Need general pointers re: grad school paper composition
March 1, 2016 9:05 AM   Subscribe

What are some common and/or basic mistakes people make in academic writing? Looking for tips as a US grad student whose native language isn't English.

I just started grad school. This is my first time doing coursework in English, and I am a little lost on language and composition expectations. Could you give me some general guidelines I can follow when working on an assignment? My professors so far are pretty flexible, but it would be easy for me to just work under a set of rules without fretting about the same decisions every time I have to write a paper. I know you don't know what my specific school's preferences are - I would like to know if there is a generally acceptable way to do things so I can avoid embarrassing blunders.

These are some questions I have, for example:

- Is passive voice discouraged?
- Should I always use AP formatting when given the option to choose?
- Can I write sentences in 1st person?
- Should I not include any original research?
- When are opinions/speculations appropriate, if ever?
- Should I ever go over the requested amount of pages?
- When an assignment has to be emailed, is pdf an acceptable format?

I know this might all sound pretty basic, but academic writing in my South America (where I did undergrad) isn't nearly as structured as it seems to be in the US. I have found some resources online, but they seem to assume some common sense background knowledge in the reader. I'm afraid I don't have a solid grasp of the basics, however. I mean, I am okay in the language part (I know the grammatical structures and I have the vocabulary), and I try to use the recommended paragraph structures as often as I can remember, but my writing still feels pretty chaotic.

My program is in Public Finance Administration, if that matters. I appreciate your help!
posted by Tarumba to Writing & Language (19 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Are you familiar with the Purdue OWL? It's an excellent resource for the kinds of things you're asking.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:11 AM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]


In my experinece, passive voice should be avoided. First person should also typically be avoided. Citing format is flexible, unless specified.

Opinions are only appropriate when requested specifically. Research articles are book references are appropriate when cited most of the time.

Do not go significantly over the number of pages. If it says maximum do not go over at all. If it says minimum you may go over a bit or if it's unspecified.

Pdf is fine in my experience.

When in doubt, ask the prof. A few quick questions during or right after class are typically appreciated.
posted by Kalmya at 9:15 AM on March 1, 2016


Most of those are questions you should really ask your profs, as the answers will vary between fields and even individual profs/classes.
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:16 AM on March 1, 2016 [5 favorites]


Best answer: The answers to some of these questions depend on the genre conventions of your field and of the specific types of assignments. Some answers will also depend on the opinion of the instructor. As a college writing teacher, I recommend talking with your instructor, especially in terms of the file format they want.

John Swales is a linguist who has done extensive research into what academic writing looks like in different disciplines. You may want to check out his Academic Writing for Graduate Students.

Also see if your school has writing center services for graduate students. A writing center is a great resource (if you have one available to you).
posted by audi alteram partem at 9:17 AM on March 1, 2016 [2 favorites]


And seconding that you should seek out your school's Writing Center, they probably have great resources for you, free paper review services, and maybe even resources for international students who are new to academic writing in English. You're absolutely not alone in having these kinds of questions.
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:18 AM on March 1, 2016 [4 favorites]


I'm going to start with a more general piece of advice, which is that most US universities have a student writing center. This is a place where students can come, either by appointment or dropping in during posted hours, to deal with exactly these kinds of issues. Find the one you have on campus and I'm sure they will guide you well.

In US University culture, it's also appropriate to set up an appointment with the professors that you are currently taking classes with, and ask these questions of them. I expect that they would all have answers to all of the questions, and that some of the answers (like the pdf format) might vary from professor to professor.

In my field (engineering/physical sciences), you would definitely avoid the passive voice when possible, use the formatting of one of the major journals in the field (not AP), not use first person (this sometimes requires using the passive voice instead; it's the stronger rule), include original research only for classes where that is part of the curriculum, opinions are fine if backed up, stick to the page limit, and pdf is fine.
posted by tchemgrrl at 9:22 AM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]


Go to the writing center and meet with your professors. I'm a professor.
posted by k8t at 9:26 AM on March 1, 2016


Ask your professors for examples of papers from recent years that they thought were particularly good. If your posting reflects the fluency of your English writing and your grasp of structure, I think you will find the quality bar reassuring low. Sad to say, students in professional graduate programs in disciplines like yours tend to be poor writers -- writing is poorly taught in colleges and people who become good writers notwithstanding tend to end up in law school, journalism school, etc., if and when they go to professional school.
posted by MattD at 9:32 AM on March 1, 2016


Best answer: Even before you go to the writing center you should READ THE SYLLABUS. Document type will likely be specified by the professor in your syllabus. Some want to use "track changes" and will request MS Word or Google Doc compliant documents. If the professor has a preference, it's nearly always included in the syllabus. (Drives me batty when students ask me something that's in the syllabus.)

It is unlikely that you should include original research unless it's peer-review quality. If you wouldn't submit it to a journal for publication it's probably not relevant. A Master of Public Finance isn't a research degree and your professors will probably not expect primary research or even opinion. When they ask you to make an argument, they are looking for how well you support your point through facts, secondary research and existing theory.

