

The Academic Phrasebank offers suggested phrases for you to use to make your points, and it covers a wide variety of common problems you might encounter while writing.

It's not flowery or filled with big, important-sounding words. In most cases, professors will want you to use a type of clear, no-nonsense language, known as "Academic English." Academic English is the standard form of written communication for reports, research papers, and other assignments. Be sure the parenthetical reference matches the entry in your bibliography or "Works Cited" list.įor more information about parenthetical references, bibliographies, and other topics related to citation and plagiarism, see our Citation and Plagiarism Guide or consult the DBU Writing Center's excellent resources.
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If you do have to use a long quote, it should be set apart from the rest of your text, as a "block quote" with margins that differ from the rest of the text (Consult the appropriate style manual to be sure). DON'T use a quote that is over 5 lines long unless it is indispensable in making your point.Use a quote only when the author has said something catchy or memorable, or something that explains the idea so well that no other words are needed. DON'T use a quote when you can state the idea or data using your own words.Present your ideas first, then use a quote from an expert to back you up. The quote should be used to support your ideas and viewpoints about the topic. DON'T use a quote to introduce a topic or idea.Here are some general guidelines for using quotes in a standard research paper: But ask yourself: Whose paper is this? Your readers don't want to know what other people said-they want to know what YOU think about your topic they want to know what YOU have to say. Now that you've read and understood all the fantastic resources you found, you may be tempted to quote them all as proof of the hard work you did. If you start writing about something that doesn't fit your outline, ask yourself: is this important? is it on topic? Your outline should help you avoid getting side-tracked. But once you have something written down, you have a starting point-something you can work with and improve upon. It doesn't have to be perfect it doesn't even have to be good. Remember-this is only your first draft.Some people think better with pen or pencil in hand. Jot your main ideas down on paper before you start typing.Use only the quotes that you can't live without (more about quoting, below).

Decide which sources you need to refer to, and which sources you should quote directly.Figure out where this information should appear in your outline, then figure out what else you need to write to get you there. Instead, start writing about the part of your topic that you find most interesting. You don't have to start at the beginning.Here are some suggestions to help you "thaw" out:
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Staring at a blank sheet of paper, or a blank screen, you may not know how to get started. Unfortunately, this is where many students FREEZE UP. You scanned those sources and read the pertinent sections, and consequently, you learned a lot more about your topic than you ever thought possible! You took notes while you read, and now you've organized those notes to reflect your outline, which you may have adjusted based on what you found out about your topic. You searched for books, journal articles, and internet sources on your topic. You chose a topic, crafted a research question, and formulated an outline.
