Effective Writing at the Graduate Level: Academic Writing Style

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Effective Writing at the Graduate Level Academic
Writing Style

• Student Development Services
• Writing Support Centre
• UCC 210
• www.sds.uwo.ca/writing

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Layers of Effective Writing
Layer 1 Appearance Spelling, Grammar,
Formatting Layer 2 Writing Style Sentence
Flow Layer 3 Organization Connecting the
Ideas Layer 4 Content The Ideas
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Academic Writing Style

• Discipline specific
• Most areas encourage a clear and concise writing
  style

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Clarity

• If it can be misinterpreted, then it is wrong
• Word choice is key
• Many clarity issues are caused by inappropriate
  words

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Vague Words

• Be as precise as possible
• Avoid words that are unclear (good)
• It was a good analysis.
• The analysis addressed three major concerns...

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Absolute Words

• In academia, nothing is ever certain
• Avoid words like proves, always and exactly
• Deer mice never eat insects.
• Deer mice are not known to eat insects.

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Incorrect Word

• Many words have precise definitions that may be
  different than what you expect
• A few examples

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Between and Among

• Between Comparing two things
• Among Comparing three plus things
• I have a hard time choosing between Hamlet and
  Macbeth.
• Among The Tempest, Othello and Julius Caesar, I
  would choose Othello.

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Affect and Effect

• Generally, affect is a verb (meaning influence)
  and effect is a noun (meaning result)
• Effect can be a verb (as in effect change), but
  it is formal and other words can be used
  (produce, cause)

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Resource

• www.wsu.edu8080/brians/errors/errors.html

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Conciseness

• Shortening the text without impacting clarity
• Not the same as brevity
• Usually improves clarity
• If a word or phrase can be removed or shortened
  without losing meaning, do it

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Redundancy

• Repeating information
• The end result, future plans
• The result, plans

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Unnecessary Modifiers

• Words that add little
• Achieving peace without some kind of armistice is
  impossible.
• Achieving peace without an armistice is
  impossible.

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Circumlocutions

• Long circular descriptions
• For the reason that, in light of the fact that
• BECAUSE

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Expletives

• Filler words
• There is evidence to suggest that fumigation
  causes...
• Evidence suggests fumigation causes...

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A Proactive Solution

• Active Voice
• Contrast with the passive voice
• Subject is acting, not being acted upon
• More direct and usually cuts out words

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Active Voice

• Example
• It was a good analysis.
• The analysis addressed three issues...

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Active Voice Warning

• Not used in all disciplines
• Science
• I added saline to treatment A.
• Saline was added to treatment A.
• Treatment A contained saline.

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Positive Form

• Convert negative phrases into positive
• Eliminates phrases like does not, will not

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Positive Form

• Example
• He was usually not on time.
• He usually came late.

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Active and Positive

• Example
• Deer mice have not been shown to eat insects.
• Deer mice primarily eat seeds and roots.

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Subordination

• Restructuring clauses within other clauses
• Changes the relative importance, but also
  eliminates a lot of words

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Subordination

• Example
• The procedure was used to extract magnetite, and
  it took five steps.
• The procedure was used to extract magnetite in
  five steps.
• The five-step procedure was used to extract
  magnetite.