Writing academic papers require the writer to prepare well beforehand to create a thought-provoking and debatable topic about the subject. Paragraphs are logical and consistent with the rest of the body to support the writer's argument. Academic writing involves a scholar writing for other scholars so as to contribute to the academic community. The writer needs to ensure that the topic is of interest, appropriate and relevant to the academic community. Author ensures that the paper informs, argues logically and meets the expectations of the readers' particular with the rhetorical stance with the subject matter (Gocsik, 2005).
Academic paper has an introduction section to states the argument and relates it to other studies about the same topic. Sources and ideas expressed are identified to enable the author to comment on the issues. Thesis statement comes after the introduction. Thesis summaries the author's intentions and argument point of the essay and opposing views must be incorporated to avoid academic bias.
Essays must have supporting paragraphs containing topic sentences to support an argument. A topic sentence may appear at the beginning or at the end of the paragraph.
Conclusion is the final part of an essay which sums up the contents. A writer also needs to consider the tone and style of an essay in relation to his or her readers. Finally, a complete essay should be proofread, edited and double checked for any grammar mistakes.
What is plagiarism and how it should be avoided?
Plagiarism can be defined as using other author's ideas and words without acknowledging their sources. This piece of work is usually presented as original. Other authors' works are considered Intellectual Property when presented without proper acknowledgement results into plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Plagiarism can result into student repeating the assignment, disqualified or worst, be suspended.
Plagiarism is avoided by acknowledging all the sources used in an essay by giving credit to other's theory, opinion and idea. Any facts, which are not common knowledge, borrowed and paraphrased from written or spoken materials, must be acknowledged. Finally, quotation of written or spoken words of another person is another way of avoiding plagiarism (Gocsik, 2005).
What are citation styles?
Citation is the method of acknowledging the sources of the materials used in a paper. Citations are used to identify the sources and for further reading. Citation styles vary from one discipline to another as discussed below.
American Psychological Association (APA) is mainly used to cite sources from social sciences. The paper is typed in 12 point Times Roman, double-spaced on a standard paper with an inch margin on the sides. The header is a running throughout the essay. The title page contains the title of the essay, author's name, course title, name of the professor or lecturer, institutional affiliation and the date. The headings are centered in the essay. The author's name is provided in in-text citation and the year is put in parentheses. For direct quotes, page number is required. When there are multiple authors, the first author's name is used followed by "et al". A sequence of alphabetical list of references beginning with author's last name is on a new page (Behren, 2000).
Modern Language Association (MLA) is mostly used in arts, humanities and literature. The essay is 12 points Times Roman, double-spaced typed on a standard paper with an inch margin on all sides. Book titles are underlined. Title page is centered. Paragraphs are indented five spaces. The header is running with author's last name and page number. The essay is left justified. In-text citation requires the author's name and page number. The referencing starts on a new page with the author's surname, underlined title of the book, city, publisher and finally the year of publication. A second line of the source is indented ½ inch (Gibaldi, 2003).
American Medical Association (AMA) is mainly used in medicine, health, and biological sciences. The in-text citation is numbered with superscript. Full citation is made at the end of the essay, numbered and listed in the order they appear in the essay (Behren, 2000).
Turabian is mainly used to cite dissertations, term papers and theses. It also employs the use of footnotes. When referencing a book, the author's name comes first, followed by date, title of the book, city and finally publisher (Turabian, 1996).
Chicago citation can be used by all disciplines in books, newspaper, magazines and any other articles. Just like Turabian, Chicago citation also takes the same format when referencing a book (Turabian, 1996).
What are the main types of assignments?
Essay is a short piece of work written in prose form. Essays have become common in especially in schools as the mode of test assignments. They can be descriptive, narrative, thesis, compare and contrast and cause and effect relations among other forms.
An article is a short published work used to disseminate results, news, arguments, analysis, scientific findings etc. It consists of headline, author's name, a catch phrase at the introduction part. The body contains main points of discussion arranged in a given format with the conclusion as the last part.
A research paper is mainly an academic paper consisting of term paper, thesis or dissertation works. Research paper involves investigation of a subject in order to present the findings.
Annotated bibliography summaries the sources used or intended for use in an academic work. Sources are summarized, assessed and then reflected upon to fit in the essay. Annotated bibliography is used to learn about the subject and aid other research fellows.
What are the main educational degrees?
There are different educational degrees in various countries. The main educational degrees are as follows. A bachelor's degree is for undergraduate courses at the University. The course usually takes between 3-6 years.
Another educational degree is Master's awarded to scholars who have attained mastery or professional competence in a practice. Holders of this degree are expected to have competence in problem solving and approach issues critically in their specializations.
Finally, there is the doctorate or professional degree. Holders of this degree are considered experts in their areas of specializations and can teach others. This might be the highest qualification in some countries (Gocsik, 2005).
In conclusion, writing an academic paper requires familiarity with areas discussed above. These are guidelines which can be used to produce a quality paper. This essay has not exhausted various parts academic writing rather they are highlights of what an academic paper would require in terms of citation and plagiarism, academic levels and types of assignments.
