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Alex Essay Writing Tool
Additional Resources
Essay Writing
Success in Academic Writing.
Day, T. (2013). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Planning your Essay.
Godwin, J. (2014). 2nd edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
How to Write Better Essays.
Greetham, B. (2018). 4th edn. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
The Academic Phrasebank.
Morley, J. (2017). Manchester: University of Manchester.
http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
Essay Planning Help
Two short videos by Jackie Wills, former RLF Writing Fellow at the University of Sussex.
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/skillshub/?id=356
Academic Writing Blogs
Patter
Patter is Pat Thomson, Professor of Education in the School of Education, University of Nottingham.
https://patthomson.net
Explorations of Style.
Rachael Cayley is an associate professor (teaching stream) in the Graduate Centre for Academic Communication, which is part of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto.
https://explorationsofstyle.com
Grammar and Punctuation
Grammar for Academic Writing.
Lynch, T. & Anderson, K. (revised and updated Elloway, A). (2013). English Language Teaching Centre: University of Edinburgh
https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/grammar_for_academic_writing_ism.pdf
Eats, Shoots and Leaves.
Truss, L. (2009). London: Fourth Estate.
A humorous look at the importance of punctuation.
Brilliant Writing Tips for Students.
Copus, J. (2009). London: Palgrave Pocket Study Guides.
A very short guide to the essentials of grammar and punctuation.
Style
Stylish Academic Writing.
Sword, H. (2012). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press
The Elements of Style.
Strunk Jr, W. & White, E.B. (1999) Cambridge: Pearson.
A timeless (and short) guide to writing clearly.
Writing with Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process.
Elbow, P. (1989). Oxford: OUP.
How to apply freewriting and fast-drafting techniques. Useful for creative projects, getting ideas down and getting past the hurdle of the ‘blank page’.
Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking Skills: Effective Analysis, Argument and Reflection.
Cottrell, S. (2017). 3rd edn. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Writing your dissertation
Writing Your Dissertation: The bestselling guide to planning, preparing and presenting first-class work. Swetnam, D. & Swetnam, S. (2000). 3rd Edn. London: How to Books.
Writing English as a Second Language
‘Writing English as a Second Language.’
Zinsser, W. (2009). American Scholar, Winter 2010.
https://theamericanscholar.org/writing-english-as-a-second-language/
Do you have a resource you’d like to see added to this list? Email us:
alex@rlf.org.uk
The links and resources above have been chosen with the help of RLF Consultant Fellows who are experienced in designing and facilitating group academic writing development activities for students.
https://rlfconsultants.com
Alex Essay Writing Tool
This is a step-by-step guide to writing an essay, developed by RLF Consultant Fellow Dr Anna Barker, with Dr Andrew Bingham. It takes you through all the stages of producing your essay from title through to the final draft. No more staring at the blank page not knowing how to begin — Alex will get you started and keep you on track.
Ten steps cover: getting started, understanding your essay task; brainstorming points; parts of your essay; wide and close reading; reviewing sources; ordering your material; writing; and editing.
Each step is supported by helpful video, tasks to perform, and useful tips.
Alex is also available as an app for Android through Google Play.
