1. Good academic practice and essay writing skills. Sharon Witt October 2009

2. Aims of the session To develop independence and responsibility for your own learning; To be able to identify students’ own approach to essay writing;

4. The Happy Writer !

5. Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say. ~Sharon O'Brien

6. What is an assignment? It is a piece of work which is produced to a set of conventions and assessed according to marking criteria. See module handbook

7. Writing an essay Appetizing Introduction

8. The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium. ~Norbet Platt

9. Anxious about Writing? How do you feel about embarking on your first assignment? What do you think will be the issues with starting to write?

10. Activity: Planning and making decisions Think about an activity you completed recently that required you to plan and make a decision. E.g. a holiday?, organising a party ? choosing this course Write down exactly what you did from start to finish.

11. Stages in decision making ! 1.Deciding in general what to do 2.Collecting relevant information 3.Planning the order to do things 4.Carry out the plan 5.Checking you were going about the task in the right way 6.Reflecting on how you would do it better next time Plan- Do review

12. Introduction State what the essay aims to do or seeks to prove Provide a context for your assignment Define terms if appropriate Signpost for the reader what you aim to discuss ( can be written at the end)

13. Main Body of assignment Divide up the main body of your assignment into sections – use planning to help you You may find it useful to use sub- headings – these can be taken out before you hand the assignment in. Each sub heading should represent a paragraph of your essay.

14. A simple paragraph structure Topic sentence –Introduce paragraph subject with a link to previous paragraph Supporting evidence Example plus reference to an author/ idea Discussion – what does this example show ? Implications connect with essay topic Link to next paragraph

15. Conclusion Refers back to the introduction Sums up the main points of the argument If appropriate suggests future elements NEVER add anything new in the conclusion You should know what is going to be in your conclusion before you start writing the assignment.

16. Approaching a writing task On sheet you have a list of the steps you would take to begin a writing task Can you rearrange the steps in the order you would be likely to carry them out ?

17. Procedure for writing assignments

18. Clarify the task Look at the title and module handbook carefully Do you understand the title and marking criteria ? Underline any key words that you may need to consider Make notes – what do I know already? What do I need to find out?

19. Collect and record information Be focused and selective in the information you collect Check the word limit You can use factual information, ideas and theories, opinions and experience a range of sources : books, articles, official reports, surveys, newspapers, television ( teacher TV!) Do I need this information? How will I use this information ?

20. Reading and Researching Scanning – –Searching for a known item in an index or list –You tend to ignore everything else Sifting – –Like scanning, but the emphasis is on eliminating what you don’t want by date, edition, context, source etc… Skimming – –Searching with no particular item in mind –Looking for what might be useful to you Detailed reading Each word or phrase is studied in depth Very slow and uses many thought processes

21. Study Reading What is the focus for your assignment ? Look for key words or terms to help maintain focus

22. Questions you might ask yourself as you are reading What is it? Definitions and terms Who says so? Why is it important today and in what areas? Who says so? How did it come about? What influenced its development ? Who says so ? Where is this most apparent ? How does it compare with others? Who says so? What does it influence today? How does it exert that influence Who says so? What are the ramifications of this influence ? What are the principal features and benefits? Who says so? What are the advantages, disadvantages ? How do we apply these to the present day, future ? Why should it continue to be relevant in the future? Who says so? How does it compare in other situations? Can it hold true in other situations? Who says so ? Are there necessary conditions for it to do so?

23. Organise and plan Careful planning helps: –Prevent repetition –Clarifies your thinking –Helps you organise your material

25. Engage, reflect evaluate What have you discovered from your reading/ note- taking? Has your viewpoint changed ? Have you clarified your argument ? Have you enough evidence/ examples? What arguments or evidence oppose your view Are they valid ? Is it clearer to you why the task was set ?

26. Write outline plan and first draft Write a first draft quickly: it is only a draft Start wherever it seems easiest Keep going : don’t worry about style State things clearly and simply in short sentences

27. Work on first draft Rewrite first draft think about structure and organisation into paragraphs Write out your bibliography I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter. ~James Michener

28. Final Draft Edit and check final draft Fine tune writing Read it aloud to check it is clearly written Keep redrafting until you are happy with the text When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing. ~Enrique Jardiel Poncela

29. The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~Mark Twain

30. What do you think the do’s and don’t’s of academic writing may be?

31. Do’s of academic writing Use formal English Remember your audience Write words out in full –dept as department, isn’t as is not Be cautious - seems to, tends to, may, might,possibly, probably, apparently, generally, suggest/ indicate Write numbers in full Be objective Be concise Reference correctly Start early taking notes Hand in on time

32. Don’ts of academic writing Avoid slang, colloquialisms and a chatty style Avoid long words, technical jargon, long sentences Remember or, and, but, yet should not be used to start a sentence Avoid subjective words – nice, wonderful, usual natural Apologise Use limited sources and references Put quotes in without references Copy large chunks from a book – plagiarize Leave research to the last minute! Sit and worry about it – seek help!

34. Avoid Fluff! Cute! General Vagueness Meant as a filler when you don’t know what to say ! Stick to the facts!

35. Be precise! Some people- who exactly? The idea- which idea At the time- when date The politicians – all or a certain group Stop it- stop what How was it stopped ? People did not like the idea – why not Activity – Fluff or Fact?

36. "It can happen. It does happen. But it can't happen if you quit.“ Lauren Danehttp://www.kerrynangell.com/

37. Barriers ! The blank page is very off- putting My mind goes empty I don’t know where to begin I just cant get down to it I am not as good as other people The ideas go round and round in my head I am embarrassed about my spelling I worry about grammar and punctuation and the list goes on….

38. Overcoming writers block Scribble It’s only a draft Write in pencil write on loose paper Ignore mistakes in early drafts For your eyes only Experiment Start anywhere Mark the paper write by talking Take one step at a time Use the computer Rest and relax

39. The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes. ~Agatha Christie

40. Presenting your Work The title is always written at the top of your first page Write on one side of the paper only Pages should be numbered and include a footer with the student’s name and student number on every page Leave clear margins so tutors can write comments Bibliography on a separate page Read through guidance in programme Handbook page

41. You are embarking on the beginning of an exciting journey:

42. Remember you are not alone Where can I seek help? Module tutor, PDT, Student services, peer support family, friends

43. References Cottrell,S. ( 2008) The Study Skills Handbook,Basingstoke: Palgrave Johnson, R ( 2007) Study Skills lecture, Winchester campus