The College Standard
Writing College Papers:
Identifying Standards
and
Critical Thinking
Challenges
Building Blocks
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Grammar
Vocabulary
Questions
The Goals of Academic Writing
 Thesis
 Argument
 Research
 Plagiarism
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Critical Analysis
Expository Writing
The First Draft
Rewriting Your Paper
Grammar Not Your Bag?
Give These Websites a Try!
Guide to Grammar and Writing
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
University of Toronto Advice on Academic Writing
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice
Guide to Grammar and Style
http://newark.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/
This is a Test of the Emergency Grammar System
http://jcomm.uoregon.edu/~russial/grammar/grambo.html
Vocabulary
 Precise usage is the hallmark of top level scholarship –
you must be aware of your professors’ expectations
 Discipline-specific vocabulary must be mastered in order
to participate in the marketplace of ideas
 The process of acquiring a strong vocabulary can help
teach you how to become an active learner
 Identify what it is you need to learn
 Research
 Connect new information to what you already know
 Test your ability to apply new information
 Refine understanding
 Reflect on deeper meanings
Questions
 Identify the questions that dominate in class
 Identify the questions that make you want to listen
 Determine which questions prompt you to construct an
informed argument in response
 Will you research scholarly arguments on the topic?
 Will you analyze these arguments with an open
mind?
 Will you risk adding your own original thinking to
the scholarly discussion?
http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7Ecompose/student/ac_paper/what.html
Goals of Academic Writing
 Seek truth
 Argue a point
 Propose solutions
 Deepen insights
 Clarify a theory
 Challenge conventional wisdom
What is Academic Writing?
 Writing is a response
 Writing is linear
 Writing is recursive
 Writing is both subject and object
 Writing is decision-making
 Writing is a process, frequently involving
much trial and error
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/pdf/writing.pdf
Thesis
 Generate several theses that respond to “on topic”
questions during brainstorming
 Write each thesis out using complete sentences
 Evaluate the clarity of each thesis statement and force
yourself to remove all obfuscation from your writing
 Evaluate each thesis – is it ?
 A generalization and not a fact
 Demanding of proof or further development
 Motivating (does it prompt the reader to look for
facts and details)
 Thought-provoking
 Focused (avoid vague words such as interesting,
good, or disgusting)
Argument
 Sketch out an argument for each working thesis
 Identify areas where research is needed to support
your premises
 Research supporting premises
 Discard theses/arguments whose premises prove
unsupportable
 Choose the working thesis that allows you to make
the strongest argument for a conclusion about
which you are motivated to write
 Be prepared to modify your thesis to reflect the
final argument that makes it into your paper
What is an Argument?
 A collection of statements that can be given a logical
ordering such that:
Given statements designated as premises and a
statement designated as the conclusion,
the conclusion is justified by all the information
given in the premises
 Arguments come in different flavors:
 Deductive
 Inductive
 Analogy
 Particular to general
 General to particular
http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/longview/ctac/flowpt3.htm
What Do We Do With Arguments?
 Reconstruct – sift out the premises and the
conclusion and lay bare the logical structure of the
underlying argument
 Assess – determine whether the premises provide
sufficient grounds for the conclusion
 Evaluate - judge whether the premises are true or
false, clear or vague, and in need of further defense or
not
 Identify Fallacies – double-check the argument’s
reasoning to see if any fallacies appear
http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/longview/ctac/argument1.htm
Another Way to View Arguments
A
 The premises are all acceptable
R
 The premises are relevant to the conclusion
G
 The premises supply sufficient or good grounds
for the conclusion
Trudy Govier's A Practical Study of Argument, (3rd Ed., Wadsworth
Publishing , Belmont, California 1992) as referenced by Jeff McLaughlin
http://www.cariboo.bc.ca/ae/php/phil/mclaughl/courses/crit/lectures.htm
Research
 Take accurate and complete notes
 Copy all quotes, statistics, etc. verbatim
 If you do not quote, paraphrase accurately but in
your own words
 Record author, title, page number and note where
you found the source
 Clearly indicate when ideas in your notes are your
own
 Consider using note cards and limit each card to a
single point
 Develop a bibliography even if it is not needed for the
final paper
Plagiarism
Publication Manual 1.10 Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism
APA Ethics Code Standard 8.11, Plagiarism
As stated in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association (APA, 2010), the ethical
principles of scientific publication are designed to ensure the
integrity of scientific knowledge and to protect the intellectual
property rights of others. As the Publication Manual explains,
authors are expected to correct the record if they discover
errors in their publications; they are also expected to give credit
to others for their prior work when it is quoted or paraphrased.
