Academic writing

University of Southampton, Dyslexia Services have developed a range of academic study skills resources available to download. This resource supports academic writing skills.

Academic writing and publishing

Copy of widely available guide to academic writing Hartley, J., 2008. Academic writing and publishing: A practical handbook, Routledge.3. the Manchester Phrase bank (linked here too) gives example phrases for writing Also Chapter on writing introductions from book aimed at students for whom English is not their first language

Perspectives on academic writing in european higher education : genres, practices, and competences

Resumen basado en el de la publicación

Toward a pedagogy of advanced studies in the University : the production of an inventive academic writing in the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities

Resumen basado en el de la publicaci??n

Complex skills and academic writing:a review of evidence about the types of learning required to meet core assessment criteria

Assessment criteria are increasingly incorporated into teaching, making it important to clarify the pedagogic status of the qualities to which they refer. We reviewed theory and evidence about the extent to which four core criteria for student writing-critical thinking, use of language, structuring, and argument-refer to the outcomes of three types of learning: generic skills learning, a deep approach to learning, and complex learning. The analysis showed that all four of the core criteria describe to some extent properties of text resulting from using skills, but none qualify fully as descriptions of the outcomes of applying generic skills. Most also describe certain aspects of the outcomes of taking a deep approach to learning. Critical thinking and argument correspond most closely to the outcomes of complex learning. At lower levels of performance, use of language and structuring describe the outcomes of applying transferable skills. At higher levels of performance, they describe the outcomes of taking a deep approach to learning. We propose that the type of learning required to meet the core criteria is most usefully and accurately conceptualized as the learning of complex skills, and that this provides a conceptual framework for maximizing the benefits of using assessment criteria as part of teaching. © 2006 Taylor & Francis.

Analyzing Stories from Canadian Academic Writing Instructors: A Collaborative Autoethnography

Writing instruction in Canadian universities takes a variety of forms. While there are few formal departments for writing studies, many institutions do have a writing centre – a place that offers writing instruction to varying degrees. The writing centre may be housed within a department, a library, or within a student services unit. Its position within a university may indicate the degree to which writing is valued by the administrative body. The goal of our paper is to share insights into the ways that writing professionals perceive, work in, and adapt to current demands for writing instruction in higher education. Using a collaborative ethnographic approach, three scholars at different career stages explore their experiences with writing centre work. Using data consisting of individually written reflections, our analysis revealed four major themes: (a) initial experience with writing centres, (b) community, (c) frustrations and tensions at work, and (d) mentorship. In this paper, we discuss our findings within the framework of positioning theory in order to understand how we position ourselves as scholars, mentors, and educators, and how we are positioned by others within the fields of writing studies and higher education. This study raises awareness about the value of writing centre professionals’ contributions, the place of mentorship within higher education, and the support required for continued writing centre work.

Academic Writing & Publication: My Journey of Learning Through the Development of Articles from my Masters Thesis

Abstract: In this essay, I discuss how I turned my masters thesis into three peer reviewed publications and the lessons I learned about academic writing and publication in the process.

The role of information literacy competence and higher order thinking skills to develop academic writing in science and engineering students

This article discusses a study organized to develop academic writing skills in undergraduate students pursuing engineering courses. The target group consisted of 30 students pursuing a Bachelor of Technology in their third year. The classroom observations regarding teaching writing revealed that writing proficiency for most of the students was at a very low level. Followed by this, an intervention program was organized in one college, where the researcher taught academic writing to the students. Units comprising tasks that focused on raising awareness of the academic texts and involving the students in the cognitive processes of writing were designed. The study focused on raising student awareness regarding the nature and characteristics of academic texts in order to develop academic writing skills. The study also emphasized that involving the students in the cognitive processes of writing (e.g., defining the rhetorical problem, identifying the rhetorical situation, determining the audience, setting goals for writing, planning for the text by generating, and organizing ideas) is necessary. The study further suggests that discussions between students and teachers regarding the construction of a text and the way language works in various text types facilitates better writing.

Hammering the prose: an academic guide to writing essays

This guide covers how to structure your essay and develop an argument. It also gives advice on suitable academic writing styles, and how to go about the all important editing of your work.

Student perceptions of the writing process

Based on the critical research paradigm and using a mix of methodologies, this study examined student perceptions of the process approach used to teach writing. A class of 19 ESL students in an academic writing class at a small university paliicipated in the study. As collaborators in the study, they assessed their personality types using the PET Type Check (Crantoll & Knoop, 1995) and tlleir learning styles using Kolb'sLearning Styles Inventory (1976). Interviews, classroom observations, and journals provided a data base for case studies llilQ teacher reflection. Results indicated that students perceived the prewriting step of brainstonning and peer review as most useful. Student perceptions of the tasks and course and implications for theory and practice are examined.