All Questions
Tagged with style academic-writing
71 questions
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Is there a term for this academic writing issue?
I'm new at reviewing articles to be published in an academic journal. In one journal I'm reviewing, the author repeated these phrases around 20 times: Students need..., Educators need to..., Teachers ...
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1
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130
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A Question on 'Topical Progression': How to Address Internal Inconsistencies in the Framework
(This question has been moved from English Language Stack Exchange on account of relevancy.)
In my mission to improve my writing, I have come across a concept called 'topical progression' (discussed ...
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1
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"morally dialectical" is this phrase usable?
I'm wondering if this phrase can be used to characterize two characters, one who is morally good and one who is bad. Specifically I am trying to say that "I want to examine character A and ...
2
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3
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118
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What is good introductory book to learn scientific academic writing and publishing process?
I would like some help to find a good reference or textbook that covers the following points regarding scientific academic writing :
What are the types of different publications and explaining their ...
3
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2
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241
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Using "etc." at the end of list introduced by "e.g."
According to the Strunk & White's The Elements of Style (p. 46)
at the end of a list introduced by such as, for example, or any similar expression, etc. is incorrect.
However, I have seen "...
- 141
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2
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65
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Referring to an earlier defined phrase so that it's not taken literally
Say I define a phrase like 'pen' or '10 miles'. Then when I refer to these defined phrases inline in the text, how should I refer to them to let the reader know that I am referring to the defined ...
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1
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73
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This, that, these, those [closed]
English is not my first language. I am writing a more or less formal text (nonfiction).
When I am talking about something that I introduced in a previous paragraph or sentence, is it correct to always ...
0
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3
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205
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What's the solution for "language being subjective" affecting readability? To write more concisely or what?
What's the solution for "language being subjective" affecting readability? To write more concisely or what?
To me it seems like knowing how to make a "well understood" text seems ...
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68
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Punctuating consecutive usage of "and"
What should a transcriptionist do if the speakers utters,
"You need to accept the consequences and deal with the problem and focus more on growth."
Be informed that transcription ...
3
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2
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52
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Referring to one of the coauthors--should I simply use his or her name?
For example, Wang and Zimmermann are writing a research paper together. In their paper, they want to refer to Zimmermann's previous work (possibly with other coauthors).
Should they write "In the ...
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0
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53
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What is the proper way to insert a subsection into a section / end a subsection within a section?
Not sure if this belongs here, or math.stackexchange but what's the proper way to do a special case subsection in a section? This is mostly in a proof/logical statement context
i.e. To show ...
\...
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1k
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Alternative for "first" at the beginning of a sentence
I am writing a paper in the mathematics field, and I found out that very often (too often) I begin sentences and paragraphs with the word "first".
For example, "First, define P as the string..."
I ...
- 111
1
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1
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209
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How to introduce a "fourth reason" after having stated that there are "three main reasons"?
In an academic paper, I have written "There are three main arguments for why X is not Z."
I have then discussed them like this:
"First, .... (of medium length)
The second argument is ...
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1
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1
answer
45
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In an academic Paper, should you mention/reference stuff like Definitions or Theorems? Or are they part of the "text flow"?
I'm not sure if my question is entirely subjective or not. I'm asking because maybe there is a "standard" way of doing it. I haven't found anything about this because it's kind of difficult to search ...
- 111
2
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1
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500
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The excessive use of 'and'
The word 'and' is an indispensable conjoining tool in any form and discipline of writing. Although, a repetition of the word can make a paragraph too tedious to read, and it only lengthens a sentence ...
user42083
23
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2
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8k
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How should I quote American English speakers in a British English essay?
I am working on a formal essay where I have to quote a few American English speakers, but my essay is written in British English. Should I change terms like color to colour?
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2
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196
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In scientific writing, what is the protocol for shortening nouns?
I often see place or species names shortened in scientific journal articles and would like to know what the correct protocol is.
Can I shorten "Gough Island" to just "Gough"? Or "leatherback turtle" ...
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3
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184
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How to write in a more conversational tone?
I come from an academic background. Writing has always been an easy thing to me, but almost all of my practice outside of poetry has been in academic writing.
I'll find myself writing in the way ...
- 161
5
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1
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2k
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Where to put a description of software tools used in a thesis?
At the moment I'm writing my master-thesis in the area of information systems. Because I developed some code to demonstrate my approach, I also mention some software tools in my proof-of-concept ...
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3
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2
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2k
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Writing last name of a person in an essay
I am writing a research paper where it talks a great deal about a particular individual. I have already introduced the full name in the essay, should I address him by his last name after there on ...
Darkblacks
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2
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80
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Should an academic paper contain all text at the same structuring depth?
I'm not sure whether or not this is standard practice, but I've been taught that between two different-level headings, there shouldn't be any text. For example, the following would not be permitted (...
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8
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2k
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How can I stop overusing "I" in my writing?
I won't edit this question, so you can see how much I use it. The current count is 3 times. I've been told that the solution is to revise, revise, revise, but is there a particular strategy for ...
4
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3
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1k
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How should one write a thesis statement for a paper with many points?
I have always been taught to write essays in the same format:
First paragraph – Introduction including a thesis statement
Second to fourth paragraph – Body with details supporting/rejecting/analyzing ...
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250
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Can I assign actions to broad concepts?
Whenever I write, I run into the problem where I have to assign human actions to subjects that, when I contemplate about it, cannot realistically perform those actions. A teacher told me years ago ...
