Essential Elements of Academic Writing

A. Structure

Introduction

• • Includes a thought, question, quote, or other literary device to spark interest in the topic for readers

  • Introduces the essay’s topic/purpose clearly and concisely (called thesis statement)

  • Communicates the relevance and importance of the topic

  • Previews the major points to be covered in the body of the paper

  • How to Write an Essay Introduction by Wikihow.com

  • Body Paragraph, by About.com

Body

• • Includes two or more major points which develops the topic of the essay

  • Uses an organizational structure which is easy for readers to follow in developing the major points (e.g. chronological, logical, or other approach)

  • Major points are organized in paragraphs. Paragraphs are at least 3 sentences in length

  • The body of the paper communicates an argument – major points develop and reinforce the thesis statement (i.e. topic and purpose of the essay)

  • The rule of three for writing effective paragraphs and essays, by WyzAnt.com

  • The Introductory Paragraph, by About.com

Transitions

• • • Transitional words and sentences connect the various parts of the paper into a unified whole. Transitions are used effectively to guide readers from one section of the paper to the next

    • Writing transitions by Purdue Online Writing Lab

    • Transitions by WriteCheck.com

Conclusion

• • Repeats the thesis statement – topic and purpose of the essay

  • Reviews major points presented in the essay

  • Presents concluding thoughts or ideas on the topic

  • Challenges readers – inspires readers to take a different perspective, change behaviors, or take action based on the information presented on the topic

  • How to write a conclusion by WriteCheck.com

 B. APA Style and Formatting

• • Includes a separate title page with paper title, student name, department, university, course, faculty name, and due date. An abstract is not required for 100 and 200 level courses

  • Paper is double-spaced, has 1” margins, and utilizes one of the follow fonts

    • 11-point Calibri

    • 11-point Arial

    • 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode

    • 12-point Times New Roman

    • 11-point Georgia

  • Identifies sources used with ‘in-text’ citations and includes a ‘References’ page at the end of the paper

  • Basics of APA style tutorial

  • Download an APA template

 C. Avoiding Plagiarism

• • Avoid Plagiarism with Turnitin Draft Submissions Instructions

  • 6 Ways to Avoid Plagiarism in Research Papers, by WriteCheck.com

  • What is Plagiarism? by Plagiarism.org