Dr. Rob Williams’ Research And Writing Guidelines
Nine Steps For #KickAssWriting (with a nod to George Orwell)
1. FIRST! Ask a question, pose a problem, or select a topic of interest to YOU!
2. ACTION verbs: Over passive verbs.
Not “The World Trade Center was attacked by terrorists,” but “Terrorists attacked the World Trade Center.” See the difference? Sentence #2 is punchy, more powerful.
3. PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES: Collapse ‘em.
“Of, By, For, Over, Under, But” are all common prepositions. Avoid, and streamline sentences.
4. LESS IS MORE (NO ADVERBS): (“ly” words modifying verbs – avoid, unless exceptionally important.)
5. QUOTATIONS: Include and create "flow" with the XYZ technique, and use parenthetical citations (Stanford 47) to honor your experts.
X = author; Y = author’s credentials; Z = name of source/document – like so:
“The origins of human intelligence are linked to the acquisition of meat, especially through the cognitive capacities necessary for the strategic sharing of meat with fellow group members - shared evolved traits with humans [that] point to the origins of human intelligence,” observes (X) Craig Stanford in his (Y) seminal book (Z) The Hunting Apes: Meat Eating and the Origins of Human Behavior. Stanford, a (Y) professor of biological sciences and anthropology at the University of Southern California and co-director of USC’s Jane Goodall Research Center, is one of many scholars currently exploring the deep evolutionary links between primates’ attraction to meat and our emergence as homo sapiens sapiens. “The intellect required to be a clever, strategic, and mindful sharer of meat is the essential recipe that led to the expansion of the human brain,” Stanford argues, noting that “the central importance of meat acquisition and meat sharing in modern and ancient human societies is simply undeniable.” (Stanford 47)
6. VARY sentence structure. Keep your reader surprised.
7.TRANSITION sentences create "flow" from paragraph to paragraph.
8. Embrace the whole PROCESS. Start early, research regularly, write/revise often!
9. BIBIOGRAPHY: Alphabetize your sources. Use this helpful resource (OWL) for guidance.
Comments