic Writing Critical / Analytical Formal Objective By reading academic literature you will become familiar with the writing style and terminology used in your discipline. The more you read academic literature (journal articles, books, reports, etc.) the better you will get at academic writing.

17 Critical / Analytical Critically analyse a topic, don t just describe it Identify and evaluate the impact, significance, implications, importance and/or strengths and weaknesses of the evidence Clearly state your argument, which should be supported by research and examples Analyse the research. What are the strengths and limitations of different positions? Compare different theories and supporting research. What are the similarities and differences? What is the relevance of the theories? Draw a conclusion based on evidence and reasoned judgement

18 Formal Formal language Clear and concise sentences Be sure to avoid: Slang / colloquial language (kids, Aussies, guys, wanna, gonna) Contractions (can t, doesn t, hadn t, shouldn t) SMS language (gr8, lol, whatever other abbreviations the kids are using these days :-/) Idioms (jump on the bandwagon, throw in the towel) Exclamation marks! Rhetorical questions (is this the kind of person who should be running a country in this century?)

19 Objective Avoid using I/we (except in reflective writing) Avoid referring to yourself as the agent The study was undertaken NOT I undertook the study ; This report examines NOT In this essay I will examine Avoid emotive expressions There are limitations to Smith s (1994) analysis NOT Smith s (1994) analysis is ludicrous Express opinions objectively It has been argued NOT In my opinion ; Some writers claim NOT I believe that ; It is clear that NOT In my view

20 Magic Words Present main points sequentially or logically Add emphasis to main points Give examples from your research to support or challenge main points (with references) Present cause and effect Introduce a similar point Introduce an opposite point Conclude

21 Magic Words: Present Ideas Sequentially and Logically First, second, third (etc) Next..., Finally, Previously, followed by Initially, followed by Concurrently While Meanwhile Subsequently

22 Magic Words: Add Emphasis to Main Points Crucially... Particularly Especially Indeed Interestingly... More importantly Again It should be noted In fact

23 Give Example (References) Present cause and Effect For example For instance In this case Specifically Such as In the case of To illustrate Provided that As a result Consequently Therefore For this reason Hence Accordingly Thus Ultimately Due to

24 Introduce a Similar Point Introduce an Opposing Point Similarly Equally Likewise Also Moreover Additionally Furthermore Besides As well as However In contrast On the contrary On the other hand Although Alternatively Although Even though Instead

25 Conclude Overall Therefore In conclusion On the whole In other words To summarise Finally

26 Review, Proofread, Re-draft, Edit Before you submit: Re-read the assignment criteria and rubric, have you adequately addressed each key criteria? Read your assignment out loud to make sure it makes sense Proofread your assignment for spelling, grammar and punctuation Allow time to submit your draft via the Draft Submission link to check for similarity via TurnItIn to ensure academic integrity Take a break and return to your assignment with fresh eyes before you rewrite your final draft Send your final draft to Smarthinking for feedback Re-read and edit your final draft before submitting

27 When Submitting Your Draft to Smarthinking Make sure: Explain the type of the assessment Specify the referencing style Clarified the specific requirements of the assessment Please Note: Smarthinking cannot give feedback on content, only academic writing Undergraduate Education students should use YourTutor 24/7 draft submission service as they do not have access to Smarthinking

28 Common Issues and Solutions Common Issues Solutions Too much description, not enough analysis Critical analysis: evaluate and compare ideas Language too informal Poor structure Use academic language: critical, formal, objective Brainstorm and plan your essay structure. Link ideas and sentences Too many quotes, poor paraphrasing Put things in your own words, use few direct quotes Insufficient or inadequate sources Read widely and critically. Go beyond learning materials, do your own research Incorrect referencing Plagiarism Check your referencing style using the referencing tool Reference as you go. Acknowledge all your sources

29 I need help with my assessment! Yourtutor Live Chat: accessible via your unit, live chat support service for English language and literacy, basic maths or science concepts, academic writing and referencing, assessment review. Subject specific support for statistics, accounting, economics or marketing Yourtutor Draft Review: accessible via undergraduate education units only, get written feedback on a draft assessment Smarthinking draft review: accessible via your unit, get written feedback on a draft assessment Your unit: Review your learning materials, activities and discussion threads elearning Advisor: your ela if you have a question about course specific content, like an assessment or weekly activity Student Advisors: call, or chat with the Student Advisors for help with general research, referencing or academic skills, study or exam preparation techniques, or technical help with online tools for your assessments

30 Study Resources Useful resources on how to complete your assessment task, sample essays and technical tips can be found in the Student Resources

31 Study Resources Useful resources on how to complete your assessment task, sample essays and technical tips can be found in the Student Resources

32 Questions?

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34 Your Support Team Your Support Team Student Advisors are available to answer your questions at the following times: Monday Friday 8am 9pm Saturday Sunday 10am 6pm Australia: Overseas (Australian citizens): Overseas (International student): Student Coaches are available for coaching calls at the following times: Monday Thursday 8am 7.30pm Friday 9am 3pm Saturday 10.30am 4.30pm Book an appointment via Contact Us in the Student Portal help@swinburneonline.com Web form: Live Chat: via the Support page in the Student Portal

35 We re interested in your feedback! We re interested in your feedback! Please take a few minutes to complete our survey on this collaborate session Y7Z