Here are some important considerations to keep in mind as you write your literature review and research paper…
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Academic Writing Expectations and Best Practices
• Maintain a Formal and Scholarly Approach: Your remaining assignments require a formal, research-based synthesis of scholarly LIS literature and a high degree of critical thinking—this is an expectation of graduate-level work.
• Follow Assignment Guidelines Closely: Each assignment builds toward your final research paper. Carefully review the assignment pages and adhere to submission procedures for each task.
• Organize Your Writing with a Logical Structure: Begin with a cohesive outline and ensure your writing has a clear, logical flow, particularly in the research paper.
• Use Provided Resources: Take advantage of assignment helpers and strictly follow formatting requirements for your research paper.
• Cite All Sources Properly: Always cite your sources in written work. Use APA 7 formatting consistently (note: APA formatting may not be perfect in WordPress).
• Refer to Citation Guidelines: Review Module 2 and other course materials for APA 7 citation rules, including proper in-text citations.
• Support Your Claims with Evidence: Avoid generalizations in academic writing unless they are supported by peer-reviewed or professional sources.
• Use Precise and Scholarly Language:
• Avoid generic praise: Instead of saying “This is a great study,” specify why it is valuable—e.g., “This study provides a comprehensive analysis of X, offering new insights into Y.”
• Avoid contractions: Use “It is…” instead of “It’s…” to maintain a formal tone.
• Be mindful of colloquial phrases:
• Colloquial: “Based on our research, it really seems like X and Y are connected, no doubt about it.”
• Better: “The findings of this study strongly suggest a causal relationship between X and Y.”
• Use precise academic verbs: Scholars argue, write, find, discuss, note, propose, etc.
• Instead of “In the article, Stephens talks about a professional development program…”, use:
• “Stephens (2016) discusses a professional development program…”
• “In the article, Bates writes that information seeking…”
• Follow APA 7 Citation Standards: Avoid including article titles in your text. Instead, use the standard APA format: Author’s last name and year in parentheses.
• Example: “Stephens (2016) finds that students using blogs…”
• Use Balanced, Evidence-Based Arguments: Academic writing is grounded in research—avoid sweeping generalizations or unsupported opinions. Support all statements with peer-reviewed studies, scholarly monographs, or academic sources.
• Clarify the Nature of Your Readings: Most monographs in INFO 200 are nonfiction—they are not novels.
• Proofread Your Work Carefully: Avoid grammar errors and typos. Proofread closely and, if possible, ask a colleague or friend to review your work before submission.
Action Item: Download Dr. Linda Schamber’s TipsForCoursework – Dr. Schamber was one of my professors at the University of North Texas.
- Writing Tutoring Information – The School of Information offers a variety of types of support for graduate-level writing. A writing tutor is available to all SJSU iSchool students who would like to review their work with a specialist.
- Ask a Tutor Live Chat Service – This live chat service is for questions that can be answered in 5 to 15 minutes. No appointment is necessary, but please refer to the specific dates and hours of availability at the SJSU Writing Center site.
- For After-Hours Support – The SJSU Writing Center also provides Homegrown Handouts, Video Tutorials, the “Write Attitude” Blog, and additional Online Resources at the iSchool website for easy, remote access at any time.
- The SJSU Writing Center has also curated the “Grad Writer Toolbox” with Online Resources to help increase your comfort and confidence in graduate-level writing and research projects. Includes resources for writing research papers, making presentations, citing sources, managing time, and more.
Purdue’s OWL: APA 7 Formatting
- Cite your sources in APA 7 Style utilizing Purdue’s OWL General Format Guidelines. (You can also watch the APA Vidcast Series on the Purdue Online Writing Lab’s YouTube Channel for more detailed information.)
For More Help:
- Excelsior’s Online Writing Lab – Resources on writing, style, grammar, a variety of style manual formats, and a writing game.
- San Jose State’s Writing Center – Handouts and Video Tutorials on a variety of topics.
- Yale University’s Center for Teaching and Learning – A wide range of excellent tutorials.
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Writing Center – Another set of excellent of tutorials.
- Caroline and Pearson Brown’s English Grammar Lessons – Clear and concise explanations of English grammar with various lessons and interactive quizzes.
- English Page Grammar Tutorials and Lessons – Tutorials and quizzes.
- King Library’s “Citing and Writing” Guide – Helpful information on writing, citing, searching, evaluating sources, scholarly vs. popular articles, and avoiding plagiarism.
- Excelsior OWL APA Style (7th edition) – The APA maintains its own website with multiple examples of how to format your paper and cite your sources. (If you’re unable to find the answer to your question here, please check the APA Manual 7th edition or the APA website.)
- San José State University’s School of Information APA Page.
- Yale’s What Good Writers Know – Useful online resource to write well in any academic discipline with five core strategies practiced by expert writers.
- Harvard’s Strategies for Essay Writing and Brief Guide to the Elements of the Academic Essay.
- San José State University’s Common Mistakes in Graduate Writing.
- APA Style Instructional Aids, Sample Papers, and Tutorial/Webinar Series – APA’s official site provides additional instructional aids, sample papers, handouts, tutorials and webinars.
References:
American Psychological Association. (2020). Concise guide to APA style (7th ed.).
Selinger, K. (2018). Academic writing: mastering the fundamentals of academic writing to deliver outstanding essays, dissertations, and papers and to stand out of the crowd. New York, NY: Beryl Assets LLC.