Success in Academic Writing For a complete listing of all our titles in this area please visit https://www. com/uk/academic/study-skills Study Skills Writing for Nursing and Midwifery Students (3rd edn) Write it Right (2nd edn) Academic Success Writing for Science Students (2nd edn) Academic Writing Skills for International Students Writing Skills for Education Students Ace Your Exam Writing Skills for Social Work Students Becoming a Critical Thinker You2Uni: Decide, Prepare, Apply Be Well, Learn Well Brilliant Essays Pocket Study Skills The Business Student’s Phrase Book Cite Them Right (12th edn) 14 Days to Exam Success (2nd edn) Critical Thinking and Persuasive Writing for Analyzing a Case Study Postgraduates Brilliant Writing Tips for Students Critical Thinking for Nursing, Health and Social Care Completing Your PhD Critical Thinking Skills (4th edn) Doing Research (2nd edn) Dissertations and Project Reports Getting Critical (3rd edn) Doing Projects and Reports in Engineering How to Analyze Data The Employability Journal Managing Stress Essentials of Essay Writing Planning Your Dissertation (2nd edn) The Exam Skills Handbook (2nd edn) Planning Your Essay (3rd edn) Get Sorted Planning Your PhD The Graduate Career Guidebook (2nd edn) Posters and Presentations Great Ways to Learn Anatomy and Physiology Reading and Making Notes (3rd edn) (2nd edn) Referencing and Understanding Plagiarism How to Use Your Reading in Your Essays (3rd edn) (2nd edn) How to Write Better Essays (5th edn) Reflective Writing (2nd edn) How to Write Your Literature Review Report Writing (2nd edn) How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation Science Study Skills (3rd edn) Studying with Dyslexia (2nd edn) Improve Your Grammar (3rd edn) Success in Groupwork (2nd edn) The Bloomsbury Student Planner Successful Applications Mindfulness for Students Time Management Presentation Skills for Students (3rd edn) Using Feedback to Boost Your Grades The Principles of Writing in Psychology Where’s Your Argument? (2nd edn) Professional Writing (4th edn) Where’s Your Evidence? Reading at University Writing for University (3rd edn) Reflective Writing for Nursing, Health and Social 50 Ways Work The Science Student’s Guide to Dissertations and 50 Ways to Boost Your Grades Research Projects 50 Ways to Boost Your Employability Simplify Your Study 50 Ways to Excel at Writing Skills for Business and Management 50 Ways to Manage Stress Skills for Success (4th edn) 50 Ways to Manage Time Effectively Stand Out from the Crowd 50 Ways to Succeed as an International Student The Student Phrase Book (2nd edn) The Student’s Guide to Writing (3rd edn) Research Skills The Study Skills Handbook (5th edn) Authoring a PhD Study Skills for International Postgraduates The Foundations of Research (3rd edn) (2nd edn) Getting to Grips with Doctoral Research Studying in English Getting Published Studying Law (4th edn) The Good Supervisor (2nd edn) The Study Success Journal The Lean PhD Success in Academic Writing (2nd edn) Maximizing the Impacts of Academic Research Smart Thinking PhD by Published Work Teaching Study Skills and Supporting Learning The PhD Viva The Undergraduate Research Handbook The PhD Writing Handbook (2nd edn) Planning Your Postgraduate Research The Work-Based Learning Student Handbook The Postgraduate’s Guide to Research Ethics (3rd edn) The Postgraduate Research Handbook (2nd edn) Writing for Biomedical Sciences Students The Professional Doctorate Writing for Engineers (4th edn) Structuring Your Research Thesis Success in Academic Writing Third edition Trevor Day BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK 1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, USA 29 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published in 2013 This edition published 2023 Copyright © Trevor Day 2023 Trevor Day has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work. For legal purposes the Acknowledgements on pp. xii–xiii constitute an extension of this copyright page.
