Lesson #1 for success in life

Find out what you’re expected to do, then do it better than expected.

In other words:READ THE ASSIGNMENT

Revising Your Paper

Intro:STRONG thesis statementSome context for understanding

the thesis statementA preview of the structure of

the paper

THESIS: Nuclear power has the greatest potential of any energy source to arrest and perhaps reverse climate change.

THESIS: Nuclear power has the greatest potential of any energy source to arrest and perhaps reverse climate change.

CONTEXT: Nuclear power is the only energy source that can provide uninterrupted energy with minimal carbon emissions. Despite public fears, nuclear power has proven to be safe and relatively inexpensive.

THESIS: Nuclear power has the greatest potential of any energy source to arrest and perhaps reverse climate change.

CONTEXT: Nuclear power is the only energy source that can provide uninterrupted energy with minimal carbon emissions. Despite public fears, nuclear power has proven to be safe and relatively inexpensive.

PREVIEW: Nuclear power is attractive in three respects: economically, environmentally, and geopolitically. Electricity generated by nuclear power plants compares in cost to that generated by coal-fired plants. Even with the Chernobyl disaster, nuclear power is responsible for far less environmental damage than coal-fired or petroleum-fired power plants. Geopolitically, nuclear power is very attractive; the U.S. controls the great majority of the world's uranium ores. However some challenges remain, including the two most critical issues: long-term disposal of nuclear waste, and security of nuclear materials.

Organizing Your Paper

Make an outlineLevel I: words that become

section headingsLevel II: the Big Ideas in full

sentencesThese Big Ideas become your

topic sentencesLevel III: sentences that make

up the paragraphs

Writing is like painting your house…

You can’t make up for a lack of preparation with

more paint (or words).

Paragraphs 101One idea per paragraphStarts with topic sentenceTopic sentence should sell the

paragraphThen supporting detailsEnds with transitionPage-long paragraphs are

TOO LONGPoor paragraphs are a

symptom of poor planning

Using Quotes

DON’T!Only use quotes if you need

those exact words.You almost never do.Instead synthesize the

information from several sources.

Citations

Embedded in text (Kusnick, 2008).(Author, year)If no personal author, then use

agency or organization as authorReference list is alphabetical by

authorAvoid “According to…”

Use citations when…

You state factual informationYou state someone else’s

opinionAnywhere the ideas in the

text are not your ownToo many are WAY better

than too few

It’s plagiarism when…

You use someone else’s words without quoting them

Even if you change a few words

Even if you just lift a phrase here and there

Yes, it’s stealing, both ethically AND legally

It’s also plagiarism when…

You use information or opinions with citing the author

Even if you saw it in more than one source

Even if you think it’s common knowledge

Anything without a citation is assumed to be your thinking

Tone and voiceEveryone needs to master

different ways of speaking & communicating in different settings

These are called registers.You need to master a formal

registernot conversational, nothing cute impersonal, does not directly

address the readerno slang, cliches or metaphors

Producing powerful text

Power, not dramaSimple clean sentencesEliminate adverbs and adjectivesAvoid unnecessary qualifiers:

seems, may be, etc.Provide a framework for the

reader to view the details through

Banned words and phrasesPeople, scientists, nobody,

everybodyReally, mainly, basically,

extremethe fact that, it is believedMost sentences starting with

“It is…”First and second person

pronouns: I, you, we

Misc. stuff

Active voice, not passive voicePassive: It is frequently observed

that…Active: uses verbs other than “to be”You almost never should use the word

“being”Don’t start sentence with “and”,

“or”, or “but” (in formal writing).Spell numbers under ten, or

numbers that start a sentence.Be miserly with your words - don’t

waste words on bland generalities. Make every word count.