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(Reprinted with permission
of author: Dr. S. Poulter, ©2001)
Note:
if any of these instructions are not followed, your instructor will return
your document unread. Check to see that you have followed these instructions
before you submit your paper.
Look at your draft. Read it for all of
the following common uses of language in speech that are not acceptable
in academic writing. Follow the directions for each checklist item.
If you are not sure how to change your draft, or you do not understand
why you must make the changes called for here, ask you instructor.
Step One - Checklist
for eliminating or changing words that are "non-academic" or common mistakes
In
your draft:
Open the Edit
menu at the top of the screen
Choose Find
orFind and Replace
When the dialog box opens, type in one
of the words in red from the list below (like "you")
Click on More
Check the box that says Find
all word forms
Then click on Find
next
Each time that word is highlighted in your
draft, you must decide whether to keep it or change it according to the
directions in the box below. When you have finished finding all the instances
of "you" in your draft, start over with "a lot" or "lot" and repeat the
procedure. Note that it may be more efficient to use a key word from phrases
(like "that" from "a person that") rather than using the whole phrase.
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Change the following
words, phrases, and punctuation in your writing:
you
Never use any form of "you" in academic
writing, like this: "First you
put on your
shoes, then you
tie them…"
- First decide whether your instructor
wants you to maintain a formal
distance from the reader and appear "objective," or whether he or
she wants you to close that distance and appear more informal.
(I use "you" here because I am addressing you directly).
- For formal
writing, or for instances where you are not sure about what your
instructor wants, replace "you" with "some people" or "people" or
"one:"
"First some
people put on their
shoes, then they
tie them…" or
"First one
puts on his
or her shoes, then he
or she ties
them…"
- For informal
writing, replace "you" with "I" or "we" or someone in particular:
"First we
put on our
shoes, then we
tie them…" or
"First I
put on my
shoes, then I
tie them…" or
"First Ralph
puts on his
shoes, then he
tie
s them…"
a lot
Never use any form of "a lot" in
academic writing, like this: "There are a
lot of reasons to invite the clowns…"
Change to a specific number (preferred),
or "many," or "much," like:
"There are five
reasons to invite the clowns…"
"There are
many reasons to invite
the clowns…"
would
Avoid the word "would" in phrases
like this:
"We would
laugh at the clowns, then we would
tie them up, then we would
throw bottles…"
Change to simple past tense:
"We laughed
at the clowns, then we tied
them up, then we threw…"
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Step
two - Eliminating/changing clichés and other general phrasing
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Look for clichés
in the writing and remove them. If the information they contain
is important to the writing, replace each one with exactly what
you mean to say.
Wrong: "it really got
my dander up"
(what do you really mean by that
- specifically?)
Right: "it made me mad because I
had a teacher who used that word whenever I didn't answer fast enough"
or
Wrong: Like I always say, if you
can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Right: (eliminate)
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Step three - Anything
the instructor has previously marked or pointed out in class, and anything
from Tutorials.
Step four - Checklist
for proper formatting
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Look in the "MLA" section of your
handbook to answer the following questions about your draft (and
make changes):
Does it have a proper
heading?
Is it double-spaced?
(do not hit Enter to double space)
Does it have a title
(like: Introduction) that is properly centered and formatted, and
identifies that section of the program?
Does it have tabbed
paragraphs (rather than hitting the spacebar)?
Is it in 12-point,
Times New Roman font?
Is it in complete
sentences?
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Step five - Make
sure all questions from the writing assignment are answered, and all incidental
instructions are followed.
Step
six - Quotation
marks and italics
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Check for the following:
Is all
punctuation inside
quotation marks?
Wrong: "marks"?
Right: "marks?"
If you have any quoted material,
is it incorporated
into a sentence?
If you are defining or referring
to a word or term, is it in quotation marks?
Are book
titles underlined, and all other titles (except the title
of your paper) in quotation marks?
Are all words and phrases from foreign
languages in italics?
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Step seven - Peer
review by two classmates
When
you have completed this checklist, ask
two classmates to proofread your draft - using only this checklist - before
you submit your draft to your instructor. Make sure that they
make some kind of marks on your draft (even if they can't find anything
to correct) so that you will get credit for it. If you read someone else's
draft, please do not sign your name.
When
you have completed getting
your writing proofread and edited by TWO classmates, please double-check
the list above (and the notes made by your editors) and revise your writing.
When you have revised, submit your writing to the instructor according
to his or her directions
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