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To find out more about our authors and books visit www.com and sign up for our newsletters. To Anthony and Tessa, a continuing source of inspiration vi Contents Preface to the Third Edition x Acknowledgementsxii Chapter 1 The Nature and Process of Academic Writing 1 1.1 Why is writing so important? 2 1.2 The nature of academic writing 4 1.3 The process of writing 10 1.4 Playing to your strengths and preferences 19 1.5 Managing your health and wellbeing 19 1.6 Using technology to help you 20 1.7 In conclusion: the process of academic writing 21 Chapter 2 Understanding the Nature of an Assignment 24 2.1 The IPACE model 24 2.2 Putting IPACE into practice 33 Chapter 3 Tackling Assignments: Writing Essays and Reports 36 3.1 Questions to ask your assessor 36 3.2 Interpreting the nature of the task 37 3.3 A typical structure for a written assignment 38 3.6 Business-style report writing 49 3.7 Critical reflective writing 54 Chapter 4 M ore Assignments: Presentations, Posters, Blogs and Dissertations 62 4.5 Planning: from large- to small-scale 74 4.6 Handling large digital documents 77 vii viii Contents Chapter 5 Researching an Assignment 80 5.2 Different strategies for different assignments 81 5.4 Becoming more discerning 93 5.5 Using bibliographic databases 93 Chapter 6 Being a Purposeful Reader and Note-taker 100 6.1 Kinds of reading 100 6.2 Beginning with the end in mind 102 6.5 Deciding on a reading strategy 107 6.6 In-depth reading (using SP3R) 108 6.7 Annotating and note-taking 109 Chapter 7 Composing (Drafting) 115 7.1 Balancing the critical and the creative 115 7.2 Composing your first draft 116 7.3 Writing to a prompt 118 7.5 The ‘no composing’ approach 121 7.6 Managing your composing 122 7.7 Twelve ways to overcome writer’s block 124 Chapter 8 Words and Images 128 8.1 The role of visual elements 128 8.2 Content and design 128 8.4 Using graphs and charts 131 8.5 Other kinds of figure 136 8.6 Software for creating tables and figures 136 Chapter 9 Academic Integrity, including Citing and Referencing142 9.1 Citing and referencing 142 9.3 Styles of citing and referencing 144 9.4 Using citations and quotations 147 9.7 Using reference management software 158 9.8 Remember, your writing is an argument – your argument 159 Contents ix Chapter 10 Reviewing and Editing Your Work 162 10.1 Fulfilling the brief 163 10.2 Structure and argument 164 10.9 Using your word processor’s functions (but critically) 178 Chapter 11 Building on Success 185 11.1 Cycles of learning 185 11.2 Making the most of feedback 187 11.3 Where to get help 191 11.4 Be inspired by what you read 191 11.5 Narratives and protagonists 193 11.6 Final word 195 Glossary197 Cited References and Further Reading 202 Index208 Preface to the Third Edition This book is written for university undergraduates and taught postgraduates in a wide range of disciplines within social sciences, sciences, engineering, arts and humanities. It will be valuable for students writing at university level for the first time as well as those in their final undergraduate year. It will also be useful for postgraduates on taught courses who have had little recent experience of academic writing.
The book focuses on coursework assignments, but the principles of good writing apply to examination answers, so the lessons you learn from assignment writing can be used to help prepare for written examinations. The book works on the principle that academic writing, like other forms of writing, needs to be tailored to its specific context – its purpose and audience. Nevertheless, there are general principles that apply to many kinds of academic writing. Using examples, reflections and self-study activities, the book takes you through the various aspects of academic writing one step at a time.
It includes examples from a wide range of disciplines so that you should be able to find some that meet your disciplinary requirements, as well as others that give general principles that you can apply to your discipline. You do not need to read through this book from beginning to end. Some of you will want to. Others will want to dip into it according to need.
Whatever your preference, there are certain chapters and sections that are more vital than others. I suggest that you read Chapter 1 first, as it sets the scene for the rest of the book. All the other chapters assume that you are familiar with the content of the first chapter. Chapters are divided into numbered sections to assist you in navigating through the book.
Most of the book is written in a relaxed style as though I, the writer, am helping you, the reader, work step by step through various aspects of academic writing. The writing style is different from that of academic writing itself and is more like a conversation a tutor might have with you when discussing your writing. Although the style is quite casual, it is nevertheless rigorous. For example, I will use appropriate conventions for citing and referencing, so demonstrating the practice expected of you in academic writing.
A summary of key points is given at the end of each chapter, along with a list of references cited in that chapter plus any suggested further reading and answers to self- study activities. A glossary of terms and a complete listing of references are given at the end of the book. The second edition built upon the first. While keeping most of the structure of the first edition, it was updated and contained a wider range of examples and activities, including focusing more on creativity and criticality.
It took greater account of those for whom English is a second language and those with distinct learning preferences. The second edition had a stronger visual emphasis. x Preface to the Third Edition xi The third edition continues the trajectory of the second edition. It emphasises creativity and criticality.
Taking into account feedback from students and colleagues, it includes more examples. It also responds to recent shifts to more online learning, and rather than guidance in using technology being located in one chapter it is now spread throughout the book, being situated where it best applies. Most of us learn best when we have to apply what we are learning to specific assignments or activities. So, I would expect many of you to read and re-read some sections of the book.
You may not fully grasp the meaning of certain concepts until you have tried to apply them more than once. You are at university to learn, and learning does not happen overnight. This book is intended to help maximise your learning from each assignment you write. I hope you enjoy the journey.
Trevor Day September 2022 Acknowledgements I wish to thank many people for helping to bring the first edition of the book to fruition. Students Charles Crawford, Sam Jolly and Tsz Kaai Lam kindly agreed to have their work adapted for educational purposes. The following colleagues read and commented on parts of the manuscript, provided examples, or through helpful discussions clarified and stimulated various directions of thought and practice that find expression in this book: Peter Bradley, Geoff Carr, Hazel Corradi, Matthew Day, Mary Deane, Christine Edmead, Suki Ekaratne, Julianna Féjer, Justin Hodds, Linda Humphreys, Julie Letchford, Geoff Murphy, Tom Rogers and James Wilson.