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245
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Is there an alternative to using signposts or questions in essays?
Strangely, in the past two days I've read two opposing viewpoints on how to introduce topics in academic essays.
I first read a question and answer that suggested it's better in modern essays to ...
- 2,540
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3
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133
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Should structuring an academic text with the help of questions be avoided?
In an academic writing course some years ago I remember being told that when writing, for instance, a journal article in English, one should usually avoid structuring one's text with the help of ...
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4
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2k
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Can I use "I" in an essay?
Why is it unprofessional to use the first person in a formal essay?
I was writing an argumentative paper for my Language Arts AP class, and I got docked points for having "I" in there.
Can you ...
3
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2
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204
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Putting code examples in BSC thesis
I am writing my bachelor's thesis in software engineering. It is split into two parts: a theoretical part where I analyze existing literature, compare models and draw conclusions; and a part where I ...
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4
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2
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578
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Do I always need to use linkers and connectors?
I have a question on linkers and connectors. I'm from Spain, so I learnt English at school and all my English teachers have told me throughout secondary school that we always have to use linkers to ...
Arnau
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1
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How would you format one essay that asks two different, separate questions?
Traditionally, I've only written essays that have one thesis statement that are supposed to answer one question. Now I'm being asked to answer two separate prompts in one single essay.
First prompt: ...
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what is account-based writing?
I am writing a report on brain injuries in sport and submitted it to my tutor, who has said that it is too account-based. She also said it 'lacked criticality and theoretical underpinnings' What does ...
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6
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4k
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How to write more clearly and with shorter sentences?
I struggle with writing an awful lot and would like to improve. One of my main problems (and the reason why writing seems to take me a very long time) is that I seem to be unable to write in shorter ...
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2
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2
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301
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Numbering of Figures in a Calculus textbook
My question is regarding he numbering of Figures across an entire textbook. If a textbook contains chapters and each chapter contains sections, should I reset the counts in each section? Or should I ...
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3
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184
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An educational ‘roadmap’ to become a proficient writer? [closed]
I need both information about the material as well as about the time it requires to learn to write.
What could be a comprehensive reading list of exemplary works for a solid base? And a good reading ...
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157
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Writing guides for writing like the Oxbridge tradition?
I would like to know how to write in accordance with the Oxbridge tradition. I would like to know more about their writing style and if possible get a book that teaches it, or something similar to it.
...
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186
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Is it a good practice to add thesis statement to non-academic writing? [closed]
Having thesis statement in the intro; what would you think is it a good practice to have in non-academic writing
Thanks
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5
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Can anyone become a good writer? [closed]
Is it possible to become an Ernest Hemingway?
Sure, someone can learn to spell, put punctuation in the right places, and keep his sentences down to twenty words. That doesn’t make you Earnest ...
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1
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How to cite Authorization for Use of Military Force as published online in MLA style?
The newest version of the MLA manual came out in April and so the OWL Perdue website is technically out of date. Also, additional websites (including the Illinois State University page on citing ...
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3
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How to refer to myself in a research paper?
Okay so I have collected personal spending data of myself and significant other over a period of 6 months. I'm quite happy with the data and would like to present it and write it up as a research ...
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4
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Can an essay have a preface?
I'm writing a multi-faceted essay that will fill multiple pages (I suppose that it could be considered a collage of essays that build on each other to support one larger theme). This is something I've ...
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where to put the Annex
My teacher asked me to move some part to the Annex of the master thesis.
I don't know where should I put this Annex thing,
I have index, list of figures, list of appreviatiosn, then many chapters, ...
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2
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1
answer
553
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Is it acceptable to ask a question in an argumentative paper?
Somewhere along the way I picked up a bias against using questions in my writing. Recently I've been reading more about persuasive writing and ideas, and came across a suggestion that asking questions ...
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3
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455
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In a formal writing, does having a paragraph rewritten by another person make the style change noticablely?
I am writing a personal statement to apply to a grad school. At first, I thought that because the role of this statement is to show an image of me as a person, using the tone I usually use when ...
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What is the fine line between "confidence" and "presumption"? [closed]
I am about to apply to a grad school, and I have prepare the SOP for it (think it like a cover letter to apply to a job). I know the rule: show what I've got, not tell how I think I'm cool. I've tried,...
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How do I stop using 'which' to explain things
I've been recently writing a lot of graduate school papers and I've noticed that I consistently use the word which to explain concepts. I have a feeling that there is a better way to express my ideas ...
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How to mark own translation?
In a thesis written using the Author's "We", how do you mark a translation of a quotation as your own?
"My translation" violates the pluralis auctoris.
"Our translation" also doesn't fit with the ...
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Lists of description appropriate for formal writing?
In a formal piece, is it appropriate to write a list, especially one of descriptions? It's the easiest way to get information across sometimes, especially on a tight word limit.
For example, if I had ...
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Are essays supposed to be formal?
After reading a prompt to one of essays, and then looking at this link, I realized how little I know about the actual meaning of an essay.
Here is how my definition of "essay" has become muddied over ...
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APA Citation Page - problems with issue number and journal names
I have written out an APA citation page. I will attach a link to the page below. I have been told that there is an issue with the way my journal names have been presented and also one issue with one ...
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How to use academic titles in the beginning of a paper
Should I use titles e.g. Dr., PhD, MS., BS, etc the beginning of a paper along with author names? Does the rule, if any, differ for different styles e.g. APA, MLA, etc.? Is the following, to make ...
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