How much do you know about academic writing

The main difference between academic writing and normal writing is that academic writing:

• uses longer words

• tries to be precise and unbiased

• is harder to understand

Answer explanation

It is generally agreed that academic writing attempts to be accurate and objective.

The difference between a project and an essay is:

• essays are longer

• projects are longer

• students choose projects’ topics

Teachers complain most about students:

• not answering the question given

• not writing enough

• not referencing properly

Answer explanation

Teachers frequently complain that students do not answer the question set, but this can be avoided by more care at the start of the process.

The best time to write an introduction is often:

• first

• last

• after writing the main body

Answer explanation

An effective introduction explains the purpose and scope of the paper to the reader.

Plagiarism is:

• a dangerous disease

• an academic offence

• an academic website

Answer explanation

Plagiarism is a concern for teachers and students, but it can be avoided by understanding the issues involved.

Basically, plagiarism means taking ideas or words from a source (e.g. a book or journal) without giving credit (acknowledgement) to the author. It is seen as a kind of theft, and is considered to be an academic crime.

Making careful notes is essential for:

• writing essays

• revising for exams

• all academic work

Answer explanation

After finding a suitable source, identifying relevant sections of text and preparing an outline, the next step is to select the key points that relate to your topic and make notes on them.

An in-text citation looks like:

• (Manton, 2008)

• (Richard Manton, 2008)

• (Manton, R. 2008)

Answer explanation

There are several main systems of referencing employed in the academic world, each used by different subjects. Your teachers will normally give you guidelines, or you may find these on the library website.

Paraphrasing a text means:

• making it shorter

• changing a lot of the vocabulary

• adding more detail

Answer explanation

Paraphrasing and summarising are normally used together in essay writing, but while summarising aims to reduce information to a suitable length, paraphrasing attempts to restate the relevant information.

Paragraphs always contain:

• six or more sentences

• an example

• a topic sentence

Answer explanation

Paragraphs are the basic building blocks of academic writing. Well-structured paragraphs help the reader understand the topic more easily by dividing up the argument into convenient sections.

The purpose of an introduction is:

• to give your aims and methods

• to excite the reader

• to summarise your ideas

Answer explanation

An effective introduction explains the purpose and scope of the paper to the reader. Introductions are usually no more than about 10 per cent of the total length of the assignment.

Therefore, in a 2,000-word essay, the introduction would be about 200 words.