Things To Remember When Writing

Unless a source has said something so well or beautifully that you could never say it as well, try to put all information from sources into your own words (paraphrase).

Remember that unless you are citing one of two works by the same author, in-text citations in brackets consist of the author’s surname and the page number, if there is one. E.g. (Kemp 362).

If you are citing one of two works by the same author, your in-text citation in brackets consists of the author’s surname, a shortened version of the source title, and the page number of there is one. g. (Kemp, “BookTok Works” 362).

Try to use verbs rather than nounized forms of verbs. Verbs are the strongest and clearest element in a sentence, stronger than nouns.

Where you can, try to avoid using verbs that end in -ing. These verbs are weaker than other verbs.

A comma means “pause.”
A colon means “and here it is.”
A semi-colon means “what’s coming next has its own subject and verb.”

It’s very good and very admirable to do a lot of research, but firsts and 2.1’s come from what you, the writer, do with that research. Try to think about your own argument. What do you think about a text or a phenomenon? (or, if you’re doing an essay like the one you did for the Romance Novel, what does the research suggest to you?). Bring your own thought and argument to the essay to get a higher mark. The research is only there to:

Support you
Be argued against
Demonstrate that you’ve done enough research to know what you’re talking about.