What to do
- Remove all extraneous information (comments in Word, outlines, problem statements, etc.) when submitting the first and final drafts.
- Write in the third person (TP).
- Avoid first and second person.
- Begin each topic sentence with the main (i.e., independent) clause. 5 Types of Clauses with Examples in English Grammar – EnglishBix
- Stay mainly in the active voice. Use the active voice – The Writing Center – UW–Madison
- Conclude the instruction paragraph and begin the conclusion paragraph with a thesis statement (Refer to the assignment, Thesis Statement And Skeleton Outline.
- Include at least three peer-reviewed, academic articles that are cited and referenced according to APA, 7th edition. Citing Articles – APA 7th Edition – Research Guides at University of Alabama
- For a five paragraph essay, include two level I headings: 1) the title of the essay and 2) a heading for the references called, “References” – without using quotation marks. A level I heading uses title case (Definition and Examples of Title Case and Headline Style) and is centered to the page and in bold.
- Set margins in Microsoft Word at “Normal”: one-inch margins.
- Making sure the ruler in Microsoft Word is set to “inches”, add a 0.5 inch indentation for each paragraph using the ruler slider bars.
- Include a French indentation for references. Single space within each reference and double space between each reference.
- Double space entire text, making sure to include equal spacing between paragraphs and between headings and paragraphs; that is, avoid any extra spacing between paragraphs and between headings and paragraphs. Refer to the video below, Final Formatting Tips for Microsoft Word.
- Review What should I include in the first draft of my essay?
- Insert a page break just before the References heading.
- Include a specific thesis statement at the end of the introduction paragraph and at the beginning of the conclusion paragraph (See Thesis Statement And Skeleton Outline).
What not to do
- Avoid words like “important”, “essential”, “good”, “better”, “best”, “beneficial” etc.
- Avoid “very”: 45 Ways To Avoid Using The Word ‘Very’ – Writers Write
- Avoid absolutes: “all”, “everyone”, “never”, “always”, “no” etc.
- Avoid phrases like, “obviously”, “clearly”, “without a doubt”, etc.
- Avoid phrases that begin with “it”: 1) “it is important”, “it is necessary”, etc. and 2) “it has been found”, “it was shown…” etc. – non-referential “it” in the passive voice. quizlet.com/88962654/chp 7 nonreferential it and there flash cards/
- Avoid “there is/are”.
- Avoid informal phrases, “talking about”, “as mentioned before”, etc.
- Avoid websites as references.
- Except for perhaps the conclusion paragraph, avoid the future tense in the body and introduction of the essay.
- Avoid idiomatic expressions (e.g., colloquialisms, phrasal verbs, slang, etc.)
- Avoid the pronoun “one”, subject pronouns in topic sentences, and overall avoid overusing pronouns of any kind.
- Avoid overusing pronouns overall. The problem with overusing pronouns is when their antecedents are unclear (i.e., pronoun reference). Pronouns and Antecedents – Writing Commons
- Topic sentences
- Avoid linking verbs in the topic sentence – first sentence of each body paragraph. Linking Verb: Definition and Examples
- Avoid subject pronouns in the main clause of each topic sentence.