IMPORTANT WRITING TIPS from the Purdue OWL



IMPORTANT WRITING TIPS from the Purdue OWL

STYLE and ACADEMIC WRITING

Academic writing is FORMAL, not casual or informal.

1. Do not use first person point of view: I, me, we, our, us, etc

2. NEVER use second person point of view: you, your, etc.

3. Do not use phrases such as I think that, I believe that, I feel that, in my opinion, etc.

4. Do not use slang or other informal diction.

5. BE PRECISE AND CLEAR. AVOID Wordiness (Deadwood): the fact that, at that point in time. in other words, play a role, due to, as a result of, as to why, whereas, thus, therefore, which is, the most common, one of, not only, but also, very, extremely, really, a lot, great, best, usually, greater, many, most, some, a little, a few, often, sometimes, oftentimes, can be established, such as, just as, of this, is that, the fact that, means that, for many reasons, all these, serve to, to name a few, in order to, when it comes to, as noted, on the part of, by means of, after all, this means that, the reason is, in general, again, once again,  etc.

6.  Don't give readers commands such as:  Be sure to ..... or any similar sentences.  

7. Avoid negatives (use failed rather than did not, for example)

8. Don't use words like important, imperative, vital, essential, valuable, key, inevitable, paramount, significant, necessary, core, fundamental, priority, pivotal, evident, unique, or other synonyms for these words

9. Do not editorialize your writing, including words like: unfortunately, virtually impossible, well worth, obviously, hopefully, fortunately, invaluable, undoubtedly, assuredly, literally,  etc. 

 

10. Write out all contractions: can't should be cannot, for instance.

11. Do not begin sentences (or phrases/clauses within sentences) with ANY of the following words: AS, IT, IN, THERE, THIS, THAT, THEY, THEIR, BY, IF, WHEN, WHILE, WITH, BECAUSE, THROUGH, WITH

12. Do not use THAT when referring to people. The pronoun WHO refers to people.

13. Under no circumstances should you use these words at all: NEED, MUST, SHOULD -- these words imply that you are giving instructions to your reader.

14. "to be" verbs should be used sparingly: is, are, was, were, etc..

15. Use commas and semi-colons properly.

16. In a series of three or more nouns or noun phrases, insert a comma before the word "and" or "or"

17. Do not make announcements such as this paper will, in this paper I will,  in the article, in the essay, etc.

18. Do not use pretentious words intended to impress readers. If you use words your reader might not know, explain them. Example: utilize should be use. Other examples: plethora, elicit, ensue, illustrative, empowerment, 

19. Never use words that seem uncertain: could, might, may, maybe, probably, etc.

20. Use THAT and WHICH correctly  

21. Possessive nouns -- use apostrophes properly for singular and plural possessive noun forms.

22. Do not use scenarios or anecdotes or other examples to illustrate points. This is a research paper, not a creative writing assignment.

23. Do not use passive voice in your writing. Be concise and clear. Passive voice makes the sentence too wordy.

Use active voice, clear, precise, and concise sentences

 

Point of view

***No first and second person points-of-view (e.g., I, you, we) are used in academic writing. Always write from third person point-of-view. Third person points-of-view (e.g., he, she, it, and they) should not be used unless writing a reflective paper.

Verb/Subject Agreement: main verbs agree with the subject in person and number

***Verb Tense: writing does not shift inappropriately back and forth from present to past

Noun Plurals: regular plurals ending in "s" and irregular plurals

Articles: articles should be properly place ("a," "an," and "the")

Punctuation: Commas, semi-colons, colons; ending punctuation INSIDE quotation marks

Pronoun Reference: every pronoun has a clear referent; do not use "he," she," "they," etc. more than twice per paragraph.

Vague Pronouns: Make sure that pronouns such as "it" and "this" refer to something specific.

• In the report it suggests that moderate exercise is better than no exercise at all. X

• The report suggests that moderate exercise is better than no exercise at all. OK

• The group wanted to meet in January, but this didn't happen until May. X

• The group wanted to meet in January, but the conference didn't take place until May. OK

PRONOUNS SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH PRECISE NOUNS to improve clarity. Use precise language.  Avoid “it.”  "You" and other personal pronouns are never used in an academic report.  "This" and "these" need a noun referent for clarity.  "One" is generally a formal and acceptable pronoun. 

Modifiers: A word or phrase describing something.

Make sure the modifier clearly refers to the element you want it to modify.

• The council advises physicians at regular intervals to administer the drug. X

• The council advises physicians to administer the drug at regular intervals. OK

• At regular intervals, the council advises physicians to administer the drug. OK

Make sure that a modifying phrase or clause has something to modify.

• By manipulating the lower back, the pain was greatly eased. (X--implies the pain was doing the manipulating)

• By manipulating the lower back, the therapist greatly eased the pain. OK

• When not going to school, my hobbies range from athletics to automobiles. (X--implies the hobbies go to school)

• When I am not going to school, my hobbies range from athletics to automobiles. OK

***Parallelism (Examples)

        X: Boy Scouts at the camp can learn cooking, canoeing, swimming, or how to make ropes.

        OK : Boy Scouts at the camp can learn cooking, canoeing, swimming, or rope-making. 

X: I enjoy biking and to walk down by the pier.

OK:   I enjoy biking and walking down by the pier.

       X: Non-traditional students often study long hours, get limited sleep, and up again with the sunrise.

        OK: Non-traditional students often study long hours, get limited sleep, and are up again with the sunrise. 

Using That and Who

In academic writing that refers only to things. Who (or its forms whom and whose) refers only to people.

Examples:

These are the books that I need for the class.

He is the man who will be teaching the class.

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