Lesson #1
for success in life
Find out what you’re
expected to do, then do
it better than expected.
In other words:
READ THE ASSIGNMENT
Revising Your Paper
Intro:
STRONG thesis statement
Some context for understanding
the thesis statement
A preview of the structure of the
paper
THESIS: Nuclear power has the greatest potential of any
energy source to arrest and perhaps reverse climate change.
THESIS: Nuclear power has the greatest potential of any
energy source to arrest and perhaps reverse climate change.
CONTEXT: Nuclear power is the only energy source that can
provide uninterrupted energy with minimal carbon emissions.
Despite public fears, nuclear power has proven to be safe
and relatively inexpensive.
THESIS: Nuclear power has the greatest potential of any
energy source to arrest and perhaps reverse climate change.
CONTEXT: Nuclear power is the only energy source that can
provide uninterrupted energy with minimal carbon emissions.
Despite public fears, nuclear power has proven to be safe
and relatively inexpensive.
PREVIEW: Nuclear power is attractive in three respects:
economically, environmentally, and geopolitically. Electricity
generated by nuclear power plants compares in cost to that
generated by coal-fired plants. Even with the Chernobyl
disaster, nuclear power is responsible for far less
environmental damage than coal-fired or petroleum-fired
power plants. Geopolitically, nuclear power is very attractive;
the U.S. controls the great majority of the world's uranium
ores. However some challenges remain, including the two
most critical issues: long-term disposal of nuclear waste,
and security of nuclear materials.
Organizing Your Paper
Make an outline
Level I: words that become
section headings
Level II: the Big Ideas in full
sentences
These Big Ideas become your topic
sentences
Level III: sentences that make up
the paragraphs
Writing is like painting
your house…
You can’t make up for a
lack of preparation with
more paint (or words).
Paragraphs 101
One idea per paragraph
Starts with topic sentence
Topic sentence should sell the
paragraph
Then supporting details
Ends with transition
Page-long paragraphs are
TOO LONG
Poor paragraphs are a
symptom of poor planning
Using Quotes
DON’T!
Only use quotes if you need
those exact words.
You almost never do.
Instead synthesize the
information from several
sources.
Citations
Embedded in text (Kusnick, 2008).
(Author, year)
If no personal author, then use
agency or organization as author
Reference list is alphabetical by
author
Avoid “According to…”
Use citations when…
You state factual information
You state someone else’s
opinion
Anywhere the ideas in the text
are not your own
Too many are WAY better than
too few
It’s plagiarism when…
You use someone else’s words
without quoting them
Even if you change a few
words
Even if you just lift a phrase
here and there
Yes, it’s stealing, both ethically
AND legally
It’s also plagiarism when…
You use information or opinions
with citing the author
Even if you saw it in more than
one source
Even if you think it’s common
knowledge
Anything without a citation is
assumed to be your thinking
Tone and voice
Everyone needs to master
different ways of speaking &
communicating in different
settings
These are called registers.
You need to master a formal
register
not conversational, nothing
cute
impersonal, does not directly
address the reader
Producing powerful text
Power, not drama
Simple clean sentences
Eliminate adverbs and
adjectives
Avoid unnecessary qualifiers:
seems, may be, etc.
Provide a framework for the
reader to view the details
through
Banned words and phrases
People, scientists, nobody,
everybody
Really, mainly, basically,
extreme
the fact that, it is believed
Most sentences starting with “It
is…”
First and second person
pronouns: I, you, we
Misc. stuff
Active voice, not passive voice
Passive: It is frequently observed that…
Active: uses verbs other than “to be”
You almost never should use the word
“being”
Don’t start sentence with “and”,
“or”, or “but” (in formal writing).
Spell numbers under ten, or
numbers that start a sentence.
Be miserly with your words - don’t
waste words on bland generalities.
Make every word count.