THE SEVEN BEST RULES FOR COLLEGIATE WRITING

 

 

1.  Everything depends on the thesis. It cannot be too general, too specific, or a fact.

2.  Write with intention. 

3.  Write in formal language

4.  Be specific

5.  Cite your sources.  If you are not accountable, you won't be credible, and you won't be taken seriously.

6.  Be concise.  Stop looking at your education as the teacher versus the student.  And stop looking at assigned work as the number of pages--see it as a challenge (how can I fill this space of these pages with well-researched, timely information that matters), and learn how to say less about more.

7.  It doesn't matter what you think, it matters what you can prove.  Leave behind your reliance on personal experience and opinions to build essays. What you need to use now are research, facts, and authoritative sources.