THE FUNDAMENTALS OF ACADEMIC WRITING

by Martin Paterson, D.Phil., M.A.

Introduction

This course develops the skills necessary to write in a concise, coherent and clear style. It explains how the syntactic and communicative conventions of written English differ from those of spoken English. Because, it concentrates on the process, not the content, of academic writing, the skills developed can be applied to any assignment in any context.

By the time you have worked through the course, your ability to develop and communicate ideas will have been transformed. Your grades should improve, and, more importantly, you will understand the fundamentals of good writing and will have learned techniques that will enable you to continue improving.

If you have any comments or questions about the course, please contact me.

CONTENTS

Principles

The Writing Process - From First Draft to Final Draft

The Written and the Spoken

The Audience's Expectations

The Nursery, the Novelistic, the Journalistic and the Academic

The Sentence

Dismantling the Ineffective

Redundancy

What is a Sentence and What is Worth a Sentence?

The Structure of a Typical Academic Sentence

Redundancy Reduction Techniques

Redundancy Reduction Exercises

Paragraphing and Coherence

What is a (Good) Paragraph?

Cultural Differences in Paragraph Structure

Written and Spoken Argumentation

Topic Sentences and the Drafting Process

Exercises in Paragraph Coherence

Larger Structures

Headings

Introductions

Refinements of Style

Emphasis

Emphasis and Argumentation

Momentum

Semantic Markers

The Use of Semantic Markers to Increase Clarity

Exercises in Semantic Marking

Semantic Inflation

Incorporating the Work of Others

Some Typological Guidelines for Quoting

Exercises in Quotation

Paraphrasing Techniques

Exercises in Paraphrase

Introducing the Work of Others

Verbs to Introduce Quotations, Paraphrases and Summaries

Conclusion

Academic Editing Service

© 2004 Martin Paterson