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Sharing ideas and advice about academic and professional writing
The importance of writing out your ideas
The author of the linked article calls it the "rule of writing," writing out your thoughts in a well-developed memo. Main point: "If you want to clarify your thinking, remember something important, or communicate something clearly, write it down." Photo by Negative...
Make sure your academic writing doesn’t get personal
Make sure your academic writing doesn't get personal.More about it:That's because "the text should focus on the research itself" rather than the author's reflections.Unlike less formal writing like this blog article, don't use "you." Instead, use less casual words...
Make sure your academic writing is correct and consistent
Make sure your academic writing is correct and consistent.Make sure you follow the style manual required by your instructor or professor.
Latest Posts
Academic writing is supposed to be clear and precise
One of the hallmarks of academic writing is supposed to be clarity and precision.More about it:You want to make sure you "ensure that your reader knows exactly what you mean."You must ensure you're being "as specific as possible and avoiding vague language."Use...
Spelling: I before E
Spelling can be #FunnyOnFriday. I found this funny variation on the rhyme "I before E except after C" on Facebook. Enjoy. Screen clipping taken: 6/11/2021 8:49 AM
Academic writing is supposed to be formal and unbiased
Academic writing is supposed to be formal and unbiased.More about it:In school, you’re expected to “base arguments on the evidence under consideration, not the author’s preconceptions.”You should make sure to “to represent the work of other researchers and the results...
By the book: Elegant writing can be learned
Ward Farnsworth, in his book Farnsworth’s Classical English Rhetoric, gives us hope for improving our writing by leaps and bounds in this installment of #ByTheBook. He wrote: “Everyone speaks and writes in patterns…they are models we internalize from the speech around...
Periods are passé?
English teachers take note: Periods are passé. Will it eventually seep into more formal writing? Right now, it applies to texting. I assume it won't get into more formal writing because punctuation signals what to expect in more complex sentence structures.