Northeast Center Office of Academic Support
www.necacademicsupport.pbworks.com
necacademicsupport@esc.edu
(518)783-6203 ext 5939
Guide to Writing and Research Support for Graduate Students
As a student in one of the degree or certificate programs offered at SUNY Empire State College's Graduate School, you will take all of your courses online. Some degree programs also require face-to-face activities including regional, group meetings or attendance at occasional weekend residencies. In all cases, writing and academic research will be central to your academic success in these programs. The resources listed below are a starting point for you to acclimate to the demands of academic writing at the graduate level.
Use the the Table of Contents below for a quick access to the resources on this page or scroll through the page to view the resources.
Getting Assistance
There are several options for academic writing and research assistance available for graduate students:
Collegewide Workshops
The directors of academic support offer a series of free, online academic support workshops for students across the college, starting January 2014. All students are invited to log into any of these sessions. See the complete schedule for details about how and when to access them.
NEC Academic Support Workshops
The Northeast Center Office of Academic Support offers free workshops on most Wednesday evenings and some Friday mornings throughout the academic year and early summer. These workshops occur concurrently online and onsite (in Latham and Saratoga Springs). More information about the workshops and the current schedule can be accessed by clicking on the link below:
http://necacademicsupport.pbworks.com/w/page/60274005/General%20Workshop%20Information
Library Workshops
The SUNY Empire State College Library offers online workshops on library research skills. Click on the link below to find out more:
http://subjectguides.esc.edu/workshops
Smarthinking
Smarthinking is an online tutoring service provided to SUNY Empire State College students. Use the link below and follow the directions in order to set up your account.
http://www.esc.edu/smarthinking
Smarthinking provides asynchronous support for students and they also have limited live writing tutorials. All of these tutorials take place in a text-based online environment. What might be of particular interest to graduate students is that you can use Smarthinking to get support in "Research & Documentation for help with citation of sources, documentation systems, proper attribution and documentation of source material, using evidence to strengthen claims/arguments, evaluating the quality of source materials and evidence, understanding plagiarism, and research methods and strategies."
Individual Consultation
Graduate students can contact the Northeast Center Director of Academic Support, Dr. Lisa D'Adamo-Weinstein (email: lisa.d'adamo-weinstein@esc.edu or phone: 518-783-6203 EXT. 5939) to get connected with a learning coach for writing support. Please mention that you are a graduate student when you contact Lisa.
We will work with graduate students at all stages of the writing process. We do not provide a proofreading service. We help students develop productive writing habits and revision strategies and point you to appropriate online resources as needed.
During weekday hours, we will work with graduate students in collaborative consultations both online and face-to-face. Face-to-face support through the Northeast Center Office of Academic Support is only available in Latham, NY and Saratoga Springs, NY. We might be able to connect graduate students at other locations in New York State, but for graduate students at locations outside of the Capital District, we will work over the phone and through webconferencing software.
You can also reach out to other Directors of Academic Support at the College to see if they have resources available to youa t their location. Click this link to find out who to contact near you - http://www.esc.edu/learning-support/directors-academic-support/
SUNY Empire State College Online Resources
SUNY Empire State College's Online Library
http://www.esc.edu/library/
Doing Graduate-Level Library Research
https://techinfo.esc.edu/empire_pdf/doingGradResearch2006.pdf#search=graduate
Citing Sources
http://subjectguides.esc.edu/citing
Academic Writing
http://www.esc.edu/online-writing-center/resources/academic-writing/
Research Writing
http://www.esc.edu/online-writing-center/resources/research-writing
How to Write an Annotated Bibliography (with video)
http://subjectguides.esc.edu/annotatedbib
Additional Resources
Planning
TIME MANAGEMENT NINJAS
http://timemanagementninja.com/2013/03/10-simple-rules-for-choosing-your-productivity-tools/
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
http://guides.main.library.emory.edu/content.php?pid=376220&sid=3154289
Strategies
MIND MAPPING
http://guides.main.library.emory.edu/content.php?pid=376220&sid=3143382
Mindmapping for Reading Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvnbKEHOQIY
WRITE, EDIT, PUBLISH
http://guides.main.library.emory.edu/content.php?pid=376220&sid=3087264
Working with Quotations/Citing Sources
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) Research and Citation Webpage
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill's Writing Center
Online Handout to Using Quotations Effectively in Your Papers
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/quotations/
Why We Cite
http://www2.lib.unc.edu/instruct/citations/
Overview of resources for Graduate Students
http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/Writing_Resources/Index.html
Wide Variety of Links and Resources for Graduate Students
Mount Mercy University's Graduate Student Writing and Research Site
http://www.mtmercy.edu/graduate-students-research-and-writing ****** Highly Recommended Resource *****
Includes links to tips and scholarly articles on writing and research - Guides and Discussions of Scholarly Writing & Specialized Writing: The Literature Review, Annotated Bibliographies
Includes time management and succeeding in graduate school links
