Building Upon the CONVENTIONS of Academic Writing

This Class Will Build Upon Minimal Requirements for Academic Writing

Students in Freshman Composition will be joining the course with various backgrounds, educations, and recent writing experience.  No matter your writing past, you will be expected to have a minimum level of writing comprehension as you start to learn the academic writing style of argument, and so the listing below will get you on the right track by presenting the content quickly for new learners or refreshing those who were taught these concepts already. 

You will want to double-check that you have been previously instructed in the correct writing style, structure, and content for general academic writing by reviewing the informational links below to provide clarity. These links, and more, can be found by visiting the main Freshman Composition website at https://fgc-enc1101.blogspot.com/.  Be sure to use the header links to go to the Structure and Content pages since those are greatly important for developing an argument in our class and putting it together properly.

Many of these concepts will be elaborated upon and enriched during our time in this class; however, you will still need to know the basics for what to INCLUDE and what to AVOID in academic writing by reviewing the content in the chart below.

This class will build upon those elements of writing and teach you how to create academic writing that argues a specific viewpoint as you

1.    argue specific proposed steps to alleviate an issue,

2.    argue ethics of scientific research and advancement, or

3.    argue effects on the culture from a modern invention.

Use the Links for More Information

What to Include

What to Avoid

Format your paper in the style required by your major: APA, MLA, Turabian/Chicago/Chicago ·         Times New Roman, size 12 ·         Place commas and periods inside closing quotations marks unless citations follow in which case they are placed after the citation’s closing parenthesis. Standard English Writing Conventions Logical Introduction Structure ·         Attention-grabber opening sentence ·         Solid thesis statement Standard English grammar, spelling, and mechanics ·         Third person personal pronouns only ·         Active verbs; minimal “to be” verbs ·         Present tense unless referring to historical background or context ·         Semiformal-formal tone ·         Vary sentence structure and word usage in close proximity Logical Body Paragraph Argument ·         Analysis (cited examples and/or quotes) to support assertions ·         Scholarly research (e.g., professional journals—General Writing Resources and Requirements ·         Transitional words and phrases between sentences and paragraphs ·         Use characters’ and authors’ first and last names once; after that, use last names only Logical Counter Argument Structure Logical Conclusion Structure

Acronyms (unidentified) Anecdotes Informal/conversational tone ·         Everyday speech ·         Contractions ·         First or second person personal pronouns ·         Slang, colloquialisms, regionalisms ·         Clichés, Idioms ·         Eliminate 1st- and 2nd-person voice Choppy, Informal, or Unintelligible Content ·         Obvious or simple content with which your audience is familiar ·         Pretentious language ·         References to self as the writer (e.g., “this writer”) ·         References to “the reader” (of this paper) –which is 2nd person voice ·         Asking Questions No General Announcements—Avoid phrases such as the following: ·         “This paper will address”—Do not literally tell your audience what you will be accomplishing in your paper. ·         “In Conclusion”—If it’s your final paragraph, your audience know it’s your conclusion. Personal opinions, commentaries, or suppositions ·         Non-scholarly material—online or printed. (e.g., encyclopedias, general websites, Spark Notes) ·         Questions Italics—Use italics sparingly New information in the conclusion