Why?

Starting

Organizing

Revising & Editing

            This section explains the basics of writing and revising a XXXXXX--why a XXXXX exists and how to start, organize, and edit it.  You may want to first see the "Introduction" before reading this section.  Be sure, after reading this section, to also visit "Sample Papers" by students.  For more advanced information, go to "Advanced Methods."  

    

Why This Type of Paper?

         The heart of a xxxxxxxxxx is an .  It is never a 

            Xxxx writing has many uses in school and the professional world. In academic courses, 

            In the professional world, 

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How Will You Start?

            The major section of this Web textbook called "Starting" offers a number of useful ways to start thinking, speaking, and writing about a subject. The following advice is for this chapter's type of paper in particular. 

            When brainstorming a xxxxxxxxxx, imagine

            You can brainstorm by writing down a long list of XXXXXX and then choosing one.  Simply let out your thoughts and feelings about it on paper, or if you are more comfortable outlining, then write an outline.  If you're stuck for ideas, you also can write down outrageous or silly ideas, or even a list of ideas exactly opposite of what XXXXXX; choose one such idea that you can turn into something actually useful; and write about that.  You also can practice imaging.  Stretch, then sit back, relax, breathe, clear your mind, and hold an image of what an XXXXXXXXX reminds you of for a few minutes. Then ask yourself, "What ideas does this image bring to mind?" and write about both the image and its results.

            The style, tone, and voice you use in your early drafting can, of course, be anything you want.  However, if you are the type of person who writes early drafts better if you know what tone of voice to use, then for an XXXXX you should choose a tone--as in most academic papers--of confidence, fairness, and logical thought.  You may

            The style you choose should be .  You also should avoid sounding like 

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What Are Some Organizing Methods?

            When organizing a XXXXXXX paper, you may want to consider three practical matters.  First, it is helpful to be aware of the typical visual/textual design; second, of the central key to organizing this type of paper; and third, of some dangers to avoid.  General principles of organizing all types of papers are described in the "Organizing" chapter.  Here are specific details for a XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.  

The Visual Plan

[from "Evaluation" chapter:]

Here is a more detailed view of this structure.  This view is a visual and textual plan of how an evaluation generally looks when it is finished.  

          `        

The Key to Building a XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX: Xxxxxxxxxx

            The key to the overall organization of an Xxxxxxxxxx paper is to have the basic structure of 

Xxx
+
Xxx.

Xxx.  

            Make paragraphs that contain  quotations, paraphrases, story and event examples, numbers, figures, and/or other specific proofs.  Use the writing from your first draft--your brainstorming draft--and develop it further, adding and reorganizing as you go.  To see how to develop each paragraph individually, see the "Paragraphing" chapter in the "Revising and Editing" section.

Dangers to Avoid as You Organize

            One of the dangers to avoid when writing a Xxxxxxxxx is 

            Another danger is

            A third danger is

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            As you complete your later drafts, look carefully at the visual map above and the sample papers in this chapter.  Rearrange the order of your body sections and of your paragraphs as needed.  Consider your use of major organizing devices: for example, have you placed the correct key sentences in your introduction and conclusion, and have you developed a subtitle and topic sentence at the beginning of each major body section?  

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Are There Any Special Revising and Editing Needs?

            In revising a XXXXXXXX, the focus techniques with which you started in the "Introduction" to this chapter can help you in finishing your paper:

               
FOUR FOCUSES FOR REVISING: Subject, Drafts, Style, & Authenticity

FIRST & SECOND DRAFTS: Have you used all of these methods to write and revise your drafts? Free-write: if, after reading your paper aloud, you feel there are places where the paper sounds choppy or the flow is otherwise poor, try rewriting one or more paragraphs spontaneously without looking at your original words.  (To help cure choppy sentences, see "Using Mixed-Length Sentences" in Editing.")  Imagine you are saying it aloud to a friend, instructor, or work coordinator.         Gather details: are your details--quotations, paraphrases, facts, figures, and/or stories--rich and varied?  Do you have enough in each section?  Have you overdeveloped your explanation of your ideas because you have too few concrete details, and you need, instead, to find more details?       Write for your audience: is your audience an instructor, a workplace coordinator, or your own peers?  Have you visualized your audience?  Have you read your paper aloud as if reading to this audience?  Have you tried reading your paper aloud to a friend or family member, pretending he or she is your audience?   What beliefs or arguments is it willing to consider, and in what style and tone?       Organize: have you used either the organization above or one suggested by your instructor or coordinator?  Have you carefully checked and added each major and minor part of this organizational system?  Have you kept your introduction and conclusion reasonably short, moving excess discussion in them to body sections?  Do you need to reorganize the body sections for the greatest degree of logic, clarity, and audience interest (placing more interesting information first and last)?       Research: do you have a sufficient number of high-quality sources?  Have you fully integrated them with your paper by adding quotations and/or paraphrases from them?  If you are using non-print sources, will they be considered respectable to your audience?  If you are using online sources, have you checked them carefully to verify their quality and accuracy (see "Evaluating Web Resources")?