University of Maryland's Graduate School's Writing Resources for Graduate Students
http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/Writing_Resources/Index.html (overview page)
http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/Writing_Resources/By%20Field.html (Resources by discipline)
Claremont Graduate University
http://www.cgu.edu/pages/9142.asp
Downloadable Resources Including:
- Writing Conference Papers
- Grammar and Style
- Writing Process
- Writing specific kinds of papers
- Working with sources
l
Writing Annotated Bibliographies- http://www.cgu.edu/pages/836.asp
Writing Business Papers (including case studies) - http://www.cgu.edu/pages/833.asp
Graduate Writing at Yale
http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/writing/
Downloadable Presentation
Academic Writing for Graduate Students
http://www.umbc.edu/studentlife/orgs/siam/docs/SonjaTWMath2009.ppt
Academic Writing for Grad Student Presentation
http://www.umbc.edu/studentlife/orgs/siam/docs/SonjaTWMath2009.ppt
Teaching Writing to Grad Students
http://humansciences.okstate.edu/HES6993_102/documents/Harris.pdf
Resources from October 2013 Residency
Reading as a Graduate Student
Index of Writing Templates
http://ohiouswc.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/ire_templatessimple1.pdf
They Say/I Say - Writing Template
https://canvas.instructure.com/courses/43766/wiki/they-say-i-say
Link to the book
http://lgdata.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/2298/708991/they_say_-_I_say.pdf
Book Review Sample
http://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/the-hourglass-society/?print=1&fulltext=1
Princeton Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/pages/plagiarism/
Writing Tips fo MALS Students
By Dr. Anastasia Pratt
1) Use your first paragraph wisely:
In this first paragraph, you should explain your purpose and offer your main point (thesis). You do not need to respond directly to the prompt, at least not in the sense that you restate a question, but you do need to offer your audience a sense of what will follow. Thus, a first paragraph that says
A common theme in American literature is an ideal that has latched itself onto the American psyche and doesn’t seem to be letting go soon. From the poorest urban neighborhoods to the richest aristocracies, Americans are obsessed with our interpretation of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, the American Dream. The definition of this elusive term changes as often as the years, and its values are never immune to criticism. Yet two themes seem to consistently emerge: material comfort and family life. Throughout the 20th century, writers and artists have criticized Americans for turning the American Dream, which is, at its roots, a purposeful model for building and maintaining society, into a greed-driven, power-hungry thirst that creates unequal social classes and immoral standards of living. Two bodies of work, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and All My Sons by Arthur Miller, are such examples. Each offers its own version of the American Dream, contains characters who symbolize the average American, and illustrate the corruption of the very dream for which those characters stand.
is less effective than one that says
American literature often grapples with the American Dream, an elusive concept in which “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” comes under attack. Both The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and All My Sons, by Arthur Miller, question that American Dream, at its roots a purposeful model for building and maintain society. Rather than a useful vision of material comfort and family life, the two works illustrate a greed-driven, power-hungry thirst that creates unequal social classes and immoral standards of living.
2) Choose your tense with care:
Works of literature may always be discussed in the present tense because they live on into the future. For that reason, I can say, “In Great Expectations, Dickens writes…” However, I cannot write, “Great Expectations was first serialized in 1860 and 1861. Its publication is historic in that the work is considered sophisticated.”
If most of what you’re writing about takes place in the past, use the past tense; if most of what you’re writing about takes place in the present, use the present tense. Try not to mix the two.
3) Avoid the second person:
“You” and “your” serve to divide the author and audience. Whenever possible, stick with the first person (I/we) or the third (he/she/it/one/they).
4) Offer pointed examples:
Choose examples that clearly illustrate your point. Whether a quote, a paraphrased rendering of a work, or a statistic, your evidence must speak to the argument you have stated at the beginning of your paper. Even if the applicability seems abundantly obvious, reiterate the relationship between the evidence and your argument. Never assume that your audience will understand without your help.
In some ways, I’m asking you to do what Denzel Washington’s character in the movie Philadelphia asked witnesses to do, “Explain it to me like I’m a five year old.” When you feel you’ve explained clearly enough that child would understand, you probably have managed to be clear enough.
5) Aim for clear and concise prose:
Contrary to common opinion, writing more doesn’t always equal writing better. In fact, a well-written piece is one that makes its point in as few words as possible. Rather than using flowery language or a multitude of examples, choose the most powerful words and examples possible. Your audience will appreciate your clarity and the forcefulness of your argument.
6) Find your own style:
As graduate students, you are free of the 5-paragraph essay form. Use quotes from outside the assigned readings; be personal; focus on a seemingly miniscule point instead of reiterating an entire argument. These papers belong to YOU; they should show YOUR voice.
- since October 10, 2013
(Short Link to the page - http://bit.ly/ESCGradWritingResources)
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