Category: Academic Writing
Establish Your CREDIBLITY
Any writer needs to establish her credibility. Why read someone who you don’t believe or trust? Practice these skills to get it done quickly.
Read MoreFallacy: Cherry Picking Data
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” There are many...
Read MoreAvoid Logical GOOFS (Logical Fallacies)
Fallacies are statements that sound logical but, if you stop and think, really aren’t. Avoid in your own writing and critique in others’.
Read MoreFallacy: Ad Hominem
It can be tempting, during an argument, to attack people who disagree with you, but people aren’t necessarily wrong simply because they have flaws. Name-calling and insults are not one of Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals for a...
Read MoreWrite a More ORIGINAL Thesis
One of the largest challenges to moving from middle-school and early high school writing to more advanced work is the challenge to write something original. This doesn’t mean you have to invent some whole new theory of life, the universe, and everything. Rather, it means you have to make your reader think.
Read MoreAvoid a VAGUE Thesis
The more specific your writing, the more successful you will be at convincing others and communicating your ideas. Set yourself up for success in academic writing by crafting a specific thesis. Not a vague one. What is a vague...
Read MoreWrite a More SPECIFIC thesis
You will probably receive, or have received, the following feedback at some point: “Try to narrow your thesis.”
This may seem odd; a thesis isn’t something you can squeeze and shape. Can a thesis be ‘fat’?
The comment is an attempt to explain that you have bitten off more than you can chew.”
Fallacy: Non Sequitur
Imagine the following conversation between you and a friend: “I can’t wait to go to the beach!” ...
Read MoreTips for Organizing Your Ideas (Reverse Outlining)
Use this clever strategy to take a bunch of ideas and shape them into a coherent essay.
Read MoreDefine the KEY WORDS that are Crucial to Your Argument
Selecting a few, specific key words then using them throughout your essay will help emphasize your thesis and create flow and continuity.
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