Typos, spelling mistakes, bad punctuation. Slip-ups happen to the best of us when we’re rushing, tired, under pressure or a bit confused: which is pretty much the description of a stressed out university student writing an essay that’s due soon. At best, they make you look silly and careless. At worst, they can undermine the
Inclusive language has a simple purpose: to ensure that a piece of communication–it may be written or spoken–does not discriminate against groups of people in the community. Discrimination can range from exclusion to derogatory comments and can be based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation or other perceived differences. Often disparaged as ‘political
Often, when writing an essay, article or thesis, you will need to decide which particular word works best with your text. Sometimes this can be difficult when there are several words with the same, or similar, meaning; these groups of words are called ‘synonyms’. As an example, the word ‘particular’ (used in the first sentence
Em dashes are used to separate parts of a sentence, especially when there is an abrupt change from one clause to another, or if special emphasis is required when adding information to an existing clause. See the following sentence for an example: Greek infantry, based on the hoplite—the heavily armed and armoured infantryman organized into
So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads – Dr Seuss After spending hours, days and sometimes years researching an essay, article or thesis, it can be difficult to squeeze all that valuable information into the designated word count. Knowing how to sacrifice words
Sometimes you just need to get out of the house and take your laptop somewhere new. A change of scene and pace can be very invigorating: drink a barista-made coffee instead of instant, see some people who aren’t your supervisor, feel part of the hustle and bustle of non-academic life. Sydney doesn’t have too many
The world of academia can be a little behind the world of technology, but by using just a few of these apps, your thesis can be helped along immeasurably. Don’t install them all at once—it can get a bit overwhelming—but test out a couple and see what sticks. All apps listed are free to use.
Often considered the domain of tech entrepreneurs and lifestyle gurus, a few well-chosen productivity ‘hacks’ and habits can really boost your thesis and help you maintain momentum during your PhD. Use the social buttons below to download some printable motivational flashcards to help you maintain your productivity throughout the day Eat Breakfast What do athletes,
A former president in an Asian country felt compassion for a man on death row. On the hour of the man’s scheduled execution, the president was asked by his chief of staff if the execution should proceed. He was in the middle of a meeting, and mouthed the words ‘don’t hang him’ to his chief
How many of the following ‘symptoms’ apply to you right now? • avoiding getting started with writing • doing vast amounts of research but not writing it up • re-drafting written work over and over again but still not being happy with it • not finishing nearly completed written tasks • avoiding showing written
