R&W

• Thesis statement


  Claim or stand that you will develop in your paper
• Creating a thesis statement


  1. Think of a broad subject and then narrow that subject into a more specific topic

  2. Create a specific question that relates to the topic

  3. Create an answer to the question
• Effective thesis statement


  • Written in complete sentence
  • Not too narrow nor too broad, contain two details
  • Avoid awkward statement
  • Enumerated details should have the same level of significance
  • Should have a point
• Topic sentence


  States the point the writer wishes to make about that subject
• Supporting details


  Provide information to clarify, prove, or explain the main idea
• Types of supporting details

  • Major details
  • Minor details
• Major details


  • Explain the main idea
  • More specific than main idea
  • Provide examples, reasons, statistics and studies
  • Answer readers questions about the main idea
• Minor details


  • Explain a major detail
  • Are even more specific than major details
  • Repeat key points and add colorful detail
  • May or may not be important enough to include in reading notes
• The writing process


  1. Preparation

  2. Modeling

  3. Generate ideas

  4. Focusing on a topic

  5. Organizing ideas

  6. Drafting

  7. Feedback

  8. Revising

  9. Editing

  10. Publishing
• Preparation


  You need to establish your purpose
• Modeling


  The process where the writer looks at different works which are similar in nature with the paper you are about to write
• Generate ideas


  1. Determine the topic and narrow it depending on the purpose and target audience

  2. Brainstorming

  3. Freewriting

  4. Clustering
• Brainstorming


  The process of coming up with as many ideas as possible about a topic
• Freewriting


  You write whatever comes into your mind about the topic at hand for a specific amount of time, like 10 or 15 minutes
• Clustering


  Also called mind mapping or idea mapping, is a strategy that allows you to explore the relationships between ideas
• Focusing on a topic


  Think of a question related to your specific purpose
• Organizing ideas


  • Outline
  • Topic outline
  • Sentence outline
• Outline


  A summary of a writing project or speech and are usually in the form of a list
• Topic outline


  Arranges your ideas hierarchically
• Sentence outline


  Shows exactly what you will say about each topic
• Drafting stage


  The writer puts his ideas into complete thoughts, such as sentences and paragraphs
• Feedback


  A response to the written work which focuses on all aspects of writing
• Aspects of writing to consider in feedback

  • Factual content
  • Interpretation/analysis
  • Organization
  • Flow
  • Style
  • Grammar
  • Small errors
• Revising


  The act of improving the original paper by applying changes based on the feedback
• Editing


  The last phase of writing process
• Publishing


  After exerting effort in writing a good paper, you have to showcase your work to other people
• Context


  The situation where professional writing is performed
• Message


  The content of your document
• Language


  The channel used to convey the message
• Purpose


  The major goal or reason why you are writing (to inform, persuade and entertain)
• Audience


  The specified group of potential readers
• Product


  The output that you intend to produce after considering all other components
• Academic writing


  • Typically a research or knowledge paper
  • Writer will add their own opinion and often include extra wording
• Business (or professional) writing


  • Trying to communicate a message that will influence actions or opinion on a particular subject
  • More concise and to the point
• Academic writing audience


  • Very likely to have some knowledge of the area being written about
• Professional writing audience


  • Likely to consist of multiple parties with differing knowledge levels, views and attention spans
• Academic writing layout, tone and style

  • Visual is important but not as important as Professional writing
  • The reader(s) is likely to read the entire document
  • Layout and style should reflect the complexity and analysis of the area being addressed
• Professional writing layout, tone and style

  • Likely that the audience is working under time constraints and will have other papers to read
  • Therefore, they will not have sufficient time to read the document in depth
  • The layout of the document needs to reflect strong document structure and simple words
• Academic writing point of view


  • Formal using the third person
• Professional writing point of view


  • Less formal and can use any point of view