Computing Science
Welcome to the Computer Science Writing & Reviewing site.The purpose of the site is to help you improve both your writing and reviewing skills. This is not only to help you get a good degree, it's because good writing and reviewing skills will give you a huge advantage in an increasingly competitive jobs market. Ask Quintin about copious research in this area.
The site is packed with information, examples and writing exercises derived from real student essays generated from within this department. The exercises are grouped into eight main categories, each with sub-categories, as you can see below. They are presented in a numbered list but you can access them in any order, and you'll find four different styles: wordclick, multiple choice questions, select the problem and freetext. Detailed instructions are provided at the top of each exercise.
Above the exercise bank, you will find a blue question mark which you should click before you start on the exercises themselves. The page that pops up will give a comprehensive explanation of the exercise topic, and also examples.
If you want to comment on the site content, or have a technical issue, please email Katharine.Grant@glasgow.ac.uk. If you are commenting on a particular task, please give the task category and number.
Katie Grant
http://blogs.psy.gla.ac.uk/katiegrant/
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ArticleThe correct use of the definite article (the) or indefinite article (a, an) is a common problem, especially if English is not your first language. When must an article be used? When can it be left out? We hope this section helps. For more information, click on the blue button above the exercises.
01. Article - missing (a, the)
02. Article - unnecessary (a, the)
Punctuation
Punctuation is a key part of written English. The term covers everything in written language that is not a letter or a number, i.e. colons, dashes, apostrophes etc. Using punctuation incorrectly can substantially alter the meaning of a sentence resulting in an unnecessary loss of marks.
The rules that govern punctuation vary from country to country, and over time. Some elements of punctuation are a matter of personal preference but others have clear rules and intentions. In these exercises, current British English convention is used.
08. Punctuation - quotation marks
Formatting
Essays MUST be formatted properly, i.e. laid out correctly, with the proper use of capitals and italics. This is not just academic pedantry. Being able to follow appropriate formatting rules is crucial to any piece of writing. Making sure you format correctly will not only endear you to your computing science tutor, it is also excellent practice for every job application you make once you graduate. 11. Formatting - essay layout and formatting checklist
You'd be amazed how many sentences in essays appear to have been written in obscure code. See if you can decipher some of these.
12. Meaning - making your meaning crystal clear
Many good thoughts are wasted because they are expressed badly or, equally frustrating, are lost under a torrent of wordiness. Remember that if what you say isn't clear, your marker won’t know if you’ve answered the question or not. Clearer writing means better marks.
15. Muddled phrasing - sentence fragments
13. Muddled phrasing - poorly constructed sentences
14. Muddled phrasing - ending a sentence with a preposition
Choose your words carefully. If you use the wrong word, your marker may not be able to follow what you are trying to say. If you aren’t sure of a word’s meaning, check it in a dictionary.
If you seem to be using the same word over and over again, consider finding a word with a similar or identical meaning in a thesaurus.
Be concise – don’t say in 50 words what you could say in 10.
16. Word/Phrase choice - colloquialisms
17. Word/Phrase choice - wordiness
18. Word/Phrase choice - mistaken or poorly chosen
19. Mixed errors - word choice, punctuation etc.
Argument and evidence are the core of your essay. Your argument should be tightly woven and lead to a conclusion. All the evidence you cite and all the quotations you include must be properly referenced. Every sentence in your essay must be relevant to the question set.
Reviewing other people's work and rating it under the key criteria of argument, evidence and relevance is an extremely effective way of honing your own skills. This is why a reviewing section is included in the exercises on offer here.
For referencing, as well as the information here, this library site is also extremely useful:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/library/howtofindinformation/findingusinginformation/
22. Argument and evidence - relevance of content to question
21. Argument and evidence - how to re-read your work and assess other people's
23. Evidence - how to insert quotations
20. Argument and evidence - getting started
24. Evidence - footnotes, endnotes, embedded references and bibliographies
Essays can be divided into three parts: introduction, main body and conclusion, each part having its own particular function. The structure of an essay is important because it gives the essay shape. Without structure, an essay is just a random collection of thoughts, which is why, on this website, structure is given a section of its own.
29. Structure - concluding lines
26. Structure - getting started - opening lines
27. Structure - getting started - opening paragraphs
All tasks, for every subject, appear here.
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