Benjamin L. Stewart

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tagsacademicwriting

4 min read

Dos and Don’t when writing an academic text

Final Formatting Tips for Microsoft Word Working Towards a Final Draft of an Academic EssayFinal Formatting Tips for Microsoft Word Working Towards a Final Draft of an Academic Essay - Notes

  • 💡 Review this note when completing a first and final drafts.

What to do

  • When listing three or more items, include a Serial or Oxford Comma.

  • Remove all extraneous information (comments in Word, outlines, problem statements, etc.) when submitting first and final drafts.

    • Word comments of any kind: Word comments to yourself or comments with feedback

    • Outline

    • Problem statement

    • Any headings that are not the title of the essay and the References heading at the end of the essay

    • Highlighted text or text in bold

  • Write in the third person (TP).

    • Avoid first and second person.

  • A topic sentence should…

    • Begin with the main (i.e., independent) clause. 5 Types of Clauses with Examples in English Grammar - EnglishBix

    • Avoid a linking verb in the main clause

    • Be a complex sentence and not a compound sentence.

    • Should contain phrases and clauses to make it more specific than the key point listed at the end of the thesis statement

    • Contain a noun as the subject of the main clause (avoiding subject pronouns)

    • Be in the active voice

  • Stay mainly in the active voice throughout the essay. Use the active voice – The Writing Center – UW–Madison

  • Conclude the instruction paragraph and begin the conclusion paragraph with a thesis statement (Refer to the assignment, [Thesis Statement And Skeleton Outline](file:///C:/Program Files/RemNote/resources/app.asar/build/doc/bwvwibKlM46vFs6F1).

  • Include at least three peer-reviewed, academic articles that are cited and referenced according to APA, 7th edition. Citing Articles - APA 7th Edition - Research Guides at University of Alabama

  • For a five paragraph essay, include two level I headings: 1) the title of the essay and 2) a heading for the references called, “References” - without using quotation marks. A level I heading uses title case (Definition and Examples of Title Case and Headline Style) and is centered to the page and in bold.

  • Set margins in Microsoft Word at “Normal”: one-inch margins.

  • Making sure the ruler in Microsoft Word is set to “inches”, add a 0.5 inch indentation for each paragraph using the ruler slider bars.

  • Include a French indentation for references. Single space within each reference and double space between each reference.

  • Double space entire text, making sure to include equal spacing between paragraphs and between headings and paragraphs; that is, avoid any extra spacing between paragraphs and between headings and paragraphs. Refer to the video below, Final Formatting Tips for Microsoft Word.

  • Review [What should I include in the first draft of my persuasive essay?](file:///C:/Program Files/RemNote/resources/app.asar/build/doc/NaK9qm1k7K5bnx3do)

  • Insert a page break just before the References heading.

  • Include a specific thesis statement at the end of the introduction paragraph and at the beginning of the conclusion paragraph (See [Thesis Statement And Skeleton Outline](file:///C:/Program Files/RemNote/resources/app.asar/build/doc/bwvwibKlM46vFs6F1)).

What not to do

  • Avoid words like “important”, “essential”, “good”, “better”, “best”, “beneficial” etc.

  • Avoid “very”: 45 Ways To Avoid Using The Word ‘Very’ - Writers Write

  • Avoid absolutes: “all”, “everyone”, “never”, “always”, “no” etc.

  • Avoid phrases like, “obviously”, “clearly”, “without a doubt”, etc.

  • Avoid phrases that begin with “it”: 1) “it is important”, “it is necessary”, etc. and 2) “it has been found”, “it was shown…” etc. - non-referential “it” in the passive voice. quizlet.com/88962654/chp 7 nonreferential it and there flash cards/

  • Avoid “there is/are”.

  • Avoid informal phrases, “talking about”, “as mentioned before”, etc.

  • Avoid websites as references.

  • Except for perhaps the conclusion paragraph, avoid the future tense in the body and introduction of the essay.

  • Avoid idiomatic expressions (e.g., colloquialisms, phrasal verbs, slang, etc.)

  • Avoid the pronoun “one”, subject pronouns in topic sentences, and overall avoid overusing pronouns of any kind.

  • Avoid overusing pronouns overall. The problem with overusing pronouns is when their antecedents are unclear (i.e., pronoun reference). Pronouns and Antecedents - Writing Commons

  • Topic sentences

    • Avoid linking verbs in the topic sentence - first sentence of each body paragraph. Linking Verb: Definition and Examples

    • Avoid subject pronouns in the main clause of each topic sentence.

Videos

Final Formatting Tips for Microsoft Word Working Towards a Final Draft of an Academic EssayFinal Formatting Tips for Microsoft Word Working Towards a Final Draft of an Academic Essay - Notes

Links

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