Presented by: Michael Frizell, Director The Writing Center WRITING AN ACADEMIC PAPER

What?! The procedure is actually quite simple. First, you must separate the items into piles accordingly. Then, set temperatures according to the facilities at hand. Use as directed.

Try Again To do it, you should position your front foot with your toe slid back toward the heel-edge. Your rear foot should be positioned with your toe on the opposite corner, namely the toe-edge of the tail. At a moderate to slow speed, pop an ollie, but as you kick your front foot for the "flip," swing your back foot underneath and behind you 360-shove-it-style. This will rotate it around as it spins. The whole thing should take about the same amount of time a kickflip does, so you won't have to hang too long. When the nose comes back around and the griptape side shows upward, stick your feet back on and land it. Source: Ryan’s Skateboard

Q: What is an Academic Paper? A: WRITING FOR COLLEGE: Academic Writing is Required It’s Different from Writing in High School You Can’t Rely on Old Strategies (A 5-paragraph essay can SOMETIMES be effective)

Academic Writing… is writing done by scholars for other scholars. is devoted to topics and questions that are of interest to the academic community. should present the reader with an informed argument.

Constructing an Informed Argument What do I know about my topic? Can I answer the questions who, what, when, where, why, how? What do I know about the context of my topic? What historical or cultural influences do I know about that might be important to my topic? Does my topic belong to any particular genre or category of topics? What do I know about this genre?

What’s Important About this Topic? If you were to summarize what you know about the topic, what points would you focus on? What points seem less important? Why do you think so? PREWRITE!

How Does this Topic Relate to Other Things I Know? What do you know about the topic that might help your readers to understand it in new ways? What DON'T you know about your topic? What do you need to know? How can you find out more?

Decide What You Think is IMPORTANT! Summarize…in your own words. Evaluate…make a judgement call. Analyze…how does it all fit together? Synthesize…look for connections. THEN…

Consider Your Position Take a stand on a topic. Why did you find some elements of the text more important than others? Does this prioritizing reflect some bias or preconception on your part? If you dismissed part of a text as boring or unimportant, why did you do so? Do you have personal issues or experiences that lead you to be impatient with certain claims? Is there any part of your response to the text that might cause your reader to discount your paper as biased or un-critical?

CONSIDERING STRUCTURE: Introductions Thesis Sentence The Other Side(s) Supporting Paragraphs Conclusions

A Good Thesis Sentence… will make a claim. will control the entire argument. will provide a structure for your argument.

Using Appropriate Tone and Style Keep the personal in check. Rely on evidence over feeling. Watch your personal pronouns. Watch your gendered pronouns. Avoid mechanical errors.