Success with Graduate and Scholarly Writing: A Guide for Non-native Writers of English

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Ideal for:

• Graduate and research writing courses 
• Self-study for graduate students, researchers, and high-level writers 
• Writing Centers

Success with Graduate and Scholarly Writing is a practical guide for graduate and research writers, emphasizing the areas needed for truly sophisticated writers of English.

1. Learn the principles of writing at a high level of English.
2. Write graduate-level papers for English-speaking readers.
3. Submit research papers for publication in English
4. Submit a resume and cover letter for a professional position or fellowship
5. Speak well in interviews and professional presentations
6. Communicate professionally including letter writing and e-mails.

Why do you need to be a sophisticated English writer?

• Strong writing is highly appreciated by professors and professional readers. 
• It enhances research and your exposure to the field, helping you become recognized as an expert in your field of study. 
• It significantly increases your chances of having research articles accepted and published in technical conferences and journals. 
• Presenting research or giving professional presentations improves your ability to network with other professionals in your field. 
• Writing effective e-mails and letters helps open professional doors for jobs, funding, or research opportunities.

Lesson Details

Chapter 1: Expectations of Scholarly Writers
What is Academic and Scholarly Writing?
Principles of Academic and Professional Writing
Focus on the Readers’ Needs
Reduce Wordiness and Beautiful Words
Put Major Points First and Emphasize Key Points
Write Specifically and Concretely
Show Critical Thinking
Conclusion
Suggested Writing Assignments

Chapter 2: Making Your Writing Easy to Read
Visual Aids and Design Elements
Repetition of Key Ideas
Parallel Structures
Paragraph Length
Passive Voice
Transitions
Suggested Writing Assignments

Chapter 3: Changing Your Style
Sentence Length
Variety in Sentences
Use of I, my, you
Use of Formal Language
Suggested Writing Assignment

Chapter 4: Writing Strong Research Essays
Steps for Writing Research Essays
Choose a topic
Gather ideas
Narrow the topic
Formulate the research question
Do in-depth research
Write the introduction
Develop the body paragraphs
Write a conclusion
Using Outside Sources
Suggested Writing Assignments

Chapter 5: Writing Critiques that Show Critical Thinking
Structure of an Analysis or Critique
Steps for Writing an Analysis or Critique
Thesis Statements
Useful Verbs for Critiques
Book Reviews
Special Language in Critiques
Suggested Writing Assignments

Chapter 6: Avoiding Plagiarism
Documentation Styles
What to Document
To Quote or Not to Quote?
Citation Patterns
Quotations
Summary/Paraphrase
Generalizations
Suggested Writing Assignments

Chapter 7: Writing Research Papers
Research Proposals
Research Paper Structure
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Final Additions
Analysis of Other Types of Journal Articles
Writing Conference Abstracts
Suggested Writing Assignments

Chapter 8: Grammar Concerns
Improve your Grammar
Improve your Grammar
Singular-Plural Agreement
Count and Non-count Nouns
Articles
Prepositions
Use of Gerunds
Editing for Verb Forms
Suggested Language Activities

Chapter 9: Mastering Punctuation
Use of Commas
Semicolons
Colons
Apostrophes
Hyphens
Dashes, Parenthesis, and Ellipsis
Numbers
Capitalization

Chapter 10: Communicating Professionally
Communicating with Americans
Values
Relationship Concerns
Introducing Yourself, Being Introduced
Small Talk
American Humor
Communication in the Classroom
E-mail Communication
Request Messages
Bad News Messages
Writing Assignments

Chapter 11: Selling your Skills with your Resume
Definitions
Basic Questions
Getting Started
Rules
Section by Section
Suggested Writing Assignments

Chapter 12: Writing an Effective Cover Letter
Rules
Outline of Cover Letters
Section-by-Section Review
Other letters
Suggested Writing Assignments

Chapter 13: Succeeding in an Interview
Outline for Answers
Specific Questions
Asking Questions
Ending the Interview
Telephone Interview
Negotiating the Job Offer

Chapter 14: Giving a Powerful Academic Talk
Guidelines
Preparing a Presentation
Introductions
Recovery Tactics
Preparing Visuals
Explaining Visuals
Delivery
Effective Conclusions
Guidelines for Poster Session Presentations
Suggested Assignments
Presentation Skills Evaluation Form

Appendix A: Mentors
An Answer Key is available online

About the Author

Sheryl Holt is a Non-native Speaker Specialist and Lecturer in Writing Studies at the University of Minnesota. She has been teaching English as a second language to undergraduate and graduate students and business professionals for 30 years at universities and training seminars around the world. Sheryl also teaches graduate writing orientation programs for incoming graduate students, where it is her responsibility to prepare students for writing and surviving in graduate school. She is also co-author of several books and videos for professional non-native speakers and teacher training materials including Pronunciation for Success and Success with Presentations.