A Guide to Writing Academically.
Introduction
At Toronto University, students have access to a wide range of possibilities as regarding writing proficiency. Writing centers, on-line tutoring, virtual resources and writing guides on how to write academically are among the wide array of tools the university has to offer. This report focuses on the latter and includes general information and pieces of advice on key concepts related to writing academically such as writing Essays, planning and organizing, using sources , specific types of writing , style and editing.
General advice on writing
-Essay writing:
Writing essays will probably be one of your main tasks as you enter college , so mastering many of its main characteristics from the very beginning will help you to write successfully the type of texts your professor demands from you. The main features essay writing contains are argumentation, thesis statements and body paragraphs. Your essay presents “an argument where you make a claim”(Irvin.p9). Such claim stands for your viewpoint and perspective on the subject matter. The “thesis” is the promise you make to the audience. Through detailed and specific evidence writers accomplish that promise and generally it is carried out in the following paragraphs.
-Some practices of good writers:
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- They start writing early: Good writing does not start when all the parts are ready and gathered. Writers start putting their ideas together hours or days before they plunge into the text.
- .They do not try to write all the paper in just one sitting but write just what is ready at that moment and then put it aside for a moment.
- They keep the essay organization in mind, a sort of mental outline that is constantly evolving.
- Extensive revision is an unavoidable step in academic writing. Writers do not edit the first draft and submit it. What they do is drafting and redrafting , arranging and rearranging ideas and sentences and this process takes them days or weeks.
Planning and organizing
Organizing an essay:
Introductions and conclusions.
A good introduction should identify your topic, provide essential context and engage reader´s attention. As you start writing your paper, be aware of not spending too much time involved in the introduction. Although most students and writers find it necessary to start from an introduction, some others prefer to skip it at the beginning and write it at the very end of the process. Tipically, in the introductory paragraph the topic is presented and it should start from general to specific, from broad ideas to the concept you will discuss. Some very important pieces of advice that you should take into account range from avoiding dictionary definitions in the introduction that your audience already knows to avoiding giving details or explanations that belong in your body paragraphs.
As regarding the concluding paragraph, this section of essay writing apart from re-stating your introductory section and thesis statement, should remind the audience of how the evidence you have presented has contributed to your thesis. In the concluding stage, critical thinking is crucial and demands from you to reflect upon the significance of what you have written as well as of the larger implications of your argument. As with introductions, the length of the conclusion should reflect the length of the essay and remember that a good last sentence leaves your reader with something to think about, a concept in some way illuminated by what you've written in the paper.
Using Thesis Statements
When you are asked to write an essay that creates an argument, your reader will probably expect a clear statement of your position. Typically, this summary statement comes in the first paragraph of the essay, though there is no rigid rule about position. Some writers feel more comfortable or find necessary to express the thesis in two paragraphs while in some cases they formulate it at the end of paper.
Works cited
“Advice on Academic Writing.” http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice
Irvin,Lennie. “What is Academic Writing?”
