In any high school or college class where you’re reading texts and writing about them, your writing will be more effective if you know how to perform what teachers call a “close reading.” Similarly, if you’re writing a business report or proposal, you’ll be much more likely to reach your goals if the document reflects a close, careful reading of your primary sources.
Read MoreIncluding quotes in your writing is one of the leading indicators of an accomplished academic writer. There are rules, and they are easy to learn. Once you’ve got them down and you can sprinkle quotes throughout your writing to support your points you’ll be on your way to creating slam-dunk arguments with the ability to persuade any audience.
Read More“Quoting others’ work is crucial to your success as a writer.
Students often have difficulty with this skill; growing proficient at quoting will mark you as a sophisticated writer. Not quoting, or quoting awkwardly, is like showing up to a formal wedding dressed in cut-off jeans. Similarly, filling a short paper with many, many quotes (particularly long quotes) will interrupt your reader’s concentration on your ideas.”
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” There are many...
Read MoreUnderstanding when to accelerate and summarize vs. slow down and dig in is a key skill. Learn some basic moves to summarize well.
Read MoreParaphrasing is a skill that marks you as an accomplished academic writer – AND helps you avoid charges of plagiarism.
Read MoreActionable tips and examples to help you move deeper into the evidence you’ve already got.
Read More“Many beginning writers, especially when trying to write argumentatively, will include only evidence that supports their thesis. This is a beginner’s mistake.
Any intelligent reader will think up competing (contradictory) evidence on their own. And even if they don’t, they will have to assume that if you ignore all opposing evidence you have either, a) not done a proper research job or are, b) willfully hiding unflattering facts.”
