Introduction

Whether you’re new to academic writing, or wish to refresh your knowledge, the Academic Writing section follows an interactive format and is a great chance for you to familiarise yourself with the writing process, together with useful techniques and strategies to help with upcoming assignments. You will have the opportunity to engage in different activities, including scenario-based questions, which reflect the general process of writing an assignment here at the University of Bolton.

We anticipate this section may take you approximately 1 hour to fully complete. All tutorials have an assessment, giving you the opportunity to earn a digital badge.

Please take your time to digest all information – this LEAP Online section has been designed to support you alongside your studies, so complete it in your own time, at your pace. If you need to leave the module and come back to it, we recommend completing the assessment for the tutorial you’re working on before leaving.

Acknowledgements:

During the development of this section, the LEAP Online team worked in collaboration with the following members of the University of Bolton community: Kat Cridland (Senior Lecturer - English for Academic Purpose),  Laura O'Brien (Lecturer - Psychology Access), Boluwatife Oyesola (International Student Community Coordinator), Megan Edwards (Student).

Academic Writing Tutorials

If you are new to academic writing, we recommend completing the tutorials in order.

  • An Introduction to Academic Writing

    This tutorial aims to introduce you to academic writing with a definition and the main characteristics and steps you can take to start developing your academic writing skills.

  • Planning Your Assignment

    Irrespective of your level of study, the general writing process for producing a well-structured assignment will remain the same. Therefore, this tutorial aims to support students with the process of deconstructing the question and planning a response – the foundation of your academic writing.

  • First Draft

    Once you’ve finished your plan and outline of your assignment, you can begin to write a first draft. This tutorial aims to explain what this is and provide useful tips so that you can prepare your first draft.

  • Paraphrasing

    This tutorial aims to develop your understanding of paraphrasing and help you develop the skills needed to present your work with academic integrity. Ultimately, paraphrasing is a complex process that deserves more of your time and consideration to ensure it’s done correctly and issues concerning plagiarism, a consequence of academic misconduct, are avoided.

  • Academic Cohesion

    So far this LEAP Online section has introduced you to academic writing, planning your assignment, how to begin your first draft and paraphrasing. To support you with drafting your assignment, it is important to consider how the different sections of your assignment are connected together. This is known as cohesion. 

  • Other Writing Skills

    Having considered the main components and conventions of academic writing, it is also important to cover other skills needed to produce a well-written piece of work.

  • Editing and Proofreading

    You’re nearing the end of the writing process but before you click submit, it’s important that you take some time to re-draft and proofread your work. 

Summary

We hope this section has provided you with a thorough insight into the academic writing process and provided you with useful strategies and tips to help on your journey.

Finally, please find below our Academic Writing checklist. You can use this checklist to evaluate your work accurately and fairly. If you answer ‘no’ to any of the questions, then maybe your assignment needs further work before you hit the submit button.

Don’t forget to check LEAP Live for workshops aimed to offer further support with your academic development.

 

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