(APA, 2010, pp.15-16)
Plagiarism
“Quote
 What is Plagiarism and Why is it Important?
In college courses, we are continually engaged with
other people's ideas: we read them in texts, hear
them in lecture, discuss them in class, and
incorporate them into our own writing. As a result, it
is very important that we give credit where it is due.
Plagiarism is using others' ideas and words without
clearly acknowledging the source of that
information.
End quote”
Produced by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html
Plagiarism (cont’d)
“Quote
 How Can Students Avoid Plagiarism? To avoid
plagiarism, you must give credit whenever you use
 another person's idea, opinion, or theory;
 any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings--any
pieces of information--that are not common
knowledge;
 quotations of another person's actual spoken or
written words; or
 paraphrase of another person's spoken or written
words.
End quote”
Produced by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html
Critical Analysis
 Anticipate readers’ questions about the strength of your
argument and supporting evidence
 Is your argument clearly delineated?
 Have you left critical assumptions unnamed?
 Have you acknowledged contextual limitations to
the universality of your argument?
 Have you been able to cite evidence or justification
that draws on sources outside your personal beliefs
and values?
 Have you addressed obvious objections to your
argument or evaluated readily accessible counterevidence?
Basic Expository Writing
 Outline your argument (premises and conclusion) before
writing
 Present your conclusion in your thesis statement and
outline your supporting premises in your introduction
 Write at least one paragraph in support of each premise
 Use transitions to link your premises and to structure
your argument
 Write a paragraph summarizing the logic of your
argument and acknowledging external assumptions if
necessary
 Summarize your thesis in your concluding paragraph
and outline the significance of your findings
Thesis
Premise 1
Premise 2
Premise 3
Conclusion
The First Draft
 Write one idea per paragraph
 Follow notes that have been organized logically
 Go for quantity, not quality
 Write for revision, not delivery
 Write freely
 Write about what is most comfortable first
 Develop a habit that encourages you to write on a
regular basis – with or without inspiration
 Identify times when your “deep” mind is most active,
and plan to write after those periods
Write in Haste,
Revise at Leisure
 Allow 50% of your time for
planning, research, and writing the
first draft
 Allow the other 50% for revising
your paper
Rewriting Your Paper
 When rewriting, consider:
 Your reader
 Precise language
 Careful thinking
 Your own learning – rewriting is a great way to
learn the material
 To achieve distance when revising your paper, try:
 Reading it aloud to yourself
 Have someone else read it aloud to you
 Schedule at least one day between revisions, or three
or four days if possible
Rewriting Your Paper (cont’d)
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Cut – anything that does not contribute to your thesis
Paste – reorder and add new transitions after cutting portions
Fix – words, phrases, sentence structures
Prepare – adhere to good production values and give proper
credit
 Proof – check your grammar and confirm that your paper
features:
 Clear thesis statement
 Sentences or paragraphs that orient the reader –
introduction, transitions and summary
 Supporting details – specific quotations, examples, and
statistics
 Lean sentences
 Action verbs and concrete, specific nouns
Recommended First Steps to Applying
Grammar Rules to Your Writing
(1) You must be able to identify the subject and verb of every
sentence
(2) Your subject and verb must agree (singular vs. plural)
(3) You must be able to identify every Independent Clause [IC] in
every sentence
(4) Every [IC] can end with a period or connect to another [IC]
with the following punctuation/connectors:
[IC]; [IC].
