1. GET AHEAD POSTGRADUATE SUMMER PROGRAMME 2014
Writing at postgraduate level
‘In my experience the most important thing is to write the way they want. You can write all kinds of stuff you know about, but you don’t get good marks unless you write it the proper way.’
Northedge, A. The Good Study Guide 2007: 245
Sara Steinke

2. Aims of the session To consider what makes English academic
To identify the style and conventions of academic writing
To recognise the importance of academic writing skills for postgraduate study
To think about the writing process
To reflect on how to develop your academic writing skills to express and present your critical thinking for postgraduate study

3. Why do you think writing gives students the most anxiety?
They have not written an essay in a long time.
They do not know what an academic essay looks like.
They miss deadlines as a result of poor time management.
They have no idea why they are writing an essay.
Answer: A, B, C and D

4. What makes English academic
Importance of academic English for postgraduate study
Check your academic English

5. What is academic English?
What makes spoken or written
English ‘academic’ is not the
ideas, but the way the
ideas are
presented - in a logical order,
with evidence to support them,
objectively and
expressed - using formal
language, using specialist
vocabulary, using words and
phrases that are expected in
writing at university
Definitions ‘academy’ = place of study, university ‘academic’ = doing things they way they are done in the Academy ‘academic writing’ = writing in the way that is expected of people at university

6. ‘in a logical order’ start with a plan
jot down any ideas that you have as you think of them
group your ideas about the same point together and present them in the same paragraph
start each paragraph with a sentence that shows what you are going to write about in that paragraph - the topic sentence
put your points in order so that they follow on from each other
develop the main idea in the topic sentence with your other points

7. ‘with evidence’ read and make notes from different sources
use sources that are reliable and/or
recommended to you
make notes of where different writers agree or disagree so that you can compare different views
remember that critical thinking sees things as grey, rather than black and white

8. ‘objectively’ make suggestions, not strongly emotional comments
avoid stating your personal opinion
do not involve the reader directly by asking questions

9. ‘use formal language’ write in full sentences
do not use abbreviations or contractions
use impersonal forms (not the first person ‘I’)
no slang or colloquial expressions

10. ‘use specialist vocabulary’
check the meaning of specialist terms in your subject
note examples of how these terms are used in the books and articles that you read
do not use terms that you do not understand

11. ‘use words and phrases that are expected’
academic writers are expected to be cautious -- use ‘this suggests ...’, ‘this might explain ...’
readers expect phrases that act as signposts to guide them through the text
- additional information (‘furthermore ...’, ‘moreover ...’, ‘in addition ...’)
- to move to specific examples (‘for instance ...’, ‘as an illustration ...’

12. Why write the way ‘they’ want? (Northedge 2007: 246)
Deepens your learning
Develops your writing skills
Doing yourself justice
Enables the reader to understand your point of view
Strengthens your powers of self-expression
Major medium through which your progress is assessed

13. How to annoy your lecturers
Using apostrophes wrongly
Confusing common words, for example there/their
Making spelling errors
Using informal language
Writing sentences without verbs
Making every sentence a paragraph
Not using paragraphs
Writing long convoluted sentences
Trying to write too pompously
Using run-on sentences/comma splices
A group of lecturers
from different
subjects were asked
what really annoyed
them about
students’ grammar
and language . . .

14. Check your academic English skills at
CheckyouracademicEnglishskills.pptx/view
get-ready-to-study-at-birkbeck
Grammar
Vocabulary
Punctuation
Spelling
Academic style

15. Key academic writing conventions
Importance of academic writing to express your critical thinking at postgraduate level
How to develop your academic writing

16. Academic writing: key conventions
Do not use contractions or slang
Use the terminology of your field
Avoid the first (‘I’) and second person (‘you’)
Define key terms you use in a particular way
Include only ideas that are relevant to your argument and subject
Limit ideas to one per sentence/single point for each paragraph
Be kind to your reader - give reader clues (transition words, summaries) to let them know where they are in your argument
Use subheadings and sections

