Academic writing

Academic writing will be a part of your studies here at MDU, and it is possible to improve your own writing using an array of online tools. Below some free and useful links are listed, that will help you work independently on your writing.

Help to structure your essay

To structure your essay properly, the first step is to find out if your program has a template that you can follow, to get the overall structure.

Lecture on global editing, on Youtube External link.

Evolve your language skills

A part of your structure is sentence structure, and you can always google that for further information and lectures. Linking words are important for the cohesion of your essay (also known as transitional expressions).

50 linking words to use in academic writing, on Elitediting.com External link.

Effective Transition Words for Research Papers, on Blog.Wordvice.com External link.

To get help expressing yourself in the correct register the academic phrasebank is useful.

The academic phrasebank, University of Manchester External link.

Making references correctly

When making references according to your given reference system, you may find these resources useful verbs for citation:

Verbs for Referring to Sources, University of Toronto External link.

Verbs for citations (APA style), University of Portsmouth External link.

Academic genres

Here is a resource on academic genres that may help sort things out:

Writing in Academic Genres, Lunds universitet External link.

Here is a list of common errors with a lot of examples of common language mistakes that may make you aware of your own mistakes.

Common Errors in English Usage, Washington state University External link.

Writing guide of academic writing

The punctuation guide. is useful, as well as the writing guide. that is specifically designed for writing academic texts in English in Sweden.

The punctuation guide External link.

Writing Guide External link.

Many students find Grammarly a good help while writing.

Grammarly External link.

The Purdue Online Writing Lab may have a lot of answers to your writing questions.

The Purdue Online Writing Lab External link.

On the website of Lund University you can find a resource (Awelu) for the different aspects of academic writing in English.

Awelu, Lund University External link.

Critical thinking and analysis

Many students find it difficult to grasp the concepts of critical thinking and analysis, and of course there are useful resources for that as well. Here is an instructional video on the matter, that may clarify things:

What is critical thinking, on Youtube External link.

Here is a presentation on critical thinking with good points and useful information.

Skills for Academic Success, University of Kent External link.

Dictionaries

Different kinds of dictionaries are useful for making sure you use appropriate language for the given context, as well as the correct grammar and spelling. There are several excellent online dictionaries:

Collins dictionary includes information on pronunciation, British and American interpretations and is overall a very helpful tool. The Merriam Webster dictionary with word of the day and word quizzes. Longman dictionary has similar features and the Cambridge dictionary includes useful grammar help.

Collins dictionary External link.

The Merriam Webster dictionary External link.

Longman dictionary External link.

The Cambridge dictionary. External link.

Exercises to help you improve your English

If you suspect that your level of English needs a raise, there are resources that may help with this. Find out your English level and get exercises designed for that level at British Council.

Learning English, British Council External link.

At Cambridge English you can practice your English with different exercises, and you can also take a test and find out your level.

Learning English, Cambridge English External link.

Test your English – for Schools, Cambridge English External link.

BBC Learning English is a sight that will help you with your general English skills. Your level will probably be “Towards Advanced”, but if you find that too difficult, you can start with the “Upper-Intermediate”.

Learning English, BBC External link.

Here you will find writing, speaking and grammar exercises:

Academic English Online, Queen Mary University of London External link.