Ten Basic Tips for Writing
Student Academic Papers
Dennis Bratcher
1. Longer is not better
If you run out of something to say, stop. Either do more research, or
stop writing. Professors can spot "padding" with their eyes closed
(almost). Avoid the temptation to include everything you have read on
the topic. A good sign of understanding a topic is the ability to
condense what is important into a concise and readable form. If you
don’t know what is important, that is a good clue that more research is
needed. On the other hand, include enough to get the point across.
Shorter is not necessarily better either!
2. Use quotes sparingly
Quotes should usually not exceed four or five lines unless there is a
compelling reason that is essential to the paper for a longer quote. Do
not let quotes carry the flow of thought or use them to "pad" the paper.
The best practice is to express your own research, analysis, and
conclusions in the body of the paper, and then use quotes in
footnotes as supporting material for your own formulations, or to
provide illustrations of opinions. Never conclude a paper with a quote;
conclude the paper with your own summary or application of the material.
3. Pay attention to detail
Format the paper so that it is easy to read. NEVER single space. Use a
cover or title page (except for short 1-2 page papers). All pages should
have at least 1" margins all around. Use a Roman font, 10 or 12 pt.
NEVER use artistic or script fonts, colored ink, or tinted paper. Ask
the professor which non-Roman fonts are acceptable (not all Hebrew and
Greek fonts are mapped the same way, so are not interchangeable; Silver
Mountain fonts are good and are available as shareware). Take special
care with the bibliography to ensure that it is in proper format. For
most writing in the humanities, Chicago Manual of Style
(Turabian) is preferred.
4. Spend time on structure and composition
Begin with an introduction of the topic and use a thesis sentence to
summarize the purpose/goal of the paper. Use headings in the paper if it
is more than four or five pages. Make sure there is a logical
progression of ideas that flow toward a conclusion.
5. Use good grammar and spelling
Proper grammar is not a matter of preference, and poor spelling or
grammar may communicate to some people a lack of mental discipline. In
ministry, you will be a professional, so you need to sound like one when
you write or speak. Bad grammar and poor spelling not only make papers
difficult to read, but will become a habit that is hard to break.
Students for which English is a second language will be given more
latitude.
6. Paragraphs are nice
It is hard to follow the development of ideas in long or non-existent
paragraphs. Generally, paragraphs should never be more than six or eight
sentences, unless there is some specific reason requiring them to be
longer (as in detailed logical argumentation). Topic sentences
introducing paragraphs help the reader follow the flow of thought.
7. Class notes are not primary resources
Class lectures have their purpose, but that purpose is not to provide
the stuff of academic papers (web site material can be cited). Read
material from the recommended bibliography and assigned reading as
resource material for papers.
8. Provide careful documentation and bibliography
Be careful to document material that is used directly, especially the
use of direct quotes. Changing a few words from a research source does
not make the writing original. General background reading does not have
to be documented except in the bibliography, but material from which are
drawn specific ideas needs to be cited. The bibliography should not be a
reference bibliography, nor should it be narrowly restricted to "works
cited," but should include all material that was used in any substantial
way in researching the paper.
Use CMS format, with footnotes. Do not use endnotes. While
endnotes are acceptable in many academic circles, footnotes allow faster
reading of student papers (important when professors are grading large
numbers of papers). Pay careful attention to the format of bibliographic
and footnote citations.
9. Do not use material that you do not understand
If you have not had Hebrew or Greek, it is probably not a good idea to
try to incorporate material based on Greek or Hebrew linguistics.
10. Write in plain English
Don’t use jargon just for the sake of jargon, even if you do understand
it. Communication is the purpose of most writing, not to impress people
with technical vocabulary (scholars too easily slip into this trap).
Still, in an academic context some technical terms make communication
easier. On the other hand, avoid colloquialisms and slang. While the
language does not have to be formal, it probably should not be "chatty"
either (short "reflection" type papers are an exception).
-Dennis Bratcher, Copyright ©
2006, Dennis
Bratcher, All Rights Reserved
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