DR. KING’S PET PEEVES OF SCHOLARLY WRITING Spring, 2014 Edition

Some things to think about in scholarly writing:  Scholarly writing is different than day-to-day conversation.  It is clear, concise, and to-the-point, rather than being flowery.  It flows well when read aloud.  It gives credit for others’ ideas.  Each paragraph has a main idea.  It uses APA formatting (or any other scholarly formatting that your institution uses).

Tips for becoming a better writer  Take something you wrote and read it exactly as you wrote it, pausing when there are commas (and not pausing when there are not commas), and paying extra attention to every single word.  As you are reading aloud, ask yourself if what you are reading makes sense. If not, correct it!  Use the Writing Center at your college or university to help.  Swap your assignment with someone else in your class and proofread each other’s work. Be honest and forthright with your colleagues.

Here is a list of Dr. King’s pet peeves when writing scholarly papers and articles. It is not an exhaustive list, but here are some of the major culprits.

Word Usage  THERE should always be a time when THEY’RE using THEIR best writing. THERE is a place, or it is used to indicate the fact or existence of something, THEY’RE is a contraction of two words, and THEIR is a possessive pronoun.  Unless in an extreme circumstance, YOU should never use the words “you” or “your” in YOUR scholarly writing. According to Headley (2014), “YOUR grammar ruins YOUR grade because YOU’RE a moron.” In other words, other people are much smarter than you. Cite them.

Word Usage  TWO writers should try TO work together TO critique each other’s papers, TOO. TWO is a number, TO is a preposition, and TOO means also.  DON’T use contractions in scholarly writing (and you shouldn’t generally use parentheses either).  I will affect the effect of this Power Point. Affect (in addition to referring to feelings) is a verb (to affect), while effect is a noun (the effect).

Word Usage  If you are tired of writing and need to take a nap, LAY down the paper before you LIE down.  Avoid clichés like the plague!  Possessives. The cars’ keys (plural) will be stored in the garage with the cars, but my car’s keys (singular) will likely get lost.  Subject-verb agreement: Power Points like this one helps us learn more stuff.

Word Usage  Colloquialisms are really cool, but using them in scholarly writing is definitely not.  “The study saw that…” What? A study can’t see anything. It doesn’t have eyes. Do not bring life to non-living things.  Always take care to do a simple edit of what you write. For example, writing the word "sent" when you mean "send" - a simple error not picked up on spell check that could have been corrected with simple editing.

Sentence Structure  A sentence should generally not use the same word twice for the sentence, even if the sentence is a long sentence.  And you should never start a sentence with AND. But if you have to start one with BUT, well, you should generally not do that either.  If you know what I mean, generally speaking, take out any unnecessary “fluffy” phrases or words in a rather long sentence, especially if the words do not add any more significant meaning. (Take out any unnecessary phrases or words in a long sentence.)

Sentence Structure  A preposition is a terrible thing to end a sentence with.  Try to always avoid split infinitives.  A general rule: three sentences per paragraph minimum.

Punctuation  A real-life example of the lack of commas:  When looking at private practice we can estimate there will be long hours spent at the office especially as the client base is growing.  (Note the change in punctuation.)  When looking at private practice, we can estimate there will be long hours spent at the office, especially as the client base is growing.

APA Formatting Tips  Your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5” X 11") with 1" margins on all sides. You should use a clear font that is highly readable. APA recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font.  In APA formatting, please spell out any words from 1 to 10, and then use numbers for anything eleven and higher. (Correct: Please spell out any words from one to ten, and then use numbers for anything 11 and higher).

Citations in APA Formatting  King (2014) gives far better grades for people citing their sources accurately.  Students who do well in citing their sources get better grades (King, 2014).  King (2014) says, “Students who cite their sources accurately get far better grades” (p. 54).  “Students who cite their sources accurately get far better grades” (King, 2014, p. 54).

Summary  My goal as your professor is to not only help you learn the material in this course, but also to help you better express yourself professionally. People judge us by the words we use and the way we write. Improving our writing is something that we can always work on.  You are free to use and share this PPT in any way that can be helpful in any educational setting. If you have any ideas you think would be helpful to add, please that idea to me at we8kingsgmail.com. Thanks!