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Tips on writing well-formed, impactful paragraphs

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Tips on writing well-formed, impactful paragraphs

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Guidance on checking the final draft before submission

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Guidance on checking the final draft before submission

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Key advice on how to unpack assignment questions

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Key advice on how to unpack assignment questions

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How to create a clear map for your writing assignment

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How to create a clear map for your writing assignment

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Useful strategies for researching your assignment

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Useful strategies for researching your assignment

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Walden University

A set of video tutorials that introduces you to the essentials of paragraph writing.

Access the resource here.

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OWL Purdue

Key tips on writing well-organised paragraphs that keep to a single, clearly expressed point.

Access the resource here.

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Royal Literary Fund

Excellent advice on the iterative process of drafting and re-drafting.

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RHUL

Dr Ursula Hackett provides insightful advice on how to write a stand-out introduction.

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How to Write Brilliant Essays: The Best Introduction

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University of Manchester

An interactive guide that underlines the importance of editing for flow, clarity and accuracy. Recommended.

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Royal Literary Fund

This advice takes you through all the steps to decode an essay question.

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Critical Thinker Academy

Kevin deLaplante argues that rewriting underpins all good prose. He is right.

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University of Manchester

This interactive tutorial (including videos) addresses the core elements of essay writing: concise introductions, clearly organised paragraphs for the body of your essay, and impactful conclusions.

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RHUL

In  this series of three short videos, Dr Ursula Hackett unpacks essay questions by probing underlying assumptions.

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3

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How to Write Brilliant Essays: Examining Assumptions 1

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Trent University

Brief advice on how to build an effective concluding paragraph. While you are there, check the other academic writing guidance on this site.

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Royal Literary Fund

Read this resource to find out 'what planning and structure mean and why you need them'.

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OWL Purdue

A list of things to look for when checking through  a draft for grammatical slips, typos and other careless error. In other words, the kinds of oversights that can incense markers!

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Harvard College

This guides outlines the steps in constructing a clear thesis.

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Royal Literary Fund

Great tips on how to approach your academic reading with advice on techniques (including SQ3R)  to read more efficiently.

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RHUL

Dr. Ursula Hackett advises student writers to state the core argument succinctly at the outset of an essay. Examples provide helpful illustration in this recommended video tutorial.

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How to Write Brilliant Essays: Controlling your Argument

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Royal Literary Fund

Markers are looking for a clear argument in your writing. This guide explains how you can meet this requirement.

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University of Toronto

Detailed guidance on how to research for an assignment in a systematic way.

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University of Manchester

Essential advice on a range of strategies for effective note-making with examples given of the Cornell method, linear notes, mind-mapping and colour coding.

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University of Manchester

Excellent interactive tutorial that takes you through the process of thinking, reading and writing critically. Recommended.

Access the resource here.

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Tom Nicholas

Engaging video in which Tom shares his reading and note-making method using Evernote.

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How to Read, Take Notes On and Understand Journal Articles | Essay Tips

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Trent University

Valuable advice on engaging critically with dense academic texts.

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Expectations for Post-Secondary Reading

Academic reading is almost always difficult reading. It is usually densely packed with ideas and implications that need to be thought out and considered. The result is that your reading will take time - lots of it.

It will also require that you read actively and critically. Critical reading involves breaking the argument down into its parts to see how well each part works and how parts of the argument work together. You likely have good reading skills to understand a text, but you need to move beyond comprehension to also analyze what a text does and how it does it.

One of the best ways to approach university reading is to see it as a three-part experience: before, during, and after. And, what you do before and after you begin a reading is as important to your comprehension of it as what you do while you read.

Efficient Reading is Active Reading

Many students find their reading in university to take more time than they expect, but they quickly learn that reading shortcuts (speed-reading techniques and quick skim methods) do not facilitate active or critical reading. Instead, they often read the text all over again.

One reason that reading can take so long is that students approach their reading without a plan, so they often lose focus and need to read a page more than once. Other students believe they must take notes so detailed they come close to re-writing the text. Neither of these approaches is effective or efficient.

Students who believe they should read for two, three, or four hours straight may also find reading to be difficult, particularly as they grow weary of small text and big words. And still other students who believe they can read while completing other tasks quickly find that multi-tasking is not the most efficient strategy for completing course readings.

Efficient reading is purposeful ....

Critical reading is far easier if you have a sense of the purpose and main point of a text before you begin reading it in depth. Having this in your mind can help you to follow the author's key message and to separate essential ideas from supporting details. One way to develop a sense of the purpose of the source is to preview before you read.

Consider its form; is it a textbook chapter, an empirical article, or an argumentative article?

Read and understand the title.

Examine the table of contents and/or section headings.

Read the abstract, as well as the introductory and concluding sections.

Skim through the text looking for main ideas; read topic sentences, transitional sections, bolded elements, captions, boxes.

Read text summary and summary questions (if they are provided in your text).

Determine the argument or the significant findings presented in the article or book.

By the end of your preview, you should be able to explain and write down:

1. The type of text and its purpose

2. The main topic or question that the text will address

3. The author's main argument or findings (for empirical and argumentative works)

4. The structure of the text or the organization of ideas

Once you have previewed a text, you can begin reading it in detail, confident in the knowledge that you know where the text is going.

To read critically, you must read actively. Ask questions as you read about the key message or argument, the main findings, the evidence used to support the key message, or applications and limitations of the findings.

It is important to take good notes; they reinforce your learning, provide you a resource for reference in lab and seminar, and support you in preparation for exams.

Tips for Effective Notetaking During Reading

Before you begin taking detailed notes, write down the topic or question the text focuses on and the author's thesis or main point.

Read a text in small chunks, the length of which will depend on the length of the text. Take notes after you read a paragraph, section, or chapter. This will ensure that you write down only the most important information.

Use point form. Avoid recopying the text.

After you complete your reading, make a list of the 3-5 most important points.

Take some time after completing a reading to review your notes and reflect on them. If there are review questions, answer them. If there are key terms listed at the end of a chapter, define them. You can even write them directly onto flashcards to aid in exam preparation. If review exercises are not provided, make your own. What 3-5 questions would you ask about the reading? What terms do you think are most important? What questions will you ask or what points will you make about the reading during class?

See specific strategies, questions, and notetaking templates for three common texts assigned in university:

1. Argumentative texts: Articles, Books, and Book Chapters in Humanities and Social Sciences

2. Empirical articles: Scientific Reports

3. Textbooks

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Academic reading is almost always difficult reading. It is usually densely packed with ideas and implications that need to be thought out and considered. The result is that your reading will take time - lots of it. It will also require that you read actively and critically.

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Mometrix

A video introduction to the famous   'Cornell Method' for note-making. Give it a try!

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How To Take Cornell Notes Properly (Video)

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University of Manchester

Interactive guide to unpacking an essay assignment. Recommended.

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University of Manchester

A five step guide to developing a clear thesis statement and structuring your essay to develop argument. Recommended.

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University of Hull

Clear introduction to all aspects of mind mapping.

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University of Leicester

A glossary that explains key instruction words that occur in essay questions.

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Solent University

This guide advises you to focus on both the 'brief' and the marking criteria as a  first step.

Access the resource here.

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The most effective way to improve essays

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The most effective way to improve essays

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Critical Thinker Academy

Kevin de Laplante argues that 'fixing problems with structure will fix the majority of the problems with your essay'.

Access the resource here.

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Lyn Nygaard

Although this advice is for research students and academics, it is relevant to all academic writers. Lyn Nygaard makes three great points about our approach to writing. Watch to find out.