Writing for University (1 Viewer)

[dagwoman]

For those who have been at uni for at least a year, how did you learn to change your writing structure and style for uni papers after adhering to the rigid regulations of HSC writing? Do they expect us to know how to write uni-style? Do they teach us?

Thanks!

 

[Libbster]

didn't change my writing style at all and got HDs. they don't teach you how to write, you just have to follow the outlines of the assessment task.

actually i just thought of another thing, the uni likes clear, succinct writing, not the pseudo-intellectual bullshit style of the hsc. eg in a psyc essay (i still got a hd) i had written "students were propositioned with regards to the experiment" and it had been crossed out and replaced with students were questioned about. so simple clear language wins.

 

[Not-That-Bright]

Also, you should find out about your faculty's preferred referencing style and stick to it.

Yea this is the only real issue I imagine you'll have, remember to check the unit outline for every unit.

 

[ElGronko]

The only really difference, as has already been outlined, is that you are not rewarded for pseudo-intelligent descriptive babble and are rewarded much more for succinctness.

And yeah, referencing.

Also, word limits are generally enforced.

And don't plagiarise or you may be expelled and I'm not joking. Their are dire consequences for cheaters.

 

[gemmal]

That's the thing I'm worried about aswell in psych. But hopefully what Libbster said is true, short and sweet and right to the point.

 

[Tulipa]

Depends on what course you're doing.

For one of my classes, Writing Theory which is all about literature and it's evolution basically you had to go through all that pseudo intellectual crap.

But referencing is the big thing. Once you've got that down you should be okay.

 

[jb_nc]

There's a few lectures on in SWOT called "Successful essay writing in first year" if you want to go along to that. Look at yuor timetable for it.

 

[bustinjustin]

Also:
- Always try and take a stance, avoid sitting on the fence
- As previously mentioned, different subjects require different styles of writing. A Philosophy paper would be vastly different from a Government paper, for instance, the former requiring a lot less secondary sources/research than the latter.
- Try and write papers that agree with the marker's viewpoints (generally leftist, but always check). Technically, they should be impartial when marking, but as my tutor put it when asked about the issue,
"...it shouldn't matter whether the stance you take is the same as mine, but let me just say, if your paper takes the same point of view I would, I'll find it easier to understand, and thus, easier to mark..."
(This was in Political Economy by the way...)

 

[Black Faery]

Don't avoid 'pseudo-intellectualism'. Libbsters example of this was in fact, a cliche combined with a phrase that is meaningless. She wrote a useless sentence.

Take great care in developing an argument, and identifying your premises. Take consideration of the chief objections to your view, and incorporate this into your argument. It will make your essay look stronger if you show that you understand what the contested parts of your argument are.

Clarity and concision are the two goals you should be aiming for with your writing style. It involves a lot of work, but make sure that every word you write means exactly what you think it means eg most definite. What is the use of most in this context? It is either definite or it is not. Write with a dictionary next to you (or use the Oxford online dictionary). NEVER use words you think are intelligent, more often than not it makes you look like a moron (cf Libbster). Read, and re-read, what you have written multiple times. Learn to draft, making sure that each time you read through you identify the parts of your essay that don't flow properly. Concision means you should always write using the least amount of words necessary.

Consider for instance some comfortable English professor defending Russian totalitarianism. He cannot say outright, "I believe in killing off your opponents when you can get good results by doing so." Probably, therefore, he will say something like this: "While freely conceding that the Soviet regime exhibits certain features which the humanitarian may be inclined to deplore, we must, I think, agree that a certain curtailment of the right to political opposition is an unavoidable concomitant of transitional periods, and that the rigors which the Russian people have been called upon to undergo have been amply justified in the sphere of concrete achievement."

Always be sincere in what you are arguing. People may claim that bias will mark you lower, but in reality that doesn't occur. I received HD marks on essays where the lecturer is Marxist but I am a libertarian/conservative. When you aren't sincere in what you are saying you tend to qualify every statement you make. This destroys any argument you are attempting to make. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.

Good guides to writing essays or writing in general:

Oshima & Hogue, Writing Academic English
Fowler's Guide to Modern English Usage (Highly recommended)
Robert Graves, The Reader Over Your Shoulder
Orwell, Politics and the English Language http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm

 

[dagwoman]

Black Faery, that's excellent advice. Thanks HEAPS. I've always been against using big words when they are a) unecessary and b) often don't even make sense in the context. I watched all of my classmates do it in the HSC and it shit me to tears.

