Learning strategies for writing
- Read your paper backwards, one sentence at a time.
- Read your paper out loud.
- Read your paper backwards out loud.
- Identify your thesis/argument. Make sure you have one.
- Use the spelling and grammar check function available in Word.
- It is not always correct but often is.
- Read problem sentences out loud to someone. If she or he looks confused, the reader will be too.
- If she or he does not understand what you are saying or wants more clarifying information, the reader will too.
- Record your ideas or thoughts with your cell phone and write them into your paper.
- Use a thesaurus, especially if you keep repeating a word.
- Give yourself enough time to write your paper and put it away for a few days before you edit. Time often gives clarity.
- Use shorter sentences to present the information more clearly to the audience.
- Properly cite your work. If you didn't personally create it, it's not yours. You need to give credit to the person who did create it, thought of it, researched it or said it.
- Spell out all contractions:
- Ex: It is, will not, they are, there is, there are
- Use evidence to back up your insights. Use "for example," "e.g.," and "i.e." liberally.
- Ex: brief quotes, statistics, paraphrases, historical facts.
- Explain why the evidence you have used is evidence.
- Use the TLC resources and getting started handouts.
