Writing is a significant part of a doctoral program. This assignment will help you become familiar with available writing resources. Use the following information to ensure successful completion of th

IGC

800-Lecture

3

Writing

Success

as

a Doctoral

Learner

To

complete

the

doctoral

dissertation

requires

good

writing

skills.

However,

many

people

make

incorrect

assumptions

about

the

scholarly

writing

used

in

a dissertation.

They

assume

that

larger

words

signify

more

intellectual

writing

and

automatically

elevate

the

work

to

doctoral

level

simply

by

the

size

of

the

words

used.

Actually,

this

is

not

always

accurate

and

a mistake

some

new

doctoral

learners

make.

Good

doctoral

writing

is clear

and

understandable.

All

too

often,

learners

striving

to appear

doctoral

in

their

writing

forget

the

basics

of

good

writing

and

their

work

ends

up

unclear

and

filled

with

grammatical

errors.

Following

are

some

of

the

more

foundational

aspects

of

good

writing.

They

are

worthy

of

being

moved

to

the

forefront

of the

doctoral

learner's

mind.

Writing

Foundations

The

most

common

deficiencies

in

student

writing

are

lack

of focus,

poorly

organized

or

structured

ideas,

and

misunderstood

purpose

or

audience.

To

minimize

these

shortcomings,

follow

the

format

suggested

below

for

organizing

written

assignments

into

a solid,

well-ordered

structure.

Introduction

The

introduction

is often

one

of

the

most

important

parts

of the

paper.

This

is where

the

reader

is presented

with

a preview

of the

topics

to

be

discussed

in

the

paper,

the

description

of

how

those

topics

are

organized,

and

possibly

a position

that

is being

taken.

Be

very

clear

in

letting

the

reader

know

what

is to

be

discussed

and

the

order

in

which

the

topics

will

be

addressed

in the

paper.

For

example,

one

might

write,

"This

paper

will

discuss

the

different

political

paradigms

that

have

emerged

in

China

since

1911,

with

a focus

on

the

end

of the

dynasty

periods

to

the

rise

of

Communism,

including

the

Cultural

Revolution,

and

finally,

the

unique

state

of

government

that

exists

today."

This

previous

statement

not

only

lets

the

reader

know

what

the

paper

will

address,

but

also

directs

him/her

to the

sequential

layout

of the

topics

within

the

paper.

Body

The

body

is where

all

of the

ideas

outlined

during

the

introduction

will

be

presented.

It

is

typically

best

for

the

reader

to address

a single

topic

before

moving

on

to

the

next.

In

other

words,

do

not

jumble

ideas

together;

keep

them

separated

into

a linear

progression.

A good

way

to

help

the

reader

with

the

organization

and

flow

of ideas

is to

use

topical

headings

throughout

the

paper.

Topical

headings

help

polish

the

work

and

provide

a mechanism

to

verify

that

all

assignment

requirements

have

been

met.

Also,

be

sure

to use

transition

words

to let

the

reader

know

that

the

paper

is moving

on

to

the

next

idea.

It is also

helpful

if ordinal

terms

(e.g.,

first,

second,

third,

etc.)

are

used

when

discussing

list-like

items.

The

body

should

stick

to the

topics

from

the

introduction

and

should

follow

the

sequence

outlined

in the

beginning

of the

paper.

Make

sure

to

support

comments

and

opinions

with

solid

research

support

by

providing

citations

to

other's

work.

Conclusion

The

conclusion

should

review

the

topics

in your

paper

and

summarize

the

main

points

as

well

as any

positions

taken.

This

is the

place

where

the

reader

is reminded

of

the

purpose

of

the

paper

and

where

closure

is provided.

References

Whenever

ideas

are

borrowed

from

someone

else,

credit

must

be

given

to

them

even

if

the

ideas

are

being

paraphrased.

A list

of the

references

used

in the

paper

must

be

provided.

This

list

helps

the

reader

should

he/she

want

to

access

the

original

piece

of

work

that

was

cited.

These

should

follow

the

American

Psychological

Association

(APA)

requirements

for

how

to

format

the

references.

Stages

of

Academic

Writing

Since

online

instructors

evaluate

a learner's

competency

through

written

assignments,

it

is

critical

that

writing

be

presented

in

a coherent,

organized,

articulate

way.

Being

concise

is also

important

at

the

doctoral

level.

A skilled

writer

is one

who

can

convey

the

message

as clearly

as

possible

without

the

need

to employ

overly

dense,

thesaurus-

laden

words.

Good

writing

follows

a structured

process,

which

is described

below.

1.