[IC], and [IC].
[IC]; however, [IC].
[IC] : Defining [IC].
(note that the colon can also be used [IC] : list or explanation.)
[IC]; [IC].
semi-colon
[IC], and [IC].
comma with fanboys connector
[IC]; however, [IC].
semi-colon and comma
with non-fanboys connector
[IC]: [IC].
colon with capitalized IC
How To Critique Your Own Paper
Essay Level
What am I arguing for? (Thesis)
Do I respond to the assignment or
fulfill my purpose for writing?
(Audience)
Will my reader follow my reasoning?
(Direction)
How To Critique Your Own Paper
Paragraph Level
Does each sentence in my paragraph
relate to the topic sentence?
(Cohesion)
Can my readers relate each
paragraph to my thesis?
(Structure and Transitions)
How To Critique Your Own Paper
Sentence Level
Is every sentence complete?
Do I know what rule explains each
punctuation mark I use?
Did I use only clear language to vary
my sentence styles?
How To Critique Your Own Paper
Word Level
Are my word choices appropriate?
Do corresponding terms agree
grammatically?
Did I use correct spelling and
capitalization?
Handouts Available Online
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/commas.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/679/01/
Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
APA Writing Standards
a. Page Format: Title page: Correct placement of running head with page number, title,
name of student. Subsequent pages: Pagination, running head, and margins correct on
subsequent pages.
b. References within Body of Paper: correct use of author(s) name and date. Correct
ampersand use (ampersand within parentheses; ‘and’ outside). Secondary sources cited
correctly (as cited in….). Refer to authors, not titles, in review of literature; ‘et al’ rule
based on current edition of APA.
c. Quoted Material: Accurate referencing of direct quotes within the paper (include page
number and quotations, along with author(s) and date).
d. Reference Page: 100% accuracy on reference page of books, journal, and electronic
sources. Alphabetized, ampersand as appropriate, year in correct place; title and volume
italicized; capitalization of first word title/subtitle; correct capitalization. Correct DOI or
URL address.
e. Reference inclusion and noninclusion: Authors in text of paper and reference list
exactly matched; noninclusion of sources such as personal communication, references
cited in text of paper.
APA Writing Standards
Manuscript Format
Page format:
• Times New Roman 12 point font
preferred
• 1” text margins and double-space all lines
• 0.5” top margin and 1” right margin for
page numbers
• 0.5” tab settings (or 5 to 7 spaces)
APA Writing Standards
Manuscript Format
Title page:
• Running head is included with page
number=1
• Running head is located 1” down from
top of page
• Title, byline, and institutional affiliation
are centered and capitalized
APA Writing Standards
Manuscript Format
Subsequent pages:
• Running head appears (without label) on
every page and pagination is continuous
• Title is centered on first page of text
• Section headers and text sections follow
with no page breaks until the reference list
is started on a new page with a centered
heading:
References
APA Writing Standards
Manuscript Format
Title: Concise statement of main topic that
is fully explanatory and limited to 10-12
words. Centered, Uppercase and
Lowercase Heading (do not use boldface)
Running head: Abbreviated title not to
exceed 50 characters, positioned flush
left, ALL CAPS.
APA Writing Standards
Manuscript Format
Headings:
3.03 Levels of Heading
Level of heading
1
2
3
62 Use heading levels consecutively.
Format
Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase
Heading
Flush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase
Heading
Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph
heading ending with a period.
4
Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase
paragraph heading ending with a period.
5
Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading
ending with a period.
APA Writing Standards
References within Body of Paper
• Supply only surname(s) and year of
publication for works appearing on the
reference list
• Anticipate a strict correspondence
between your reference list and in text
citations (save personal communications)
APA Writing Standards
References within Body of Paper
• Citations may appear within narrative text
or inside parentheses
• Year of publication typically appears
inside parentheses and may or may not be
preceded by author name(s) delimited by
a final comma
APA Writing Standards
References within Body of Paper
• Within the same paragraph, later
references to a cited work need not
include the year as part of the citation so
long as the source is still uniquely
identified for the reader
APA Writing Standards
References within Body of Paper
• Multiple surnames are connected using
“and” within narrative text
• Multiple surnames are connected using
“&” within parenthetical citations
• Lists of multiple surnames may be
abbreviated using “et al.”