17. Academic style Use formal style
Writing style does not have to be complicated /elaborate
Be well organised and present ideas in logical order
Present objective analysis that is critical without
being too positive or negative, be cautious
Use clear, precise language
Avoid emotive language
Establish clear connections between ideas
Cite relevant sources
Explain, not just describe
Use quotes, examples

18. Quick quiz What is wrong with this piece of critical writing
Quick quiz What is wrong with this piece of critical writing? (Cottrell 2008: 209)
Mount Pepe is going up - it’s going to take everything with it when it goes. And I mean everything - villages, farms, trees, the lot. It’s frightening to think of how powerful a volcano can be. Think of the damage they cause! Remember Pompeii and Mount Etna!

19. What is right with this piece of critical writing? (Cottrell 2008: 209)
In order to assess whether it is necessary to evacuate the villages on Mount Pepe, three main factors need to be taken into consideration. The first, and most important, of these is the element Of safety. According to seismic experts currently working on the volcano, there is likely to be a major eruption within the next ten years (Achebe 2007). According to Achebe, the eruption is likely to destroy villages over a radius of 120 miles (Achebe 2008, p.7).

20. Importance of academic writing skills for postgraduate study
Postgraduate students are
- required to be independent, critical thinkers
- expected to contribute to the field of study
This influences postgraduate writing in 4 ways:
1. critical thinking
2. research
3. academic integrity
4. academic style

21. Critical thinking See ‘Critical thinking at Postgraduate level’
13 August
Think independently
Provide original perspective on previous research
Make connections between ideas/between your work and other research

22. Research Become aware of the current knowledge in your field
- deep and breadth
- synthesise information
- literature review
Expected to contribute personally to the knowledge in your field
- creative thinking
- presenting information in a new way, applying
previous research to new problems, proving a
thesis

23. Academic integrity
Give credit for intellectual property that you borrow
- paraphrasing, quotes, referencing
Be familiar with intellectual property rights
- opportunities to produce original work
Be aware of research ethics

24. Importance of feedback to improve your writing skills
Read through work and lecturer’s comment
Check you understand lecturer’s comments
Make list of major issues and minor errors
Compare with comments/lists from previous essays - Which comments appear more than once?
- Which issues have you improved?
5. Number issues in order of priority
6. Act on them!

25. Self evaluation: S.W.O.T.
What are the strengths of your writing? Are you able to express complex ideas clearly? Do you know how to structure your essay well?
What are the weaknesses of your writing? Do you struggle with spelling and grammar? Are you simply not used to writing in a formal/academic way?
What opportunities do you have to improve on your writing? Have you attended one of the essay writing workshops?
What threats do you face in your writing? Do you understand the essay question? Are you struggling to find enough time for proof reading? Do you lack confidence in your ability to write?

26. Stages of the writing process
Analysing the question
Writing introductory, main body and concluding paragraphs
Essay v. Dissertation

27. Stages of essay writing Northedge 2005: 297
1. Thinking about the essay title
2. Planning the writing process
8. Reviewing and polishing
7. Drafting an answer
3. Studying the course
content
6. Organising your material
4. Taking stock before you
start writing
5. Getting ideas written down

28. Analysing the question
Essay questions can be
broken down into:
Its topic
Any restriction/ expansion to the topic
The aspect/angle you are asked to consider
Instructions you need to follow
An analysis of the changes in US policy towards China during the 1970s.

29. Writing introductory paragraphs
State title of essay in first line/link to question
Explain the title/why the question is important/establish the field/give background information/state aim of the essay
Outline approach to the essay/thesis statement
Narrow the field/particular focus/outline issues
Outline structure of essay
10% of word count

30. Writing main body paragraphs
Topic (first)sentence: main idea of the paragraph Supporting sentence: gives details about/ explains topic sentence Concluding (last) sentence: repeats the main idea/gives final comment about topic

31. Writing concluding paragraphs
Summarise main arguments/themes
State general conclusions
Make it clear why conclusions are significant
Refer back to question/directly answer it
Make recommendations or suggest way forward/further research
Do not present new material/ideas in your conclusion
10% of word count

33. Think about the following
Follows basic procedure
Adheres to academic conventions - academic English, referencing, style
Involves research skills
Requires writing in prose
Uses analytical reading /writing skills
What are the
similarities
between writing a
dissertation and
writing an essay?

