1. Study Skills Workshops 2016 Structuring, referencing and writing assignments

2. By the end of the workshop you will…
Know how to plan and structure your writing effectively.
Have a framework for writing clear paragraphs.
Understand how to write in an academic style.
Have some tips for accurate referencing.
Know how to edit and check your work.
The first section is a bit of a recap on the session on Essays/ Assignments – Planning, and Reading and Research. But will hopefully feed in to how these skills relate to organising your writing of the essay content to develop a coherent structure.

3. Planning What is the question or task?(Essay Title)
Underline key words
Try breaking the question down into sub- questions
Top tip:
Set the question in context – how does it fit with the key issues, debates and controversies in your module and your subject as a whole? An essay question often asks about a specific angle or aspect of one of these key debates. If you understand the context it makes your understanding of the question clearer.
A common complaint is that students write a lot of information but they just don't answer the question. Don't rush straight into researching – give yourself time to think carefully about the question and understand what it is asking.
Top tip: write the title/question on a piece of paper and stick it to the frame of your monitor – for each paragraph you are writing ask how you are addressing the title/task.
Is the question open-ended or closed? If it is open-ended you will need to narrow it down. Explain how and why you have decided to limit it in the introduction to your essay, so the reader knows you appreciate the wider issues, but that you can also be selective. If it is a closed question, your answer must refer to and stay within the limits of the question (i.e. specific dates, texts, or countries).
Underlining key words – identify the task words e.g. discuss, analyse etc. and the topic words. Make sure you understand all the terms (some might need defining as part of your introduction). But make sure you then consider the question as a whole again, not just as a series of unconnected words.
Re-read the question – Read the question through a few times. Explain it to yourself, so you are sure you know what it is asking you to do.
Try breaking the question down into sub-questions – What is the question asking? Why is this important? How am I going to answer it? What do I need to find out first, second, third in order to answer the question? This is a good way of working out what important points or issues make up the overall question – it can help focus your reading and start giving your essay a structure. However, try not to have too many sub-questions as this can lead to following up minor issues, as opposed to the most important points.

4. Why plan?
Planning your essay makes it much more likely that you will end up with a coherent argument.
It enables you to work out a logical structure and an end point for your argument before you start writing.
You need to work out what to include, and what can be left out. It is impossible to cover everything in an essay, Brainstorm all your ideas, then arrange them in three or four groups. Not everything will fit so be prepared to discard some points (you can mention them briefly in your introduction).
Planning a structure for your writing means you don't have to do this type of complex thinking at the same time as trying to find the right words to express your ideas.
Your markers will be looking for evidence of your ability to choose material and put it in order.

5. How to plan?
Brainstorm all your ideas – try using a mind map or post-it notes
Arrange your ideas in three or four groups or themes
Think about a logical sequence for your themes
Not everything will fit so be prepared to discard some points (you can mention them briefly in your introduction).
Model this with one essay question and word count card from your set. For longer essays you can have more groups or themes. Don’t try having too many themes.
TASK: In small groups ask students to generate a plan for an essay– give each group a title and word count
Feedback how the plan was created to whole group

6. Essay structure MAIN BODY – 80%
Build your argument. Put your groups of ideas in a sequence to make a persuasive argument. One main point in each paragraph.
INTRODUCTION – 10%
Address the question, show why it's interesting and how you will answer it.
CONCLUSION – 10%
Summarise your arguments and evidence, and show how they answer the original question.
10%-80%-10% essay structure and project report structure. Explain that different types of writing may require different structures.
Outline in your introduction what you are going to include in each section (Introduction, main body, conclusion). Is the question open-ended or closed? If it is open-ended you will need to narrow it down. Explain how and why you have decided to limit it in the introduction to your essay, so the reader knows you appreciate the wider issues, but that you can also be selective. If it is a closed question, your answer must refer to and stay within the limits of the question (i.e. specific dates, texts, or countries).
Main body - this is your content. Break it down into sections guided by themes or common ideas.
Conclusion – don’t introduce new ideas, summarise. Reflect back on how you have answered the question.
Model: choose an essay title from example titles and word counts (put these onto card and cut out for giving out to groups). Show how to plan using post-its and/or mindmap on flipchart/whiteboard
TASK: Create a writing frame for your planned essay by setting word counts for each section using structure. Model this with one essay question and word count card from your set.

