EDU 600:Educational Research

Methods and TechniquesHow to Write so Readers Will Understand You

Rachel Brown-Chidsey, Ph.D., NCSPAssociate Professor of School Psychology

University of Southern Maine907-355-7328

rachelb@maine.edu

Overview

These slides will cover the following: Importance of clear writing in research Key features of academic writing Resources to support your writing If you struggle with writing Summary

Importance of Writing

Writing is how we communicate ideas to people who are not immediately available to hear us

It plays a crucial role in all professions

Written work allows researchers to communicate with each other

Key Features of Academic Writing

There are standards for writing that are specific to each profession

Academic writing for publication must follow the standards for the discipline

There are many writing standards and manuals used in higher education:

American Psychological Association (APA) Chicago Manual of Style Modern Language Association (MLA)

Educational Research Writing

Educational research uses the APA standards for writing

These are found in the most recent version of the Publication Manual of APA (click to visit website)

6th Edition (published in July 2009)

All SPY students are expected to learn and use APA style in all papers and assignments unless otherwise noted.

Good Writing is Good Writing

Regardless of the discipline, all written work at the graduate level needs to utilize formal rules of the language

Formal written English is not the same as spoken English

The following slides review key rules about formal written English

Students are encouraged to refer to Rachel's 10 Commandments of Writing often in this class

1. Thou shalt write complete sentences.2. Thou shalt use subject-verb agreement in all clauses of each sentence.3. Thou shalt use a semicolon ONLY when connecting two independent clauses.4. Thou shalt use the past tense when describing prior research.5. Thou shalt use personal pronouns to describe people.6. Thou shalt have agreement in gender and number between all pronouns and the nouns they represent.7. Thou shalt consult a dictionary to check for word spellings and meanings.8. Thou shalt use a font size no smaller than 10 and no larger than 12.9. Thous shalt not use Wikipedia as a reference in graduate level writing assignments.10. Thou shalt review your paper at least 3 times before turning it in to check for mistakes.

Rachel's 10 Commandments of Writing

1. Thou Shalt Write Complete Sentences

A complete sentence includes a subject and predicate, plus any modifiers or clauses.

The shortest sentence can include a noun and a verb. Shorter and simpler sentences can be easier to read

and more communicative than longer ones. Complete sentences include proper punctuation and

capitalization. If you are not sure if a sentence is complete, read it

out loud to yourself or have a friend read it.

2. Thou Shalt Use Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement means that the number and tense of the subject (noun or pronoun) is the same as the number and tense of the verb

Examples: I went to the store. You are late.

Non—examples: I goes to the store. I is late.

3. Thou Shalt Use a Semicolon ONLY when connecting two independent clauses.

The ONLY correct use of a semicolon is to connect two independent clauses.

Independent clauses are like complete sentences without a starting capital letter.

Example: I like to read books; Dana Stabenow is my favorite

writer. Non-Example:

I like to read books such as; Harry Potter

4. Thou Shalt Use the Past Tense When Describing Past Research

In formal academic writing, the past tense is used to describe prior research

The reason is that past research includes data from specific studies done at a point in time. Such past studies may, or may not, be replicated in the future.

Only the past tense conveys the closed nature of the prior research

Imperfect of present tense suggests that prior research is infallible; this is not true.

5. Thou Shalt Use Personal Pronouns to Describe People

Personal pronouns are the ones that can stand in for a person.

These include

He

She

They When a person's name or title is replaced with a

pronoun, it should be a personal pronoun.

6. Thou Shalt Have Agreement in gender and number between all pronouns and the nouns

they represent.

If a pronoun is used to represent a noun, it needs to agree with the noun it replaces in both number and gender

Examples: Sally = She Bob = He

Non-Examples: Bob = They

7. Thou Shalt Consult a Dictionary

English words have correct spellings and meanings. When incorrect spellings and meanings are used, the

usefulness of the written work is reduced. Electronic spelling programs are fine as long as you

proof-read your paper to control for homophones. There are online dictionaries which you can add to

your tool bar to use as your write. It is your job to know the meaning of the words you

use.

8. Thou Shalt Use a Font Size no smaller than 10 and no larger than 12.

Font quality and size affect the readability of a text. For ease of reading, it's best to use a simple font.

Example: Arial

Non-Example: Agnes

The size should range from 10-12.

9. Thou Shalt Not Use Wikipedia as a reference in graduate level writing assignments.

Wikipedia is an interesting and sometimes useful creative resource.

It is, by definition, not externally or peer-reviewed. It is not appropriate for use as a references in formal

academic work because the information has not been validated.

10. Thou Shalt Review Your Paper

It is the student's responsibility to review and proofread your paper before turning it in.

It is recommended that you review it 3 times: Review the working draft(s) Review the final draft Proof-read the final before you turn it in

We all make mistakes but strong students and scholars make few of them in writing.

Writing Ethics

All universities have policies concerning ethical educational practices

In the area of writing a key ethical standard relates to plagiarism

Plagiarism is the intentional use of another's work without giving credit to the author

USM's graduate catalog includes a summary of academic policies and discipline actions related to violations of the policies

Resources to Support Your Writing

A number of print and online resources can provide help when writing in formal academic style

Be wary of websites not sponsored by Universities or professional associations because they may give inaccurate information

The APA website has a number of books which “translate” APA style into everyday use

Other books might be helpful as well

If you Struggle with Writing

All writers struggle when writing at some point or other

If you find that all writing tasks are difficult for you, you can contact the following USM resources:

Learning Foundations: http://usm.maine.edu/lap/

Office of Support for Students with Disabilities:

http://usm.maine.edu/oassd/

Your academic advisor

Summary

Clear writing is essential for research and teaching. Formal academic English has specific rules that

need to be followed. Rachel's 10 Commandment's of Writing provide

basic guidelines for graduate level writing assignments.

If you struggle with writing, seek out help and use it.