academic writing.doc

1. Write out contractions. (Contractions are a part of our everyday speech and are appropriate in informal conversations or writing; however, they should never be used in academic writing.)Is not-isnt; are not-arent; could not-couldnt; would not-wouldnt; has not-hasnt; have not-havent; had not-hadnt; do not-dontIf in doubt; write it outException: the one exception to this rule is when contractions are used in a quoteEx: Michael Jordan said: “I cant accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I cant accept not trying.”2. Write the authors full name the first time. After that write his or her last name only.Example: John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck also wrote3. Spell out numbers from one to ten. Does not refer to citation.Ex: Mary went to the store and bought five apples. Billy was proud he could count to 67.4. Do not use quotations in the topic or conclusion sentence of your body paragraphs.Your topic sentence should introduce the subject of your paragraph. Quotes should be used in your concrete details only.Quotes are only evidence for your topic they are not in themselves a topic.Even part of quotes wording should not be used in your topic sentence.EX (wrong): Hesiod said: “do not lead a flattering woman coax and wheedle you and deceive you; she is after your barn.” Flattery is deceptive and will “coax and wheedle” a person out of their property.EX (right): flattery is deceptive and always used toward immoral intentions.5. Avoid using you, we, and IThings not to write: you can see; I believe; we all feel; you will soon discoverMost often “I”, “me”, or “you” can be either deleted or changed and the essence of the sentence will remain intact.Ex: we all feel sympathy for the narrator - people feel; the readers feel6. Write in present tensePresent tense expresses an unchanging, repeated, or reoccurring action or situation that exists only now. It can also represent a widespread truth.7. Underline the titles of books, periodicals, long poems and plays. Set in quotation marks titles of chapters, essays, articles, short poems, and title of web pages. Ex: TIME, Hamlet, “dover beach”, “Obama wins Election”8. Attribute all quotations to the speaker or the narrator.If someone wrote or said it; you must give credit to the author or speaker by putting their words in quotation marks. (“”)Then you must either write before the quote or in the citation after the quote who wrote or said the quote.“It will always be assumed that the words or ideas are your own if you do not say otherwise. When the words or ideas you are using are taken from another writer, you must make this clear. If you do not do this and use another persons words or ideas as if they were your own, this is Plagiarism and plagiarism is regarded as a very serious offence” (UEfAP)Reasons for using quotations: quote if you use another persons words; quote if the language used in the quotation says what you want to say particularly well.Reasons for not using quotations: do not quote if the information is well-known; do not quote if you cannot understand the meaning of the original source; do not use quotations to make your points for you but use them to support your points.Correct format: Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “.” “.” (Emerson) “.” (Author Pg.)9. Use precise diction and avoid inflated language. Think clear and concise.For instance; dont be redundant; dont use more words than necessary; its highly superfluousEX: discard recyclables in the trash receptacle-recycle hereNegative patient care outcome-the patient diedMental activity at the margins-insanityReutilization marketing yard-junkyardRedundant phrase: free gift; visible to the eye; old antiques; novel innovations; unique innovations; huge skyscraper10. Do not use shorthand and abbreviationsDont use: &; etc.; w/; U; b/w11. Parenthetical remarks are unnecessaryIf it is important enough to be in your paper, then write it in your paper and do not write it in parentheses. If it is not important to your paper then do not write in parentheses or in your paper.Ex: Valentines Day is a special holiday for everyone. (Except those that are incapable of love)12. Do not use analogies or metaphors in your writing.Ex: not to write: Darry is as strong as a lion.Not to write: the author uses their colloquia speech as smoothly as butter spread on the toast.13. Avoid slang or colloquial speechSlang refers to informal words used by a specific social group, for instance teenagers, soldiers, prisoners and thieves.Colloquial (speech) is informal, relaxed speech used on occasion by any speaker. Ex: “Your average Joe” “back in the olden days” “nowadays” “a bunch of” “a ton of” “props” “air head” “cool” “awesome”14. Do not use clichsDefinition of a clich: an overused, familiar, expression or idea.Ex: money is the root of all evil; time is money; love is blind; a taste of his own medicine; dont push your luck; free as a bird; caught between a rock and a hard place; they are as old as the hills; live and learn; stay in the course; what goes around comes around.“Some clichs were quite apt when first used but have become hackneyed over the years.one can hardly avoid using the occasional clich, but clichs that are inefficient in conveying their meaning or are inappropriate t