7. Paragraph structure Introduce your POINT (your own words)
EXPAND - Add the evidence to support your point. Include contrasting views. Explain how and why this evidence strengthens your point.
COMMENT on how the point helps
answer the question (your own argument)
Integrating evidence and your own ideas
Your argument is your reasoned answer to the essay question, supported by evidence. The books, articles, and research material that you read for your essay provide this evidence to back up your points. You interpret the evidence, and explain why it answers the question - demonstrate your own thinking.
For each point that you make in your essay, you need to support it with evidence. For example, you might back up a point using a theory (one kind of evidence) then show how this theory applies to a specific example in real life (another kind of evidence).
Good writing makes a point clearly and may illustrate it to help the reader's understanding. Include only necessary detail.
Plan one main point per paragraph. A paragraph can be planned (like a mini- essay) as follows:
Sentence introducing the point
Illustration of point using reference: research example, case study, figures, etc.
Critical analysis of point
Sentence summing up the point and showing how it addresses the question or contributes to your argument.
for each paragraph you are writing ask how you are addressing the title/task.
TASK: Ask students, in small groups as previously, to choose one point from previous plan and write a paragraph based on PEC structure.

8. Academic writing Avoid shortened forms: Shouldn't, it's for it is
Avoid popular phrases or cliches such as:
at the end of the day; in a nutshell; when it comes to the crunch
Replace with: finally, in summary, in a crisis
Avoid:
subjective descriptions ("this beautiful sculpture")
phrases that sound like speech ("well, this bit is really fascinating")
casual everyday words such as really, okay, maybe.
Use:
Signpost words to help the reader make connections and follow your arguments (‘by contrast’, ‘therefore, ‘thirdly’)
Where possible use the third person (“it can be argued” rather than “I think”)
Correct use of grammar and punctuation are important. Most common mistakes by inexperienced writers include: incomplete sentences; the wrong use of semicolons and colons; the wrong use of apostrophes; nouns and verbs where singular /plural do not agree; and inconsistent use of tenses.
Academic essays should be written in a formal style. Use plain language - you don't have to search for a more "academic-sounding" word when a simple one will do. Markers are looking for clear and accurate expression of ideas, not jargon or confusing language. Shorter sentences are usually clearer than long complex ones, but make sure it is a whole sentence and not just a clause or phrase.
Use signpost words to help the flow of your essay and to avoid repeating the same phrases – Handout signpost words

9. Don’t underestimate the importance of referencing!!!
Referencing includes:
Citations (direct quotes, paraphrases, reference to other peoples ideas or work)
Bibliography/ reference list – alphabetical list of sources
Find out which style your subject area uses. Harvard? Chicago?
Use referencing software e.g. Ref Me, Endnote or Zotero
Academic writing involves using sound evidence to support and strengthen your own arguments. You are trying to demonstrate how widely you have read but also that you have understood what you have read and can interpret it in relation to the essay question you are answering and the argument you are making. Use your references to support your arguments, not to replace them.
Referencing is a way of acknowledging the books, papers and other published and unpublished materials that you have used while researching your essay or report. This acknowledgment has to be made twice: once in the body of your text (or sometimes in footnotes) in the place where the source is referred to; and once with full details at the end of your work in a reference list or bibliography.
References acknowledge that part of your work is based on the work and material of others. All academic work is part of a greater body of knowledge. Showing where your work fits into this is an important part of academic practice at university.
References show the range and nature of your source materials.
References to published sources should provide sufficient detail to enable anyone to find for themselves the work you are citing.
Good referencing is a key part of the presentation of your work and you may lose marks for poor referencing.
Failure to acknowledge that some of your opinions and information have come from others may be regarded as plagiarism (See advice on avoiding plagiarism on ASK).
Demonstrate how to use Endnote in this Powerpoint – ask student to give you a book and add the reference info into Endnote and show how in three clicks you can then add into the slide

10. Editing and checking your work
Are your points in the right order and relevant to the question?
Be ruthless – irrelevant? Cut it out!!
Are your points clear? Any gaps?
Leave at least a day before re-reading
Read your essay aloud or use text reading software ( )
Check your references are complete and accurate
Editing involves checking whether all your points are in the right order and that they are all relevant to the question.
Be ruthless at this stage – if the information isn't directly answering the question, cut it out! You will get many more marks for showing you can answer the question than you will for an unordered list of everything you know about a topic.
Put yourself in the reader's position – can they follow the points you are making clearly? You know what you are trying to say, but will your reader? Are there gaps in your reasoning to be explained or filled?
Proofreading
Identifying your own mistakes and correcting them is an important part of academic writing: this is what you do when you proofread.
Ideally leave a day between finishing your essay and proofreading it. You won't be so close to your work, so you will see your errors more easily. Try reading your essay aloud, as this will slow you down, make you focus on each word, and show you when your sentences are too long. You could use text reading software to do this - demonstrate
It can help to have a friend read through your work but developing your own proofreading skills is better.
Also check that all your references are complete and accurate

11. What next?... Next week’s session will be the last in this series:-
Critical thinking for assignments to get a better grade
What next?...
From 21st November there will be some open study skills sessions – look out for further announcements on ASK and Studentcentral
Next sessions

12. Useful links
Free software and handouts -
For sessions on Endnote and mindmapping software go to:-