Writing Strategies: Avoiding Academic Fraud
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Trenholm State Technical College: Student Success Center
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Dr. Rebecca Ball-Coats (334)420-4464
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Mr. Damon K. Blythe (334)420-4463
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SSC@trenholmstate.edu
http://necacademicsupport.pbworks.com/f/1275936033/Writing%20papers.JPG
Stages of the Writing Process
 Pre-writing: understanding / analyzing the assignment, brainstorming, free writing, mapping
 Composing: research, thesis statement, outline, 1st draft.
 Revise: review, revise, proofread
http://schoolsquestiontime.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/how-to-write-a-paragraph-prewriting-stage.png
Pre-writing
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Understanding the Assignment:
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Read the assignment carefully; If it was given oral, write it out and analyze it until you are confident you understand. Ask instructor
assignment related questions.
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Brainstorming / Freewriting, mapping:
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Make the assignment your own by deciding what you want to say about the topic. What do you already know about the topic?
Relate the topic to something you are familiar with. Based on what you know, write as much as you can about the topic.
http://www.gallaudet.edu/Images/Academic/CLAST/EnglishWorks/mapping1_enlarge.jpg
Composing
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Research: Conduct research on the topic to become more familiar with it.(readings, interviews, videos)
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Thesis Statement: Develop a statement that will serve as the main idea of your essay / academic writing.
Thesis Generator
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Outline: Using your free-writing / brainstorming or mapping, organize your ideas such that your writing
will be clear, concise and flow with ease.
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Outline Maker
1st Draft: A good intro paragraph goes from general to specific, typically ending with your thesis
statement. Capture the readers attention!!! You body paragraphs include main ideas, supporting ideas and
supporting details. Use transitional words and phrases to connect paragraphs and re-enforce ideas.
Transitional words and phrases
Revising
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Review: Does my paper have : clear thesis, clear ideas, good organization, paragraph structure,
supporting details, a conclusion that restates the thesis and overviews the main ideas?
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Revising: Refocus > Reorder >Add > Delete
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Proofreading: Does my paper have: a professional style, proper spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, clear
and concise sentences? Ensure you proofread at least 3 times and let at least two other people proof it for
you.
http://www.techmaish.com/the-importance-of-proofreading-for-seo-content/
Avoiding Academic Fraud in Writing
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What is Plagiarism? Plagiarism
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What are some of the challenges of Plagiarism? Challenges
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Why do students Plagiarize?
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Lack of understanding the rules
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Lack of confidence
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Poor time management skills
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Failure to understand the importance of an assignment
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Lack of good writing skills
http://www.lib.uconn.edu/classwebimages/citing/whatisPlagiarism.jpg
How to Avoid Plagiarizing
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To avoid plagiarism you must correctly utilize and reference source material.
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3 methods of properly using source material:
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Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing: Purdue OWL Resources
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MLA resources: MLA overview
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APA resources: APA Overview
http://ploughlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/08/avoiding-plagiarism.html
Questions / Evaluation
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Please complete our Presentation evaluation: Presentation Evaluation
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H2Z8M3N

Trenholm State Technical College: Student Success Center

Dr. Rebecca Ball Coates, Coordinator 334)420-4463

Mr. Damon K. Blythe, Retention Specialist 334)420-4464

SSC@trenholmstate.edu
“Operation Graduation”