Student Learning Development Services - Academic Writing

Natilene Bowker, 2007. — 119 pages. Welcome to Academic Writing! This resource has been designed for Massey University students who are new to the conventions of academic writing. Many students, including extramural, internal, and both domestic and international, may find this book useful, especially as the examples provided are not limited to a specific discipline. The book offers advice and guidance on how to write university assignments, including a section on the writing process with particular reference to essays. Another section deals with the basics of report writing, incorporating sub-sections on business report writing as well as lab report writing. When writing university assignments, referencing the work of others is integral, hence there are sections on integrating the opinions of authors into your assignments, as well as how to construct a Reference List at the end of your assignment. As a student for many years, as well as an academic author of research publications, I have designed the book to help new students with their journey into academic writing. Rather than becoming aware of the features of academic writing through trial and error, as I have done, it is hoped that this resource will fast track you through to many of the key requisites underlying academic assignments. Indeed, that is why there are sections introducing you to marking guides, and lecturers and course co-ordinators' expectations surrounding university assessments. Further, having personally experienced the paralysing effects of procrastination and perfectionism, I have added some advice and guidance, towards the end of the book, for managing these commonly encountered obstacles to successful writing. A final section provides a range of resources focusing on grammar skills and the spelling of difficult words.