Effective learning for International Students

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Effective learning for International Students

• Writing Text Organisation Style

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Good Text Organisation

• All the hard work can be spoilt by poor text
  organisation.This may be because
• Youve struggled to work out the focus of a
  particular essay question
• You know your work so well, you assume its clear
• You leave no time for proof reading

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Aspects of text organisation

• Cohesion
• Punctuation
• Reference(s)
• Coherence

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Cohesion

• All the parts or ideas should fit together well
  so they form a united whole. This is done by
  using
• Pronouns (this/these, it/he/she)
• Repetition
• Synonyms
• Cohesive markers (firstly, secondly, however,
  furthermore, however)
• Words with the same root (e.g. commerce
  gtcommercialisation, diversify gt diversification)

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Punctuation

• Some common problems are
• Misuse of commas
• Confusion between colons ()which introduce lists
  and semi-colons ()which separate parts of
  sentences
• Very long sentences with no division of clauses
• Misuse of capital letters
• Misuse of apostrophes

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Reference

• Pronouns are one of the most common ways to
  refer back in a text but take care not to confuse
  the readers.
• example The dog bit the man and his son. He had
  been teasing it.
• Who does he refer to?

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References

• When you include direct quotations in your
  essay, make sure they fit grammatically. If
  necessary
• Change capitals to lower case or vice versa
• Add extra words within the quotation
• Insert to show that words are missing
• Take care not to distract the reader by placing
  references in the middle of sentences.
• Dont just drop them into the text!

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Coherence

• This is achieved by applying the principles of
  cohesion and ordering the text logically.
• examples
• Chronological order
• General gt specific information
• Most important gtleast important factors
• Most common gt least common factors

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Academic Style is

• Complex
• Formal
• Objective
• Explicit
• Hedged
• Responsible
• (Gillett A www.ufeap.co.uk)

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Style

• Formal academic writing does not include
• Slang
• Contractions (e.g. its, cant)
• Your own experience as the sole source of
  information

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Check

• Always spend time making connections between the
  parts of your essay plan
• Give yourself time to read the final draft
• Get a friend to read your work
• Take notice of tutors comments

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Final Thoughts

• If you cut up your essay, could someone else put
  it back together? If not, why not?

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Further references

• Lancaster University Effective Learning Website
• Creme P Lea M (1997) Writing at University.
  Buckingham OUP
• Gillett A http//www.uefap.co.uk/writing/style/int
  ro.htm