Pre-Write

a)

Examine

the

requirements

of the

assignment.

b)

Is there

a grading

rubric

that

the

instructor

will

use?

c)

Brainstorm

ideas

on

paper

by

simply

listing

topics.

d)

Create

an

outline

that

organizes

the

brainstormed

topics

and

ideas.

e)

Identify

research

and

read

content

related

to the

topics

included

in

the

outline.

2.

Rough

Draft

a)

After

reviewing

a range

of

material

on

the

topics

in

the

outline,

start

to

put

ideas

into

writing

by

filling

in

the

outline.

Use

the

outline

as

the

topical

headings

for

the

paper.

b)

Do

not

worry

about

perfection

at

this

point.

Just

free

write

on

the

topics

and

focus

on

transferring

ideas

onto

paper.

3.

Revise/Edit

a)

If a grading

rubric

is available,

reread

the

paper

and

compare

it against

the

requirements

of

the

rubric.

If no

rubric

is available,

return

to

the

assignment

description

and

make

sure

the

paper

addresses

all

the

points.

b)

Add

delete

material

as

necessary.

c)

Work

on

transitions

from

paragraph

to

paragraph

so

that

the

flow

of

writing

is

smooth

for

the

reader.

d)

Edit

word

choices

to

add

variety

in

word

usage

and

sentence

length.

e)

Be

sure

to provide

research

citations

to support

all

claims.

f)

Avoid

plagiarism

by

giving

credit

to

others

whose

ideas

have

been

used.

g)

Help

this

process

by

using

peers

and

other

resources

willing

to

read

and

offer

suggestions.

Great

gains

will

be

made

by

using

critical

friends

to

help

with

the

editing

process.

4.

Finalize

a)

Create

the

final

draft

by

reviewing

the

paper

to

assure

correct

grammar,

punctuation,

and

spelling.

Avoiding

the

Perils

of

Plagiarism

One

of

the

most

serious

violations

that

students

often

commit,

even

innocently,

is

related

to

plagiarism.

In

the

modern

world

of

immediate

access

to

a sea

of

material,

there

is the

temptation

to

copy

and

paste

material

from

the

Web

into

assignments

and

fill

the

pages

with

content

that

is not

original.

This

is a very

dangerous

behavior

to

follow

when

in

an

academic

setting

and

submitting

material

to

earn

a grade

for

a

course.

Even

when

borrowing

ideas

from

another

without

copying

their

words

verbatim,

it

is considered

academically

dishonest

to not

give

appropriate

credit

for

their

ideas.

It is

essential

to support

ideas

with

credible,

quality

resources

and

to

give

credit

to the

authors

of those

sources

for

their

contributions.

To

avoid

accusations

of

plagiarism,

all

material

that

comes

from

somewhere

else

must

be

identified

with

a reference

by

including

an

in-text

citation

for

the

author

and

year

(e.g.,

Johnson,

2011

)

and

a

corresponding

entry

in

the

reference

list.

There

is extreme

risk

to

students

who

fail

to

follow

these

requirements

with

the

possibilities

ranging

from

a failing

grade

on

an

assignment

to

expulsion

from

the

university.

Always

adhere

to

APA

citation

requirements

and

include

as

much

original

thought

as

possible.

Remember,

when

others'

ideas

or

words

are

used,

official

credit

must

be

given.

Web

Resources

The

number

of

resources

on

the

Internet

is immense.

Hence,

it is important

to

exercise

judgment

in choosing

which

resources

are

the

most

credible.

Many

tools

exist

from

professional

organizations

that

can

serve

as

guides.

Below

is an

abbreviated

list

of

them.

The

list

includes

video

tutorials

available

through

the

GCU

website.

It is wise

to

become

familiar

with

each

of

these

resources.

Where

applicable,

an

Internet

browser

bookmark

should

be

established.



APA

website:

http://apastyle.apa.org/



PERRLA:

http://www.perrla.com/



OWL

Purdue

Writing

Lab:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/



Statistics

Lessons:

http://www.khanacademy.org/#statistics



GCU

Support

Tutorials:

http://www.gcumedia.com/lms-resources/student-success-

center/v2.1/#/tools/Tutorials

GCU

Learning

Lounge

The

GCU

Learning

Lounge

is the

creative

catalyst

and

innovative

nucleus

of academic

success

for

students

and

faculty

at

Grand

Canyon

University.

Tutoring

services

are

offered

in a variety

of topics

including

Writing,

Statistics,

Accounting,

Economics,

Finance,

APA,

Nursing,

and

Math.

Visit

the

Learning

Lounge

website

for

hours

of

operation,

appointment

scheduling,

and

online

tutorials.

Contact

Information

Website:

http://students.gcu.edu/student-resources/institutional-effectiveness/gcu-

learning-lounge.php

Phone:

602.639.8901

©

2018.

Grand

Canyon

University.

All

Rights

Reserved.