STYLE & TONE: Have you converted all parts of your writing to the appropriate style and tone?  A XXXXXXXXXXXXX should have an academic writing style, which means sentences and words of some length and complexity (but nothing you cannot easily understand yourself!) and paragraphs that often are medium to long, though a mixing of lengths and an occasional short paragraph are desirable.  To create a more academic style, set your grammar check in recent MS Word programs to "Grammar & Style" (go to "Tools," "Options," "Grammar," and "Writing Style").  The tone or voice in a XXXXXXXXXTHESISESSAYXXXXXXXX should be one of balance, fairness, and confidence in one's argument.  For tone or voice, try reading your XXXXXXXXXTHESISESSAYXXXXXXXX aloud--or have a friend read it aloud to you--so you can hear whether your sentences sound as you want them to.

AUTHENTICITY: Have you made your paper as real as possible to your audience?  If you're not sure, ask questions of your audience ahead of time, and imagine how your audience member(s) might explain something.  Have you made your paper as interesting and genuine as possible in terms of the contents?  Have you tried to go to the heart of the matter you are discussing?  Have you brought interesting, vivid, and even unusual details into the paper's contents?  Have you been true to yourself and your own interests in the subject by trying to find the most interesting information to write about in each paragraph, something meaningful to you?  Sometimes authenticity that is lacking can be reestablished by developing more meaningful details, by reorganizing several paragraphs or even a section so it goes more to the heart of what you want it to say, or even sometimes simply by adding a few concise but meaningful sentences to the introduction and conclusion.

            For specific, line-by-line editing, a XXXXXXXXXTHESISESSAYXXXXXXXX in particular needs proper development of your quotations, paraphrases, and/or story examples.  See the "Quoting & Paraphrasing" chapter for how to do this.  Remember that the typical quotation or paraphrase should have a statement of a source at its beginning and, after it, a page number.  In addition, quotations, paraphrases, and stories should not just be tossed into your paper: rather, they should be introduced by having a statement before and/or after each of its connection to what you are saying. 

            In most XXXXXXXXXTHESISESSAYXXXXXXXXs, you should use the third-person pronoun: "he," "she," "it," and "they."  You should not use "you," as you are not giving directions.  You also should not use "I" at any time, unless you are referring to yourself in a story example, in which case you should start your story example with a transition (e.g., "For example, one time I was...) to help show that you are moving into a personal story.  Once the story is over, simply return to the third-person pronoun again.

            Paragraphing in most academic papers follows some relatively standard guidelines.  As stated in other chapters about academic writing, first, your introduction and conclusion each should be one medium to long paragraph.  The exceptions to this are (a) if you have dialogue, in which case you must provide a separate paragraph for each speaker's new turn, and (b) if you have an essay of many pages, in which case a two- to three-paragraph introduction or conclusion may be acceptable, and (c) if you are working in a discipline (such as the social sciences) that prefers very brief introductions and conclusions in some types of papers.  Second, each body section usually should have two or more paragraphs: the "five-star essay"--a middle-school method in which an essay has an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion--is considered much too simple for longer college papers.  Third is paragraph length.  Generally in college papers, paragraphs should not be longer than about two hundred words.  The exception to this is that longer papers may have slightly longer paragraphs.  Fourth is a topic sentence: longer paragraphs usually should begin with a sentence announcing the paragraph's subject or conclusion.  Fifth, don't worry about paragraphing in rough drafts.  If they won't be graded, you may paragraph (or not paragraph) in any way that best helps your flow of content and thought.  For more advice, go to the "Paragraphing" chapter.  

            In addition, several common, useful strategies about efficient, thorough editing are in the "Revising" and "Editing" sections.  These strategies also are summarized in one screen, which you might find very useful if you have not yet read it several times.  To read or review it, click here:  

How to Edit Your Final Draft.

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Most recent update: 8-14-04
                

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