the college standard. writing college papers: identifying standards and critical thinking challenges

The College Standard

Writing College Papers:

Identifying Standardsand

Critical Thinking Challenges

Building Blocks Grammar Vocabulary Questions The Goals of Academic Writing

Thesis Argument Research Plagiarism

Critical Analysis Expository Writing The First Draft Rewriting Your Paper

Guide to Grammar and Writinghttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

University of Toronto Advice on Academic Writinghttp://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice

Guide to Grammar and Stylehttp://newark.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/

This is a Test of the Emergency Grammar Systemhttp://jcomm.uoregon.edu/~russial/grammar/grambo.html

Grammar Not Your Bag?Give These Websites a Try!

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

The premises are all acceptable

The premises are relevant to the conclusion

The premises supply sufficient or good grounds for the conclusion

A

R

G

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 Manualof the

American Psychological Association

Principle 6.22 of the Ethical Standards in Appendix C

Discussion on Pages 349-50

Plagiarism

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.

Produced by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, Bloomington, INhttp://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html

“Quote

End quote”

Plagiarism (cont’d)

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.

Produced by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, Bloomington, INhttp://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html

“Quote

End quote”

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 counter-evidence?

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

Premise 1

Premise 2

Premise 3

Conclusion

Thesis

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

Allow 50% of your time for planning, research, and writing the first draft

Allow the other 50% for revising your paper

Write in Haste,Revise at Leisure

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

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

Rewriting Your Paper (cont’d)

(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.)

Recommended First Steps to Applying Grammar Rules to Your Writing

[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

Publication Manual pages 57-60 parallel construction

Also seePublication Manual pages 115-117 seriation

Publication Manual pages 40-60 grammar review

How Grammar Affects Content:Consider Parallel Structure

Publication Manual pages 37-38

Publication Manual pages 31-40 writing style review

How Style Affects Content:Consider Use of Third Person

How To Critique Your Own PaperEssay 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 PaperParagraph 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 PaperSentence 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 PaperWord Level

Are my word choices appropriate?

Do corresponding terms agree grammatically?

Did I use correct spelling and capitalization?

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/commas.html

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/679/01/

Handouts Available Online

APA Writing Standards

a. Page Format: Title page: Correct placement of running head, header with page numbers, title, name of student. Subsequent pages: Pagination, page headers, 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 URL address and retrieval date that leads reader to correct site.

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.

Georgia Baptist College of Nursing

Manuscript FormatPage format: • Times New Roman or Courier 12 point

font FIND “font size” vs. “typeface” (p. 285-6)

• 1” text margins and double-space all lines• 0.5” top margin and 1” right margin for

page numbers FIND “page number” (p. 288)

• 0.5” tab settings (or 5 to 7 spaces)

Publication Manual pages 283-305 manuscript preparationPublication Manual pages 306-314 sample manuscript


Manuscript FormatTitle page: • Manuscript page header 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


Manuscript FormatSubsequent pages: • Manuscript headers appear 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


Manuscript FormatTitle: Concise statement of main topic that

is fully explanatory and limited to 10-12 words

Running head: Abbreviated title not to exceed 50 characters

Manuscript page headers: First two or three words from the title placed 5 spaces before the page number

(1) c


Manuscript Format

Headings:

Publication Manual pages 111-115 headings

http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocAPAHeadings.html


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)

Publication Manual pages 207-214 citations in text


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


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


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.” as instructed on pages 208-9

http://www.noodletools.com/helpdesk/index.php?action=kb&article=52


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


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


References within Body of PaperException: •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

Publication Manual page 214 reference citations


References within Body of PaperException (sort of): FINDSecondary 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

Publication Manual page 247 references


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

Publication Manual pages 117-122 quotations


Quoted Material Direct quotes within paper: •Reproduce quoted material exactly as it appears in the source – see instructions on pages 118-20 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.)


Quoted Material Punctuation:

Publication Manual page 121 quotations



Reference List – 100% AccuracyPage Heading:

Double-spacing:

Hanging Indents:

Publication Manual pages 215-281 reference list

http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocAPAReferences_Format.html


Reference List – 100% Accuracy

Alphabetization:

Abbreviations:

Publication Manual pages 215-281 reference list

http://www.psywww.com/resource/APA%20Research%20Style%20Crib%20Sheet.htm#References


Reference List – 100% AccuracyYear in correct place Title and Volume italicizedCapitalization of first word title/subtitle Capitalization of proper nounsCity: State

http://www.wc.engl.virginia.edu/wiki/index.php/APA_Works_Cited_List

http://www.uwp.edu/departments/library/guides/apa.htm

http://www.umuc.edu/library/guides/apa.shtml


Reference List – 100% AccuracyElectronic sources: Correct URL address and retrieval date that leads reader to correct site


Publication Manual pages 268-281 electronic media


Reference inclusion and non-inclusionReference 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) FIND

•All sources included on the reference list must be cited in text of paper

Publication Manual page 214 reference citations


Reference inclusion and non-inclusionBibliographies 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


Miscellaneous: Commas, italics, ampersands, numbers, abbreviations, combined words and numbers, use of /, use of colon in fractions, etc. etc. etc.!!!!

http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocAPAPrinciples.html

http://www.psywww.com/resource/APA%20Research%20Style%20Crib%20Sheet.htm#Rules


http://librarynursingnotes.blogspot.com/

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://faculty.mercer.edu/summervill_j/apastyle.pdf http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796

(note that this resource has already been updated to conform to the6th Edition of the APA Publication Manual)

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/lab_report_complete.html


APA Guides Available Online

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

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