How to Write for University

Undertaking a writing project for assessment can be a challenging prospect for students of all disciplines and especially those new to academic writing in higher education. The unique 12-step approach in this book leads students through the different stages that apply to any form of academic writing - gathering relevant information, processing that information through effective planning, creating the text and developing writing for future assignments including exam writing. The authors follow their tried-and-tested Smarter Student series approach to deliver timely, practical, hands-on guidance based on real-life experience from teaching and assessing students' writing. How to write for university - academic writing for success is an invaluable tutorial and reference for any student approaching university writing assignments.Introduction 1. The importance of writing at university - how your abilities in academic writing contribute to your sucess Essentials for getting started - how to gather and record information 2. University writing in context - how your academic writing is shaped from the very start of your course 3. Lectures, listening and academic writing - how information you hear in lectures contributes to your writing 4. Researching information for writing assignments - how to use the library as a source of academic information 4. Reading effectively - how understanding the structure of text helps your own writing 6. Notes from lectures and reading - how to record information in note-form for use in your writing 7. Speaking, thinking and academic writing - how discussing your work contributes to organising and wording your writing Understanding the contexts and practices relating to academic writing - how to meet the standards 8. Organising yourself for writing - how to use your time effectively to ensure successful completion of assignments 9. The format of academic writing - how to structure your text appropriately 10. Following the expected academic style in your writing - how to adopt the appropriate language conventions in your task 11. Information-processing and critical thinking for writing - how to approach your analysis of source material 12. Referring to source material in your writing - how to cite and reference correctly to avoid plagiarism 13. Presentation of academic assignments - how to follow the relevant academic conventions in your written work 14. What markers look for when assessing written work - how markers grade your academic writing Writing technique - how to plan and write for assessment 15. Planning writing assignments - how to reflect on and organise your response to the task 16. Writing a first draft - how to shape your text using sentences and paragraphs effectively 17. Reviewing, editing and proof-reading your writing - how to make sure your writing is concise and correct Developing future academic writing - how to build on markers' advice for good results in later writing including exams 18. Acting on feedback in your coursework - how to use markers' comments to develop your academic writing 19. Academic writing in exams - how to translate the techniques of coursework writing into your exam script Appendices