Next, definitely go to the writing center and ask for help structuring your first assignments. There is a formal way that academic writing will be structured. It's not difficult, but there are some rules to it that might not be apparent.

In most schools the writing center will read as many assignments as you send them. Ask how long they need to do a review and give yourself a few days to work in their suggested edits.
posted by 26.2 at 9:41 AM on March 1, 2016


Most of those are questions you should really ask your profs, as the answers will vary between fields and even individual profs/classes.

The above is spot-on. It's easy to think that any discipline has set standards and conventions, but it just isn't so. While there may be common ground, every professor has a slightly different set of preferences (and/or interpretations of what is acceptable within the field).

I would caution against visiting your school's writing center, though, unless you have more info about how it's staffed and the consultants are trained. (I've worked for eight years in writing centers.) For instance, if your writing center employs only undergrads, they likely won't be able to answer your questions about what is or isn't okay (academic writing isn't one single entity). And even the grad students on staff may come from other fields--which means, as LobsterMitten points out above, the expectations can vary dramatically.
posted by xenization at 9:43 AM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]


I'm guessing you're in a business school. They might have a separate department that teaches writing in your discipline. I think a general university writing center would be more helpful if you were concerned about issues of language rather than the more discipline-related questions you seem to have. And they can be staffed by undergrads, who won't know the answers to your questions and may even understand that the expectations of graduate school are different (for instance, for general writing, people tend to advise against passive voice, but in some disciplines, it's perfectly acceptable and even expected). Is there a professor you feel particularly comfortable talking to? If so, I would go to that person during office hours and explain your concerns.
posted by FencingGal at 10:02 AM on March 1, 2016


Best answer: I agree with everyone to say that you should talk to your professor because these questions will vary based on the professor, but here is what I know from currently being in school:
- Is passive voice discouraged?-
Yes it is.
- Should I always use AP formatting when given the option to choose?-
You should use the format that is typical in your field. APA is standard in the social sciences, MLA in other areas.
- Can I write sentences in 1st person?
You should avoid this as much as possible.
- Should I not include any original research?
This depends on the class.
- When are opinions/speculations appropriate, if ever?
This also depends on the class and what your professor wants.
- Should I ever go over the requested amount of pages?
Not if you can help it. You want to be as concise as possible, and edit and revise your paper to get down to the assigned number of pages.
- When an assignment has to be emailed, is pdf an acceptable format?
This again depends on the professor, most of mine want it in word format so they can comment with track changes.

There are a whole lot of programs out there to help you evaluate your writing- I suggest using them in conjunction with the writing center. I like Grammerly best, and I pay the extra fee for it. You should also check out the book "They Say, You Say" by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. It's pretty basic, but gives you a lot of ideas on who to "add to the conversation" in your writing.
posted by momochan at 10:51 AM on March 1, 2016


I think a general university writing center would be more helpful if you were concerned about issues of language rather than the more discipline-related questions you seem to have.

This will depend on the Writing Center. Many centers train their consultants (undergraduate or not) to focus on discipline-specific writing issues.

You should check with your local Writing Center (and there may be more than one on your campus) and ask. They will tell you what resources they have available to best suit your needs.
posted by audi alteram partem at 10:51 AM on March 1, 2016


Response by poster: Thank you so much. I felt really awkward having this conversation with every professor, but it seems they expect it, and I would not be the only one asking these questions.

However, I do not think it would be appropriate for me to ask them about grammar preferences (1st person, passive voice, etc.), so these comments really help.
posted by Tarumba at 10:55 AM on March 1, 2016


The map on your profile indicates you're very close to VCU. Is that where you are studying? If so, their writing center's website can be found here. If you can afford to, you might consider hiring a writing tutor, perhaps another graduate student with a strong English background.

You can also get help from reference librarians. They can tell you what is conventional and show you guides.
posted by mareli at 11:54 AM on March 1, 2016


Best answer: However, I do not think it would be appropriate for me to ask them about grammar preferences (1st person, passive voice, etc.), so these comments really help.

That would be an appropriate thing to ask them. For instance in philosophy it is considered standard to use the 1st person, to not worry much about passive voice, etc. Other fields have other standards. It may even vary from subfield to subfield.
posted by Jahaza at 2:24 PM on March 1, 2016 [3 favorites]


Do you have a writing centre in your school? This is exactly what they're there for.
posted by Tamanna at 4:23 PM on March 1, 2016


Passive voice is very common and not really discouraged in a lot of scientific academic writing, as well (even encouraged, sometimes). These are discipline-specific, institution-specific, personal-preference specific questions.
posted by mskyle at 6:11 PM on March 1, 2016


Best answer: Tarumba, if a student asked me to answer those questions, I would certainly do it. I'd answer your question and then clarify it in the next lecture for other students. I would much rather have a 10-minute conversation during office hours to get you started in the right direction, than have you do poorly in the class.

Some profs are jerks about it, but I think most would help you sort out the parameters of the assignment.
posted by 26.2 at 8:09 PM on March 1, 2016


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