I guess what I'm also wondering about is structure. This thread has so far offered lots of great advice for writing style, but I'm also wondering if uni markers are all into the extremely structured essay manner of "intro paragraph, body paragraph 1,2,3,4 etc, conclusion paragraph", with each body paragraph having an introductory sentence, explanation, example and concluding sentence, or whether lecturers tend to be more relaxed about this.

 

[Black Faery]

The book about writing academic english has excellent advice on structuring essays. It is fairly expensive, so I am willing to loan it to you for as long as you need/I can photocopy the important sections.

I will also photocopy from this book called Writing Philosophy: A Student's guide to Writing Philosophical Essays. Yes, philosophy focussed but a great many valuable tips about structuring essays and the writing process.

I'm assuming you will be at O-week, I hope I have enough photocopied by then to hand it to you, otherwise next week?

Meeting up at uni means I'd also be able to give you some tips on structuring certain kinds of essays for the subjects you will be doing.

Cheers.

 

[bustinjustin]

Always be sincere in what you are arguing. People may claim that bias will mark you lower, but in reality that doesn't occur. I received HD marks on essays where the lecturer is Marxist but I am a libertarian/conservative. When you aren't sincere in what you are saying you tend to qualify every statement you make. This destroys any argument you are attempting to make. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.

Good guides to writing essays or writing in general:

Oshima & Hogue, Writing Academic English
Fowler's Guide to Modern English Usage (Highly recommended)
Robert Graves, The Reader Over Your Shoulder
Orwell, Politics and the English Language http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm

Black Faery is right about sincerity, and yes, I should've said that it's a lot harder to write essays that you don't necessarily agree with, and this comes through the way you write and argue. Again, though academic bias should never be an issue, that's not to say it most definitely never impacts on the marking process, thus I still stand by what I said earlier. At the end of the day, you shouldn't limit yourself to writing just what you think the marker expects and agrees with, and at this point I apologise for ever implying that you should. Guess it varies between different subject and depends on the context of the assignment e.g, it might be more of a concern in Political Economy than say, in Arts subjects, which you're more interested in, and in which I have less experience.

 

[Libbster]

Don't avoid 'pseudo-intellectualism'. Libbsters example of this was in fact, a cliche combined with a phrase that is meaningless. She wrote a useless sentence.

I love it how you personally attack me when other people have expressed similar opinions. Pseudo-intellectualism does occur in the hsc and university writing whether you like it or not.

Clarity and concision are the two goals you should be aiming for with your writing style.

Well that's exactly what i said about clear and succinct writing, if you can't decipher that, I think that you certainly have no right to call me a moron.

succinct: Characterized by clear, precise expression in few words; concise and terse

NEVER use words you think are intelligent, more often than not it makes you look like a moron (cf Libbster). Read, and re-read, what you have written multiple times. Learn to draft, making sure that each time you read through you identify the parts of your essay that don't flow properly. Concision means you should always write using the least amount of words necessary.

congratulations, you've just repeated exactly what i've said, with more words. good work dickhead

 

[Black Faery]

I love it how you personally attack me when other people have expressed similar opinions. Pseudo-intellectualism does occur in the hsc and university writing whether you like it or not.

There is a difference between emulating intellectualism and writing badly. Your example was not particularly erudite, and you implied that it was.

Well that's exactly what i said about clear and succinct writing, if you can't decipher that, I think that you certainly have no right to call me a moron.

succinct: Characterized by clear, precise expression in few words; concise and terse

congratulations, you've just repeated exactly what i've said, with more words. good work dickhead

I would contend that my more extended explanation of 'clarity and concision' included several pointers which your 'explanation' did not. Surely if someone is asking for tips on writing styles, one should help them by explaining what exactly constitutes clear and concise writing? You effectively told her to 'write well'. You were correct (as all truisms are) but you did not provide good advice.

Good day, madam.

Black Faery is right about sincerity, and yes, I should've said that it's a lot harder to write essays that you don't necessarily agree with, and this comes through the way you write and argue. Again, though academic bias should never be an issue, that's not to say it most definitely never impacts on the marking process, thus I still stand by what I said earlier. At the end of the day, you shouldn't limit yourself to writing just what you think the marker expects and agrees with, and at this point I apologise for ever implying that you should. Guess it varies between different subject and depends on the context of the assignment e.g, it might be more of a concern in Political Economy than say, in Arts subjects, which you're more interested in, and in which I have less experience.

I simply believe that 'academic bias' is a crutch that many rely on to explain their inability to score well in such assessments. I should point out that several times I had to have my essays re-marked due to significant examples of bias. One tutor asked me if he was responsible for my 'devolution into a neo-conservative hack'. Bias can be dealt with professionally when it does occur, so accommodating for it before it occurs is in my opinion a poor decision as it leads to average essays lacking sincerity and depth.