目录
目 录
前言
Steps and Structure
Chapter 1 Introduction to Academic Writing
1.1 Types of academic writing
1.2 Introduction to essays
1.3 Process of essay writing
1.3.1 Pre-writing
1.3.2 While-writing
1.3.3 Post-writing
Chapter 2 Research and Critical Thinking
2.1 Research skills
2.1.1 Analyzing your topic
2.1.2 Identifying credible sources
2.1.3 Evaluating information
2.1.4 Taking notes
2.2 Critical thinking skills
2.2.1 Analyzing arguments
2.2.2 Assessing evidence
2.2.3 Deducing conclusions
2.2.4 Forming your own arguments
Chapter 3 Essay Structure
3.1 The basic structure
3.1.1 The introduction
3.1.2 Body paragraphs
3.1.3 The conclusion
3.2 Connecting different parts
3.2.1 Unity
3.2.2 Coherence
3.2.3 Cohesion
3.3 The structure of different essay types
3.3.1 Analytical essays
3.3.2 Argumentative essays
3.3.3 Comparison and contrast essays
3.3.4 Problem and solution essays
3.3.5 Cause and effect essays
Features of Essay Language
Chapter 4 Formality
4.1 Using advanced, precise and academic vocabulary
4.2 Using complex and compound-complex sentences
4.2.1 Simple and compound sentences
4.2.2 Complex sentences
4.2.3 Compound-complex sentences
4.3 Minimizing the use of first and second person pronouns
4.3.1 First person pronouns
4.3.2 Second person pronouns
4.4 Avoiding the use of rhetorical questions
Chapter 5 Efficiency
5.1 Avoiding repetition and wordiness
5.1.1 Avoiding repetition
5.1.2 Avoiding wordiness
5.2 Using nouns or noun phrases
5.3 Using a mix of active and passive voice
Chapter 6 Cautiousness
6.1 Expressing probability
6.2 Showing distance from an argument
6.3 Qualifying
6.3.1 Qualifying the quantity
6.3.2 Qualifying the frequency
6.4 Combining the use of different hedging
Chapter 7 Accuracy
7.1 Avoiding run-on sentences
7.2 Avoiding agreement errors
7.2.1 Subject-verb agreement errors
7.2.2 Pronoun-antecedent agreement errors
7.3 Avoiding errors in the use of articles
7.4 Avoiding dangling modifiers
7.5 Avoiding word choice errors
Writing Conventions
Chapter 8 Citing Sources
8.1 Avoiding plagiarism
8.1.1 Types of plagiarism
8.1.2 Steps to avoid plagiarism
8.1.3 Common knowledge
8.2 Incorporating information from sources
8.2.1 Quoting
8.2.2 Paraphrasing
8.2.3 Summarizing
8.3 Acknowledging sources
8.3.1 In-text citations
8.3.2 End-of-text references
Keys to the Exercises
AppendixⅠ Examples of Essay Outlines
Appendix Ⅱ The Academic Word List
Steps and Structure
Essays are a major type of academic writing in colleges and
universities. An essay is an analytic and argumentative piece of writing on a
particular subject, which consists of a series of paragraphs. To successfully
complete your essay, you must follow a set of procedures, including the
pre-writing, while-writing, and post-writing stages.
The pre-writing stage mainly includes planning and researching.
Working out an outline is an effective way to help you plan the structure of
your essay. Researching refers to searching widely for useful and reliable
information related to your essay questions. In the process of research,you
should apply critical thinking skills to analyze your topic, identify credible
sources, evaluate information and take notes.
The while-writing stage involves writing several drafts of your essay.
First follow the structure of your outline and write paragraph by paragraph,
part by part. Your first draft may often be rough and messy. Try to polish it
in the second or third draft.
In the post-writing stage, you revise and proofread your draft to make
it more satisfactory.Revise your drafts from four aspects: the content, the
organization / structure, the language style,and the citations and references.
Finally, read your essay slowly, trying to identify the formatting problems,
spelling errors, punctuation errors, and grammar errors.
Essays have a basic structure consisting of three parts, i.e. an
introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The thesis statement is the most
important part of an introduction and it is also the heart of any essay. The
body paragraphs support and develop your thesis statement in detail. The
conclusion conveys a sense of completeness and closure of your essay.
Connect these parts in a unified, logical and skillful way.