The purpose of an academic synthesis is to blend individual documents into a new document. An academic synthesis paragraph considers the main points from one or more pieces of writing and links the main points together to create a new point, one not replicated in either document.
This isn't copying what the texts say, it's taking bits of information learned and connecting ideas into one message that is personal to you.
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Set due dates for the stage of your writing process, for example when you would like to pick a topic and complete your rough draft.
Writing everything all at once with no planning time will lead to typos, missed requirements and possible lost points.
Ask yourself why your professor assigned this task. How does it relate to what you are studying in class? Pay attention to key words, such as compare, contrast, analyze, etc. Who is your audience?
Make sure you are prepared for any purpose of writing. Understand every text you are required to read. Not just at a summary level either. you should be able to explain in detail what was read and why.
asks a friend or colleague to read what she has written
I always ask for a proof-read before I submit my writing assignments. It helps get another POV on the prompt to make sure every question was answered to the fullest extent.
We are all different. Our brains respond differently to the task of writing. Some people like to outline, some people like to create idea maps, and some people like to write all their ideas down and organize later.
For me rough drafts are super important. I like to get all my thoughts on the page and then organize it to sound cohesive.
For instance, you do not need to write, “Sue is like those people who always put off doing what they are supposed to do until much later than they should have done it in the first place,” when you can simply say, “Sue procrastinates.”
quality over quantity (while meeting word count requirements)
Always imagine who your hypothetical audience is (what type of publication would the content of your essay fit into?) and that will help you determine the specifics of your writing style.
Tone is so important to the purpose of your writing and knowing when it's appropriate for casual language or not is just as important.
impersonal prose
a writing style that is objective, formal, and detached, focusing on facts, analysis, and broader perspectives rather than the author's personal feelings or experiences.
Content may consist of examples, statistics, facts, anecdotes, testimonies, and observations, but no matter the type, the information must be appropriate and interesting for the audience and purpose.
The target audience plays a big role in how you write, but no matter who you're writing for it must be engaging and interesting for the reader. No one wants to read a boring article or essay.
If you want to brag about a good grade, you may write the post to please family members. If you want to describe a funny moment, you may write with your friends’ senses of humor in mind. Even at work, you send e-mails with an awareness of an unintended receiver who could intercept the message.
Depending on the target audience, the tone of your message will be different. Learning to write professionally and persuasively will help in any job field desirable.
Before you begin formal research using databases, you must first try to thoroughly develop your interests and then construct viable research terms and questions, which requires some critical thinking skills. The first step in the writing process, a process that begins with a problem and normally ends with a solution, is brainstorming.
Brainstorming helps finding everything you want to say without over writing. I tend to get burned out after writing or thinking about what to write for hours. Brainstorming before you pre-write helps gather all your thoughts in one place.
Often expository writing assignments will incorporate outside research, too. Some classes will also require persuasive writing assignments in which you state and support your position on an issue. College instructors will hold you to a higher standard when it comes to supporting your ideas with reasons and evidence.
Being able to explain why or how you know something is critical. In high school it was just a basic "what do you know" where as college-level writing assignments require a more critical thinking processes and focus is key.
Annotate (write notes in the margins) – in the form of questions, comments, personal connections, and answers to the questions you read during pre-reading. Writing down your thoughts while you are reading serves as a visual aid for studying and makes it easier for you to remember what you’ve read. This is a brain-friendly practice because the human brain can only hold information for about 20 seconds in its working memory before the next idea comes and boots the previous thought off its workbench, so be sure to write down anything you want to remember before it evaporates into thin air!
Writing down the assignment questions (if attainable) will help you understand what you are looking for and as you're reading, jot down the quick answer and where you found it in the text. That way when it comes down to essay time, you have your outline basically done.
How deeply do I need to understand the reading?
As important as it is to do well in all assignments submitted no matter the grade impact. It is always nice to know when and what classes require more attention or less. If the assignment is asking for a clear understanding rather than a detailed understanding it might be helpful to save some time and energy for the detailed readings.
the first step in handling college reading successfully is planning. This involves pre-reading, managing your time, and setting a clear purpose for your reading
If there is anything I've taken from the advice given to me by upperclassmen, it's to manage your time with a written schedule. Dedicate specific parts of your day to classwork and it will become more of a routine. It just takes discipline and motivation especially with an online course.
And it is difficult, if not impossible, to write effectively about a text that you do not understand. Even when you do understand the reading, it can be hard to write about it if you do not feel personally engaged with the ideas discussed.
This is why doing your own research beyond the given material is important.
Once you’ve selected a major, one way to develop a sense of the types of questions posed in your selected discipline is to read articles published in that field.
Doing your own research beyond the material provided to you, helps to connect to the topic more. It offers interesting facts that aren't always school appropriate.
Each of these academic fields had their own goals, their own genres, their own writing conventions, their own formats for citing sources, and their own expectations for writing style. I thought each of the teachers I encountered in my undergraduate career just had their own personal preferences that all felt pretty random to me.
It's helpful to know that every prompt and style of writing expected from me has an underlying purpose. If something seems more challenging, it's to help push me further into the discourse community of my field.
Subject: English 1110 Section 102: Absence Dear/Hello Professor [Last name], l was unable to attend class today, so I wanted to ask if there are any handouts or additional assignments I should complete before we meet on Thursday? I did review the syllabus and course outline, and I will complete the quiz and reading homework listed there. Many thanks, [First name] [Last name]
Some professors require a specific subject line and this is the example for English.
where students can present their own writing and offer constructive comments to their classmates.
This is something that helps me thrive, being able to bounce ideas off of fellow classmates helps inspire new ideas and expands my vocabulary.
Even the best students, however, need to make big adjustments to learn the conventions of academic writing. College-level writing obeys different rules, and learning them will help you hone your writing skills. Think of it as ascending another step up the writing ladder.
I purposely don't have an exception set on what will be required of me during my time at CNM in general, not just this class. No matter how unconfident I was before this semester, this a new opportunity to prove myself.
Knowing your rhetorical situation, or the circumstances under which you communicate, and knowing which tone, style, and genre will most effectively persuade your audience, will help you regardless of whether you are enrolling in history, biology, theater, or music next semester–because when you get to college, you write in every discipline.
Writing with different styles, tones and circumstances is going to help in every area of life. Whether it be a job application, a university application, or just an important letter/email. Knowing the intended audience and level of professionalism is a learned skill.
This textbook being a resource to us is going to help more than I may realize now. The total cost of books throughout a students education can cost upwards of $1,500.