ACADEMIC

WRITING
Bridging Programme
It is by writing, even more than by speech, that
“

you actually master your material and extend

your own understanding.”

Clanchy, J. & Ballard, B. (1991). Essay writing for

students. New ed. Melbourne: Longman and
Cheshire.
WHAT KINDS OF TASKS, HOW MUCH AND
HOW OFTEN?

Variety of tasks (reports, essays, case studies, literature reviews,

research proposals for example)

1200-3000 words (excluding final project)

1-3 major assignments per course in your context

 HOW WILL IT BE MARKED?

CONTENT RESEARCH / ANALYSIS PRESENTATION

READING AND REFERENCING
 ACADEMIC WRITING IS:

 Formal (impersonal, no slang, formal sentence structure)

 Reasoned (critical thinking: how and why)

 Impartial (gives a balanced point of view, more than one point of view)

 Logical (ideas flow logically from one to another: signposts, topic sentences and linked
paragraphs)

 Structured (keeps to the structure of an essay, report etc)

 Supported (evidence and examples, referencing)
ACADEMIC WRITING IS STRUCTURED

Essay structure

• Introduction
What are the main • Body
parts of an essay? • Conclusion
• References
Introduction
• usually, one paragraph explains what you are writing about and how you plan to do it

Body
• A series of paragraphs (80-90%) of the essay. Gives details/ evidence to answer the
question

Conclusion
• usually one paragraph, briefly summarises main ideas and shows you have answered the
question

References
• list of sources you used (Harvard/APA style)
 AN ACADEMIC PARAGRAPH

a paragraph introduces and develops one main idea

the main idea is introduced through a topic sentence, which is usually the first sentence

all sentences in the paragraph need to relate to the main idea in a logical way

paragraphs are linked together and flow logically on from each other

in-text references need to be included in the paragraph if supporting ideas come from
other sources(Rountree, 1991).

Rountree, K. (1991). Writing for success: A practical guide for New Zealand students.
Auckland: Longman Paul.
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 SOME WRITING PITFALLS TO AVOID

Avoid addressing the reader directly or using questions

• For example: “Instead of asking "do you understand?", try phrasing it as "this concept might require
further explanation.”
• Instead of using phrases like "you should" or "what do you think?", opt for more general statements
like "one should" or "it is important to consider.
Try not to make generalizations.
• For example:
• "Everyone agrees that cold calling does not produce results".
• While this may be true you can only make such statements if supported with evidence.
Instead:
• "According to the Mori Report (2000), cold calling does not produce results.
 SOME WRITING PITFALLS TO AVOID

OVERLY-LONG SENTENCES

• A sentence should express only one idea or a clearly connected set of ideas.

• Home care has been expanding tremendously over the past few years partly due to recent
technological advances that enable assessments and treatments to be a part of the home setting
which at one time could only be performed within the hospital environment. X

• Home care has expanded tremendously over the past few years. This increase is partly due to
recent technological advances that now make more assessments and treatments possible in the home
rather than only in the hospital. OK
 SOME WRITING PITFALLS TO AVOID

• WORDINESS - use the minimum number of words

Check your writing to make sure you don’t have unnecessary

words or phrases.

You may often find that there are a number of words contained
in your writing that can be safely eliminated without any kind
of danger to your meaning whatsoever. (Beer & McMurrey, 2005, p. 34)
Beer, D., & McMurrey, D. (2005). A guide to writing as an engineer (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Be careful not to use redundant
phrases
For example:
Alternative choices – alternatives
Actual experience - experience
‘Various differences” (Various implies
difference so you do not need both words)
Avoid starting sentences with
linking words
Such as but, and or yet.
Beer, D., & McMurrey, D. (2005). A guide to
writing as an engineer (2nd ed.). New York: John
Wiley & Sons
12
 ACADEMIC WRITING IS SUPPORTED

It is important to draw on other sources in your writing.

Why do you think this is?

Using sources strengthens your writing / gives credibility to what you are saying

Shows you’ve done research and have synthesized the findings into your own words

Shows your participating in the intellectual conversation within your discipline 13

 YOU CAN INCORPORATE MATERIAL YOU
READ INTO YOUR OWN WRITING BY:

Quoting - use the exact words of the author(s). When quoting you usually place the words
in quotation marks (“…”)

Paraphrasing – putting the information in your own words

Summarising - express the main points of when it is someone else's opinion, theory or
information.

