Written by Katherine Watson, one of our Peer Writing Advisors.
With a built-in spell-checker on Word and other writing programs, it can be tempting to skip manual editing. Don’t make this mistake! Not only may these digital tools miss some spelling, punctuation and grammar issues BUT there are many other ways that manual editing can significantly improve your assignment. This blog post describes 10 ways you can check your work to get a higher grade:
Introductions are incredibly important for establishing the context, structure and argument of your essay. A good introduction should provide a brief overview of the background to your discussion, outline the order of your discussion and any key themes, and state in simple terms exactly the argument you make. Leave little to surprise – the reader should know exactly where you are heading.
Well-crafted topic sentences can really improve the flow and clarity of your writing. Rather than diving straight into your data, a reference or case study, use that first sentence in a paragraph to introduce the main point. You may also make a link or contrast to the paragraph before by opening the paragraph with a coordinating conjunction such as ‘However…’, ‘For this reason…’ or ‘In addition to…’.
A well-developed paragraph should include one, if not two or three, forms of evidence to support the point you are making. These may mean referencing literature or drawing from statistical data or a case study. In addition, you should add your own evaluation on the evidence provided. For example, are there any limitations? If so, what? How does it compare to similar contexts/examples?
The main body of your essay will likely include several sections. If not, then perhaps you need to get clearer on what your argument is and how you could break it down into smaller chunks or themes. Sub-headings can be a great way to signal a transition to the reader, but the same effect can be achieved through the use of clear topic sentences and signposting in the text. For example, ‘Having discussed the topic of X, the next section will focus on Y...'
Beware of unwieldy sentences. The length of your sentences is partially a stylistic choice. However, if you’re uncertain, or have been told in previous feedback to strengthen your argument or make your writing clearer, it’s safer to break down sentences into shorter, digestible portions. Try to limit each sentences to one or two points rather than three or four mashed together with ‘and’, or ‘so’.
An easy way to improve you writing is to regularly return to your main argument throughout the essay. Once you have written out your argument in a sentence or two in the introduction, pick it up throughout you essay. One way you can repeat it and tie it into later discussion is by highlighting how the content of a sub-section contributes to, or offers a counter point, to the main argument. This is a great way to keep your narrative consistent, make your argument more powerful, and remind the reader about your intentions.
If you have copied anything directly from a text or the internet, you must either put in in quotation marks OR paraphrase it. In both cases, you must also put the relevant reference. Paraphrasing is when you re-write it using different words but still expressing the same meaning.
Academic discourse is typically different from normal ways of speaking. Avoid contractions (it’s, didn’t, can’t) and instead write out the words in full (it is, did not, cannot). Moreover, be careful with the use of personal pronouns such as ‘I’ and ‘my’. While there are exceptions such as in reflective writing, the use of personal language is not acceptable in many academic disciplines and can weaken your argument. For example, the sentence ‘I believe Winston Churchill was a contentious figure…’, could be replaced by ‘Winston Churchill was a contentious figure…’ or ‘Several historians including [insert name] have argued that Winston Churchill was a contentious figure…’ If you need guidance on the tone and style, just look through any books or articles on your reading list.
At the very least, your conclusion should touch upon each of your main points. However, it is also a great opportunity to discuss each of your subsections as a whole, reflect on the links between your findings, and to propose some priorities or future directions for this topic. Never include new data or references in the conclusion.
There should be a list of all texts, websites or other sources referenced within your essay at the end. Only include references you cited, not everything you read. Usually, you should list references in alphabetical order by the surname of the first author. For guidance on which referencing system to use for your subject and how it looks, check the information provided by the university library or ask your subject librarian.
