Chemistry
Welcome to the Chemistry academic writing skills site.We've put this site together to help you improve your academic writing skills. Being able to write clearly and precisely, in a prescribed format, is not only a key university skill, it is absolutely key to your professional success after you graduate.
On this site you'll find information and exercises on all manner of writing problems. Below, you will also find a copy of the current action/feedback sheet. Tutors will use this sheet to point out writing problems they've noticed in your work. You can then go onto the website and iron out these problems. Since writing is a matter of practice, the more practice you do, the more proficient and skilled you will become.
You'll notice that the big section headings on the website, listed A, B, C etc., correspond with the section headings on the action sheet, and the numbered categories on the website, 01, 02, etc. correspond with the numbered categories on the action sheet. In other words, the action sheet is a reflection of the website.
Enjoy the site, and if you have comments or find errors (nobody's perfect), please email the site administrator, Katie Grant, on Katharine.Grant@glasgow.ac.uk. A. Punctuation
Punctuation, which covers apostrophes, colons, commas (in other words, everything in written language that is not a letter or a number), plays a key role in making sure that everything you write is clear and unambiguous, i.e. that the reader cannot misinterpret your comments.
The rules that govern punctuation vary from country to country, and over time. The University of Glasgow uses current British English convention, so you should too.
When you click on a topic, you'll see a blue question mark. Click on this before you start the exercises.
03. Commas and run-on sentences
B. Sentence structure and writing styles
Poor sentence structure and clumsy phrasing result in confusion and ambiguity. Reading your work aloud is a good way to test structure and phrasing. If you stumble over your own writing, your reader will stumble too.
Equally, you must decide on the most appropriate writing style and tone for your task and audience. In an academic essay, you need to write formally, i.e. objectively, in the third person passive tense:
Correct (for an academic essay): 'Research is currently underway into density functional theorum.'
Incorrect (for an academic essay): 'I'm currently researching density functional theorum.'
N.B. You would use the personal 'I' in a letter or job application. Remember that writers must adopt different styles for different audiences.
When you click on a topic, you'll see a blue question mark. Click on this before starting the exercises.
07. Avoiding grammatical ambiguity
10. Wordiness: how to be concise
Choose your words carefully. Should it be 'affect' or 'effect'? 'Dependent' or 'dependant'? 'Fewer' or 'less'? 'Loose' or 'lose'? 'Different with' or 'different from'? 'Due to' or 'caused by'? If you use the wrong word or phrase, your reader may not be able to follow what you're trying to say. If you aren’t sure of a word’s meaning, check it in a dictionary or ask somebody you trust.
11. Is this the right non-technical word?
D. Chemistry vocabulary
Chemistry uses a number of familiar words in a very precise way. It's important to know what these words are, and exactly how to use them in a chemistry assignment.
There are many chemical dictionaries to help you. Here is a link to one:
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryglossary
12. Using chemistry words and terms correctly
E. Introduction and conclusion
First and last impressions are always important, so the opening and closing lines of your essay need careful consideration. Do you know what constitutes a strong opening line? Do you know how to construct a confident, powerful closing line? This section offers some practice and ideas.
13. Introduction - strong v. weak
14. Conclusion - strong v. weak
Not acknowledging your sources, whether you quote directly from them or use and expand ideas you find in them, will lay you open to charges of plagiarism (see below).
Why is the proper formatting of references important?
- To allow a reader easily to find the text you have cited.
- To show a reader that you are a professional who can operate in a professional world.
Click on the blue question mark above the exercises for a quick guide to formatting your references, then test yourself with some of the exercises.
What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is using direct quotations or transcriptions, close paraphrases or summaries of ideas without acknowledging your source, i.e. passing off others' work as your own. For more information about plagiarism, click on 'Plagiarism: what you need to know' below.
17. In-text referencing and references section
16. Reliable and unreliable sources
G. Proof reading and formatting
So many writing mistakes can be rectified before a marker ever sees what you've written. All you have to do is spend ten minutes reading your work aloud. Somehow, the act of reading aloud forces you to notice careless errors, e.g. singular/plural mismatches or spelling errors. In this section, you'll find text incorporating various mistakes, all of which careful proof reading would have picked up.
In addition, always format your work (font, line-spacing etc.) according to the course guidelines.
Formatting correctly and proof reading carefully are excellent habits to form. When applying for jobs, both will help you stand out as a reliable, professional candidate.
18. Checking your work for careless errors
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