4.5: CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You have finished the workbook and are more than likely putting the finishing touches on your final paper. As you complete your paper, make sure you proofread your work and make edits based on your instructor's feedback. As you are completing your final paper, please see below for a few helpful hints adapted from Rubin, Rubin, and Haridakis (2010). You may also find your university's writing center helpful.

Learning how to write scholarly papers is difficult, but learning how to read, write, and analyze this type of work will aid you in better understanding the foundations of your discipline, will sharpen your research skills, and makes you adaptable as a communication professional. As a student of communication studies, you will be writing scholarly papers regularly, and we hope you can use what you have learned in this class to help you along the way!

• Research papers are typically written in a formal style and use third person.
• Avoid using an overly descriptive or provocative writing style.
• Use active voice.
• Avoid jargon in place of common terminology.
• Language should be gender-neutral and sensitive to stereotypes.
• Be economical in expression (concise yet clear).
• Clarify conclusions as well as contradictions you find in the literature.
• Use pronouns that have clear references to their antecedents.
• Use short rather than elongated sentences (avoid run-ons).
• Move smoothly from section to section (transition sentences and headings).
• Use correct punctuation.
• Use proper grammar and spelling.
• PROOFREAD YOUR WORK. Never submit a paper you haven’t checked for spelling and typographical errors.
• Use consistent tense, topic, and person.
• Never plagiarize. Always give credit, even when paraphrasing. If it’s not your original idea, then you need to cite your source.
• Do not quote from an abstract; quote or summarize from the original source.
• Pay attention to the structure and form of published articles. You will learn a lot about formatting and what each section entails.

References

Rubin, R., Rubin, A., & Haridakis, P. (2010). Communication research: Strategies and sources (7th Ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage