5 Helpful Tips to Write a Powerful Abstract for Your Academic Paper or Dissertation

Do you struggle with writing an abstract? It doesn’t have to be difficult. When it comes to writing an abstract, many students tend to struggle to master the art of abstract writing. Indeed, it is important to include specific information. In most cases, students tend to leave out vital information about their topic or study.

If you connect to this topic, I would like to share 5 helpful tips to write a powerful abstract for your academic paper or dissertation.

1. Keep abstract to one paragraph (150-300 words)
2. Share the purpose of your topic or study
3. Provide an overview of your topic or study
4. Share any major findings
5. Include your interpretation of the findings

Call to Action!

If you need a professional editor to proofread/edit and provide feedback on your abstract or any academic document, Click here on Services to book a proofreading/editing session with me.

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4 Powerful Ways To Use Evidence [The Paragraph Series]

Do you ever fear the use of evidence in your paragraphs? Maybe you struggle with finding appropriate evidence for your paper?

When it comes to academic writing, it is very important to use evidence, specifically scholarly evidence. On the other hand, it can feel overwhelming to determine what makes evidence scholarly.

As an educator in higher education, I have seen students struggle with the appropriate use of evidence. Sometimes, students would use direct quotations, and that’s it. However, a strong paragraph does not consist of just quotation marks.

Overall, scholarly evidence comes from credible sources, such as peer-reviewed articles or other scholarly articles written by faculty, researchers, and scholars.

Now that you know what determines scholarly evidence in academic writing, here are four powerful ways to use evidence in a paragraph.

 

• The Usefulness of the Source

 

When you need to find evidence, it is important to remember your paper’s purpose. The purpose will help you determine whether a source might be useful. It is important to consider the source’s credibility (e.g. the author’s credentials and the author’s experience related to the subject).

 

• The Importance of Critically Reading the Source

 

When it comes to academic writing, critical reading will help determine the importance of the source. You can take a look at the author’s arguments, reasons, and the source’s alignment to your paper’s topic. These specific points will help you determine whether you have a substantial source as evidence.

 

• Applying the Evidence from the Source in your Paper

 

A critical step in the use of evidence is the ability to apply sources in the academic paper. After you find evidence, consider whether you want to use it as a direct quotation (word-for-word citation) or paraphrase (putting it in your own words and citing it). In academic writing, students are encouraged to paraphrase to show scholarly skills.

 

• Introduce the Source through Signal Phrases

 

A powerful way to use evidence is through the introduction of the source. Signal phrases is a great way to introduce the author of the source and creates a scholarly tone (e.g. According to Jones).

I hope you find these four tips helpful along your academic journey!

If you need help with the use of evidence or other academic writing concerns related to undergraduate school, graduate school, or the dissertation/capstone process, book your free 30-minute writing consultation with me today. In this session, I’ll listen and address your concerns, provide helpful writing suggestions to assist you, and create a writing plan for you as well.

Chat soon!

Jeannie

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5 Useful Tips To Create Powerful Topic Sentences [The Paragraph Series]

Do you ever struggle to write your paragraphs? Or maybe you feel like you don’t know how to begin?

Perhaps you just don’t know if your paragraph is clear and coherent?

Well, it is quite common to feel that way. Some students are unaware of the need to have a topic sentence to begin each paragraph. However, some students simply do not know the different types of topic sentences. As part of my paragraph blog post series, I would like to begin with the importance of topic sentence.

When it comes to writing an impressive paragraph, a topic sentence can serve as a guide in the paragraph creation process.

Most importantly, the topic sentence focuses on one main idea for the paragraph. However, there are several ways to approach the topic sentence.

Here are 5 helpful tips to help you identify the main idea for your topic sentence:

 

Analyzing Cause and Effect

A great way to create a topic sentence for a paragraph would be by analyzing cause and effect. You can analyze what causes a specific topic or the topic’s effects.

Defining

A popular way to create a topic sentence is through defining the topic. This tip is a great way to generalize your topic and share characteristics for it.

Describing

You can describe a topic by providing specific details to share something important. The description can include background information, appearance, or specific language to describe a topic.

Explaining a Process

When you have to explain a step-by-step process, it is important to create a topic sentence that shares how you would go about the process. This specific strategy is a great way to show how to get something done.

Narrating

The most common topic sentence is narration. In this specific topic sentence, you can structure the topic sentence to support a particular point related to your thesis statement.

These are my 5 top tips to help you create strong topic sentences for your paragraphs.

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Action Step For You

Share your process for creating topic sentences in the comment section below!

If you have any questions or need help with your topic sentences, please comment below.

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Please don’t forget to download your FREE paper review checklist to make sure you submit your best paper.

Happy Writing!

Jeannie

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Schedule a FREE consultation and great helpful suggestions to improve your next paper!

Top 3 Ways To Write The Perfect Introduction

Do you ever feel like you do not know what you are doing when it comes to academic writing?

Do you struggle to know how to start a paper? or perhaps how to come up with a thesis statement? Or maybe you feel stuck on how to write an effective introduction?

If this story rings true to you, please know that you’re not alone.

Many students are unclear on how to write an introduction and unsure about how to begin.

As an academic writing tutor, I would like to share a few tips to help you get started.

Here are my Top 3 ways to write the perfect introduction!

When it comes to creating a strong introduction, I recommend the following components to write an introduction:

General Statement: Begin your introduction with a general statement about your paper’s topic. The general statement is a sentence that generalizes your topic and hook your reader into your introduction. The general statement should be 1 sentence.

Background Sentences: After creating your general statement, now it is time to create background sentences that will help your professor understand the necessary background information about your topic. The background sentences should be about 3-4 sentences.

Thesis Statement: After creating your background sentences, the final step would be to create a thesis statement. Your thesis statement should allow your professor to understand the purpose of your academic paper. A strong recommendation would be to share what is your claim with supporting reasons. The supporting details can be 3 details. Here is an example: College students struggle with academic writing because the students are unclear on the writing process, nervous to be wrong, and do not have the support to be an effective writer. Then, this specific paper will share how these obstacles can affect college students and then share how to share possible solutions.

These are my 3 top tips to help you create a strong introduction for your academic papers. I would love to hear your questions or concerns about writing an introduction. Please feel free to comment below!

If you would like a FREE consultation, please click on SIGN UP FOR ONLINE ACADEMIC WRITING TUTORING and I will schedule our free consultation. In our consultation, I will review your writing and share three ways to strengthen your writing.

Happy Writing!

Jeannie