34. Think about the following
Individually designed piece of work
Personal involvement
Time management
Self-management and motivation
Literature search
Presentation/structure
Methodology
Managing your supervisor
Viva
What are the differences between writing a dissertation and writing an essay?

35. Dissertation structure

36. Overcoming writer’s block
Suggestions for generating ideas
Sources for academic writing

37. Overcoming writer’s block
Scribble - what ever comes to mind
‘Its only a draft’ - something you are working on
Write in pencil - reminds you that the draft is rough
Write on loose paper - can throw it away
Ignore mistakes in early drafts - can sort out later
‘For you eyes only’ - handwriting/mistakes do not matter
Start anywhere - in order to suit you
Write by talking - if you find it hard to express yourself in writing
Take one step at a time - break task into manageable steps
Rest and relax - avoid stress

38. Generating ideas: brainstorming
use a large piece of paper - A3 or flipchart
identify and write down as many different possible answers (rather than ‘one solution’) to the question that you can think of
asking ‘what if’ or ‘supposing’ questions will help you
allow yourself to think of crazy or wild suggestions - do not think of an idea as ‘stupid'
it is fine to make mistakes - they may turn out to be productive

39. Generating ideas: free writing
use A4 lined paper
write nonstop for a set period of time (about 3-5 minutes)
do not make any corrections
do not write in sentences
use the writing tool you are most comfortable with (pen/computer)
write/type as fast as you can
do not cross anything out
do not punctuate

40. Generating ideas: map mapping
turn the paper sideways, A3 landscape is best
write the topic in the centre of the page
write related ideas around this centre
add secondary ideas to the main ideas
link up these ideas to show relationships
use colours, different line thickness, symbols, pictures
add details to points as you go along

41. What can I do to make my writing more academic?
attend free Academic Development Workshops offered by Centre for Learning and Professional Development (CLPD):
enrol for an one-term Academic Writing module:
modules
note how the ideas in the books and articles that you read on your course are presented and expressed - use active reading and note making strategies

42. Useful reading for academic writing
Cottrell, S. (2008) The Study Skills Handbook (3rd edition) (Palgrave
Macmillan, London) chapter 8 ‘Writing for university’ and chapter 9
‘Developing your writing’
Crème, P. (1997) Writing at University (Open University Press, Milton Keynes)
Greetham, B. (2008) How to write better essays (2nd edition) (Palgrave
Macmillan, London)
Northedge, A. (2007) The Good Study Guide (Open University Press, Milton
Keynes) chapter 10 ‘Writing the way ‘they’ want’ and chapter 11 ‘Managing
the writing process’
Peck, J. & Coyle, M. (2005) Write it Right: A Handbook for Students (Palgrave
Redman P (2001) Good Essay Writing (Sage, London)
Rose, J. (2007) The Mature Students Guide to Writing (2nd edition)
(Basingstoke, Palgrave)

43. Useful websites for academic writing
Get ahead Stay ahead interactive tutorials
website supporting the Palgrave MacMillan
study skills books
Useful listening

44. Useful sources for PG writing
Wisker, G. (2007) The Postgraduate Research
Handbook (London, Palgrave)
Wallace, M. & Wray, A. (2011) Critical Reading
and Writing for Postgraduates, 2nd ed., (London,
Sage)

45. Presentations can be found at
/getaheadpostgraduate

46. Writing - recap Can you: express your ideas clearly in written form?
make an outline of what you are going to write?
write in clear sentences and paragraphs?
link your ideas in a logical order?
use correct grammar?
develop your own argument?
identify your audience and write in an appropriate register?

47. Next session Tuesday 4 September, 6pm-7.30pm, room 421
Organising yourself at postgraduate level, including time management
- time management techniques
- how to prioritise tasks
- importance of organisational skills and time management for postgraduate study