When you incorporate the work of others in your writing you must always reference your
sources.
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 STEPS IN THE ACADEMIC WRITING PROCESS

Do research to get
Analyse the Make a plan to
Brainstorm ideas more ideas for
question guide research
your answer

Sort ideas by
planning the Prepare Edit and
Write drafts
essay/assignment references proofread
structure

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 EXERCISE

Take a piece of paper and

write the topic in middle of
the paper

Then connect what comes to

your mind when you see the
topic

Topic is “Leadership”
 GENERAL GUIDELINES
A Cover page or title page – You should always attach a title page to your assignment. Use
previous page as your cover sheet and make sure all the details are accurately filled.

Attach this brief as the first section of your assignment.

All the assignments should be prepared using a word processing software.

All the assignments should be printed on A4 sized papers. Use single side printing.

Allow 1” for top, bottom, right margins and 1.25” for the left margin of each page.
 WORD PROCESSING RULES

The font size should be 12 point and should be in the style of Time New Roman.

Use 1.5 line spacing. Justify all paragraphs.

Ensure that all the headings are consistent in terms of the font size and font style (First level
16/bold, Second level 14/bold and Third level 12/bold).

Use footer function in the word processor to insert Your Name, Subject, Assignment No, and Page
Number on each page. This is useful if individual sheets become detached for any reason.

Use word processing application spell check and grammar check function to help editing your
assignment.
 COMPONENTS OF ACADEMIC WRITING
Title page/Cover page • Assignment cove page

Abstract • Brief about what is this report about

Table of Content • Links to topics of the body section

List of Figures • Links to Images included in the body section

List of Tables • Links to tables included in the body section

List of Abbreviations • Include short forms with long forms included in the body section

Introduction • Introduction to the topical area/ assignment

Body • Structuring Arguments, Evidence, and Logical Flow

Conclusion • Summarizing Findings and Reinforcing Thesis

Reference List • List of sources you referred

Appendices • Attachments
TITLE PAGE/COVER PAGE

Title of the assignment

Student’s name/ Registration Number

Course/ module name

Lecturer's name

Date of submission
 ABSTRACT
(OPTIONAL)

An abstract is a brief
summary of the
assignment. It should
be one page or less
and should include the
following information:
• Purpose of the assignment
• Main points of the assignment
• Conclusion
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

An acknowledgement in
an assignment is a
statement that expresses
gratitude to the people
who have helped the
author complete the
assignment.

This can include

individuals,
organizations, or
resources.
TABLE OF
CONTENT
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
 INTRODUCTION

Usually, one paragraph

Provide background
explains what you are
information on the topic
writing about and how
of the paper.
you plan to do it
 BODY

A SERIES OF GIVES DETAILS/

PARAGRAPHS EVIDENCE TO
(80-90%) OF ANSWER THE
THE ESSAY. QUESTION
 CONCLUSION

Support the report with evidence from credible sources.

Present arguments in a logical and organized manner.

Use transitions to help the reader follow the flow of the paper.

The body of the paper should be divided into paragraphs, each of which should focus on a single main idea.

Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that states the main idea of the paragraph.

The body of the paragraph should then provide evidence and support for the topic sentence.
 REFERENCING
(WILL BE EXPLAINED IN DETAILED IN
THE NEXT SESSION)

• Referencing is a standard method of acknowledging your

sources of information and ideas that you have used in your
assignment

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 WHY DO WE REFERENCE?

To acknowledge another person's intellectual work

To make it possible for your reader to locate your sources independently

To demonstrate your knowledge of your field and make your writing more
trustworthy
To avoid being accused of 'plagiarism' (using other people's words/ideas
as if they were your own)- “intellectual kidnapping”
 When you include information that is:

WHEN A general knowledge (e.g. that Barrack Obama

is the President of the U.S.A.)
REFERENCE
ISN’T information that is common knowledge in
REQUIRED your field

ideas that are definitely your own, and

findings or insights from your own research

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Q AND A