APA Writing Standards
References within Body of Paper
• When the work to be cited is not identified
with an author or authors, use the group
name, title, or other index string that
matches the entry as it appears in the
alphabetical ordering of your reference list
• Write group names out in full at least
once, but long article titles may be
identified by their first few words
APA Writing Standards
References within Body of Paper
• When two or more works are to be
included in a parenthetical citation, put the
entries inside the parentheses in the same
order as their corresponding entries appear
in the reference list
APA Writing Standards
References within Body of Paper
Exception:
• Personal communications do not have
corresponding reference list entries, so
provide the exact dates for a
communication and the communicator’s
initials as well as surname in both
narrative and parenthetical citations
APA Writing Standards
References within Body of Paper
Secondary sources should be indexed by the
secondary source:
• put the secondary source in a
parenthetical citation and enter the same
source alphabetically in the reference list
• name the original work in the narrative
text
APA Writing Standards
Quoted Material
Direct quotes within paper:
• Integrate short quotations of fewer than
40 words into narrative text by enclosing
quotation in double quotation marks
• Use block format (no quotation marks)
for quotations 40 words or longer and
indent the entire block using the tab
setting for paragraph indents
APA Writing Standards
Quoted Material
Direct quotes within paper:
• Reproduce quoted material exactly as it
appears in the source – see instructions
on pages 172-3 when minor changes or
corrections must be made or noted
• Add location information to citations so
readers can find the quotation easily
(page numbers, section headings,
paragraph numbers, etc.)
APA Writing Standards
Reference List – 100% Accuracy
Year in correct place
Title and Volume italicized
Capitalization of first word title/subtitle
Capitalization of proper nouns
City: State
http://www.umuc.edu/library/guides/apa.shtml
APA Writing Standards
Reference List – 100% Accuracy
Electronic Sources and Locator
Information: Correct URL address and
retrieval date that leads reader to correct site
or the Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Section 6.31 pages 187-192
APA Writing Standards
Reference inclusion and non-inclusion
Reference List:
• Exact match between authors cited in text
and works cited on reference list
• Except for in text citations of sources for
personal communications (which have no
matching entries on the reference list)
• All sources included on the reference list
must be cited in text of paper
APA Writing Standards
Reference inclusion and non-inclusion
Bibliographies vs. Reference Lists:
• Background and suggested readings can
be collected in a bibliography
• Good research practice recommends
tabulating a complete bibliography
• Most APA assignments do not require,
and may disallow, the inclusion of a
bibliography in your formal paper
APA Writing Standards
Miscellaneous: Commas, italics,
ampersands, numbers, abbreviations,
combined words and numbers, use of /,
use of colon in fractions, etc. etc. etc.!!!!
http://apastyle.org/learn/index.aspx
http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocAPAPrinciples.html
http://www.psywww.com/resource/APA%20Research%20St
yle%20Crib%20Sheet.htm#Rules
APA Guides Available Online
http://mercer.libguides.com/content.php?pid=81534
http://mercer.libguides.com/content.php?pid=81534&sid=610864
http://sites.google.com/site/nahrsnursingresources/apa
http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocAPA.html
http://www.psywww.com/resource/apacrib.htm
http://www.psywww.com/resource/APA%20Research%20Style%20Crib%20Sheet.htm
http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/lab_report_complete.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Hacker, Diana, The Bedford Handbook, 6th ed.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2002.
Use Diana Hacker’s Research and
Documentation Online for the Social Sciences:
http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/social.html
Link to this PowerPoint Presentation at:
http://faculty.mercer.edu/zimmerman_jj