Getting a Head Start on Academic Papers: Critical Reading towards Critical Writing

Given the title of this post, you are probably expecting the usual lecture about avoiding procrastination, starting papers weeks before they are due, and giving yourself time to edit your work. No dice – I will save that lecture for later! Instead of focusing on critical writing, the focus of this post is critical reading, which is the first step to great academic writing, and a skill that is helpful for students of every discipline.

 When your instructor assigns a paper, the subject is likely one that has been discussed or studied in class, which means that you may have already done some serious reading on the topic. However, in order to get everything you can out of the time you spend reading, you need to engage with the text on a critical level; after all, why read something for class in September, and then have to read the same thing all over again before you write your paper in November? Critical reading is a great way to ensure that you are engaged the first time you read a text, making the re-reading and note-taking easier down the road. Here is how it works:

 It all starts with critical thinking; after all, that’s what this whole university thing is about, right? Critical thinking involves engaging with a subject on a deeper level, questioning assumptions (your own and the author’s) to discern whether an argument is valid. There are two aspects to critical thought:

analysis: the ability to decipher and understand ideas. You will often need to break ideas down into parts, separate important points from the rest of the argument, and then analyze the parts, understanding each aspect of the theory or idea to comprehend how they work as a whole. Analysis comes in handy when you are reading a scholarly article full of complex arguments – it may take you a while to read all 18 pages, but when you finish, you have a good sense of what the author is saying.

synthesis: the ability to unite several different ideas. This is where you and your brilliant brain bring multiple sources together to inform your opinion on a subject to support your thesis. You will need to assess the pros and cons of each source, develop an understanding of the theories presented in each, and find a way to bring them all together.

This all sounds pretty complicated, but if you approach each source critically by reading actively rather than passively, it’s just a walk in the park.

 Active reading entails the following:

1.      Have a purpose when you read:

a.       Ask questions before reading: what do you know about the author? In what context (time, place) was the text produced? How does the text relate to your topic? How do you intend to use the text in your paper?

2.      Ask questions of the text:

a.       Assess the argument as you read: how well does the author support her thesis? What are the strongest points? What are the weaknesses?

b.      Determine how the author develops his argument: what connections does he make? Are these logical connections?

3.      Use your margins:

a.       Next to each paragraph, note key vocabulary and the central idea of the paragraph.

b.      Make note of quotations you may want to use in your writing, and indicate important connections, central points, and assertions that you question.

c.       Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t understand a word or statement; mark vocabulary that you need to look up in a dictionary, and make note of sentences that are difficult to understand. Unpack challenging sentences carefully, and translate it into terms that you will easily understand when you return to the text. Ignoring these little details can have a negative impact on your understanding of the author’s argument as a whole.

4.      Examine the author’s source:

a.       What kind of sources is the author using?

b.      Have you heard of any of the author’s sources, or the authors?

c.       Would any of these sources be helpful to you?

5.      Write up reading notes:

a.       This is something you can do as you read, or after you have finished; they can be as formal or informal as you like. Writing out the important points of the text will help you absorb and remember the information.

b.      Start with analysis: summarize the text in your own words, note the central ideas, and assess any weaknesses in the argument. Then, finish with some synthesis: making connections to other sources and determine how it can all fit into your perspective on the subject.

Now that you have completed the active reading process, you will likely find that you have more fully absorbed the writer’s argument: you fully understand its strengths and weakness, any confusing vocabulary or sentence structure, and how the logic of the argument works as a whole. To top it all off, you have great notes and marginalia to refer to when you return to the text: a quick review of the article and your reading notes should provide you with all you need to know to use this source in your writing.

Writing Resources

The Internet knows everything.

While the Writing Centre at Concordia is an excellent writing resource, it is always helpful to have a variety of online resources, in addition to this website, to consult from the comfort of home and/or the library. I have compiled a list of the greatest writing resources available on the web which you can use in collaboration with the Writing Centre and your brain to create amazing essays. So, here it goes:

If you feel like you might need a comprehensive grammar overview and you don't have time to fit Writing 300 into your course schedule, the University of Ottawa has a program called HyperGrammar, designed as an online course that breaks down every essential grammatical element. It is comprehensive, well laid-out, and free!
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/grammar.html

The Purdue Online Writing lab has a collection of over 200 free resources, from brief explanations of grammatical questions to detailed, step-by-step guides to different aspects of the writing process.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

If you want to get into some nitty gritty grammar, or you have a few specific grammatical problems to address, the Internet Grammar of English is specifically designed for undergraduate students looking to improve their grammar.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/

When it comes to Citation Styles, Concordia's library has already done all the work for me: you can find a compilation of the most useful online resources for citing sources here! http://library.concordia.ab.ca/services/citing.php

Happy essay-writing!

The Editorial Process: Where to Begin?

"The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon. You can always do it better." - Robert Cormier

So. You have sorted through all the research, constructed an argument, and even managed to write a first draft of your paper. So now what? Students are often at a loss when it comes to editing their own work, but this is one of the most important steps in the process of writing a solid academic paper. Here are some tips to help you re-organize, reword, and proofread your work to get it just right before subjecting it to the scrutiny of your prof. 

