pp. 2-5 How to write academic papers
pp. 5-8: Avoiding plagiarism
- Computer tools that may prevent you from plagiarizing
- Three important warnings about plagiarism
- If you cheat, you will probably be caught.
- Just as ignorance of the law is no excuse, ignorance of plagiarism is
not considered an excuse. (Besides, plagiarism is usually covered in your
school's introductory English class as well as in your school's academic
integrity statement.)
- Buying a paper will
probably be a disaster.
pp. 11-12 Avoiding bias in writing
pp. 14-16: Making sure you paper is organized
Diagramming ideas and making concept maps
Computer tools
for concept mapping and outlining
- Using Microsoft Word to make
outlines
-
Using Inspiration
to make outlines (a short video tutorial)
p. 16 Avoiding procrastination
p. 16: Using
MS Word's full-screen mode
p. 20 Making your computer talk
p. 21-22 Spelling Checkers
- Using Microsoft Word's spelling checker
- Free word-processing programs that are MS Word
compatible and have spelling checkers
- Free online word-processing programs that are MS Word
compatible and have spelling checkers
p. 23 For
another useful checklist, download the
following pdf from Dan Simons. The pdf contains a lot of wise advice, but
the checklist begins on page 7.
p. 24: To
understand why you need to use a checklist and why you need to rewrite, see these seven "laws" of communication.
p. 25: To write
well, you need to be truthful, relevant, and clear (Kehoe, 2011).
-
To be
truthful, you need to read a fair sample of the literature (not just the literature
that supports your point of view), you need to cite that literature, and you
need to look at your case like a fair but stern judge would look at it. If you
are fair, you will probably find that you may need to may have to add
qualifications to your arguments (e.g., you may have to add words like "if," "usually,"
"except," "but, and "when") as your paper evolves.
-
To
be relevant, you need to have a point and stick to that point. To make all your
paper relevant, eliminate the irrelevant parts. Start by eliminating
paragraphs that do not fit well with your outline. Then, in the paragraphs you
keep, delete sentences that do
not fit well with your topic sentences.
-
To be clear,
you need to know what you want to say and how to say it in a way that will
be accepted by the audience.
In your first drafts, you figure out what
you want to say; in your later drafts, you focus on how to say it. To make each
draft clearer than the last,
-
print out the draft;
-
make an outline from that draft (start by giving each
paragraph a short title that could act like a headline for the paragraph, then use those
headlines as headings in your
outline);
-
revise that outline of the actual structure of your
paper to make an outline of the structure you would like your paper to
have;
-
delete, move, and add paragraphs to make your paper
fit the outline of your ideal paper;
-
help your reader follow the outline of your paper by
adding subheadings, topic sentences,
and summaries.
-
help your reader go from paragraph to paragraph by
adding transitions (e.g., "As a result," "Consequently,"
"Therefore");
-
read your paper aloud from start to finish, rewriting
as you read;
-
wait one day and then run your paper through your
computer's grammar checker;
-
read your paper aloud again, stopping to edit, make
comments, and raise questions (if you are having trouble coming up with
questions, see our end-of-chapter checklists);
-
run your paper through your computer's grammar
checker again, and then ask a friend to respond to your paper, your
comments on your paper, and your questions about your paper.