1) Take a break. If it's 3am and you've finally finished your first draft, put down the coffee and head to bed. Editing something that you have already been looking at for 8 hours is useless; your brain will do a much better job with the editing process when it has had a break. Take a nap, watch some TV, go outside, do ANYTHING that does not involve thinking about the assignment. If you give yourself 24 hours without looking at your paper, you can approach it with fresh eyes the next day, and you will pick up on mistakes that you would have missed had your brain been exhausted. You can be more objective in your assessment of your argument, and it will be easier to identify any gaps in your logic. 

2) Read it out loud. Your roommate might think that you've completely lost your mind when he hears you talking to yourself in your bedroom, but reading your work aloud will help you get a sense of the coherence of your writing. Sometimes, sentences might make sense to your eyes, but when you read them aloud, your ears will tell you that they sound awkward or clumsy, which is how the reader will perceive them as well. 

3) Find an audience. Have a friend or family member read your work, and ask yourself this question: does my argument make logical sense to someone with less background in the subject? You need to make clear connections from one point to the next, and your paragraphs should all have transitions; if these things are done well in your paper, even your senile great-aunt Mildred should be able to follow and understand the construction of your argument from start to finish. 

4) Get physical. Rather than editing your work electronically, many writers find it helpful to print out a physical copy of the paper to proofread with a pencil. Your eyes may be tempted to gloss over errors on the computer screen, but you can circle these errors and find a fix if you have a copy in front of you. Don't be afraid to cross things out, scribble in the margins, and fix grammatical errors on your hard copy, and then implement these changes electronically as the next step in the editing process. 

5) Make a list. Unless this is the very first paper you've ever written, you should have an idea of what common mistakes you make as a writer. Every writer has one or two (or ten, in which case you should probably make an appointment at the Writing Centre) blunders that they make consistently in their work. Worrying about these things as you write can hinder the writing process, but that's what editing is for! If you know you have problems with pronouns or complications with comma splices, make a list of these things as you write, and then address the problems later. If you are not sure how fix the problem, consult a grammar website or handbook, talk to your prof, or pop in to the Writing Centre. 

Preparatory Pointers: Before an Appointment at the Writing Centre

Students often ask: what am I supposed to bring to the Writing Centre? When in the writing process should I come for a consultation? 

Preparation and follow-up are essential in your interactions with the Writing Centre. So, here is the deal:

When should I visit the Writing Centre?

You are welcome in the Writing Centre at any stage of your work. It is often helpful to come in the beginning, to bounce ideas off another brain, and for help with the best ways to organize your thoughts. Once you have written a draft, or even just a few paragraphs, the Writing Centre can help with the structure of your paper, and provide a few suggestions if you've come across any problems in your writing (this sentence sounds funny, but I don't know why!). It may also be helpful to bring in a paper that has already been graded, as it might be a good idea to discuss feedback from your professor. If your last assignment was littered with comma splices or dangling modifiers, the Writing Centre can explain what exactly these common problems are, and suggest ways to avoid them in the future. 

The most important thing is that you leave plenty of time after your consultation to make revisions to your work. The Writing Centre has limited hours, and since it is not a proofreading service, you want to make sure that you have an opportunity to implement what you learned in your session without being in a rush!

What should I bring to my appointment?

When you have an appointment at the Writing Centre, it is always helpful to bring the assignment sheet and any other course material that establishes what is expected for the assignment. It helps if you already have an idea of what you are writing about, whether it is scribbled down on paper or just in your head. The Writing Centre will not provide ideas, so you should already have considered the important aspects of the topic.

How often can/should I visit the Writing Centre?

It will be helpful to visit the Writing Centre often to help develop your writing skills, and to practice them on a variety of assignments. Over time, you will become more capable and therefore more confident in your writing skills, and will need to visit less often. Won't that be nice?!

A Common Comma Question

Where do I use a comma when listing items in a series?

When three or more items are listed in a series, each item should be separated from the next with a comma. It is especially important to include the comma that precedes the conjunction and the last item in the series; this proper punctuation can prevent ambiguity and confusion in your sentence. For example:

Outside the White House, the streets were filled with flustered politicians, angry protesters and police. 


The above sentence indicates that the police were angry as well as the protestors, which is probably not the writer's intention. A handy Oxford comma, also called a serial comma, would fix this problem in no time, and the sentence would instead read

Outside the White House, the streets were filled with flustered politicians, angry protesters, and police. 

If you have trouble remembering the rule about commas and items in a series, this might help:

Confused by the semicolon?

This site will help clear up any questions you might have about using a semicolon, and it will make you laugh in the process. If you still have questions, pop in to see Keely at the Writing Centre for more help!

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon

What is the Writing Centre at Concordia?

The Writing Centre is a free service that provides individual writing consultations and group writing presentations with the aim of helping students develop their capacities to plan, structure, write, and edit their academic writing.

Objectives of the Writing Centre 


To assist students with the following:

• Understanding assignments and essay questions
• Developing and clarifying ideas
• Research skills
• Organization, structure, and coherence of writing
• Developing thesis statements and arguments
• Improving grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and addressing common challenges
• Citing sources and avoiding plagiarism
• Proofreading your work
• Collecting writing-related resources such as books, websites, sample papers, and handouts for student reference

The Writing Centre will not provide ideas, edit a student's work, or comment on the accuracy of information, but will instead help students develop the skills to do these things themselves. Staff at the Writing Centre will address whatever challenge you present, be it a tricky essay prompt, questions about research or format, or a case of writer's block. Book an appointment today!