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.

First, make yourself acquainted with the software provided by MDU for writing support. Here you can download SpellRight Links to an external site., which is a more precise spellchecker than the one in Word, and TorTalk Links to an external site., which is a service that can read your text out loud, making it easier to find your own mistakes and incongruences in your text. Make sure you are logged on to your student account to be able to download these programs.

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. Other resources that can help with your essay structure can be found here Links to an external site.. Here is a lecture on global editing
 Links to an external site.A part of your structure is sentence structure, Links to an external site.and you can always google that for further information and lectures. Linking words Links to an external site.are important for the cohesion of your essay. (Also known as transitional expressions Links to an external site..)

To get help expressing yourself in the correct register the academic phrasebank Links to an external site. is useful. When making references according to your given reference system, you may find this resource on verbs for citing Links to an external site.useful, as well as this source with more verbs. Links to an external site.

Here is a resource on academic genres, Links to an external site. that may help sort things out. Here is a list of common errors Links to an external site. with a lot of examples of common language mistakes that may make you aware of your own mistakes. The punctuation guide Links to an external site. is useful, as well as the writing guide Links to an external site.that is specifically designed for writing academic texts in English in Sweden. Many students find Grammarly Links to an external site. a good help while writing. The Purdue Online Writing Lab Links to an external site.may have a lot of answers to your writing questions, and here you can find a resource Links to an external site. for the different aspects of academic writing in English.

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. What is critical thinking Links to an external site.? Here is an instructional video on the matter, that may clarify things. Here is a presentation on critical thinking Links to an external site. with good points and useful information. This resource shows the basics Links to an external site. of analysing, providing questions to help you with it. Here you will find more information on critical analysis writing Links to an external site..

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:

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 Links to an external site.. At Cambridge English Links to an external site. you can practice your English with different exercises, and you can also take a test and find out your level here Links to an external site.. BBC Learning English Links to an external site. 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”. Here Links to an external site. you will find writing, speaking and grammar exercises.

There are excellent online courses aiming to help with your academic English, and the MOOC from the university of Lund on academic writing Links to an external site.is recommended. If you do not have time to take the entire course, the lectures only can be found here Links to an external site..

Other courses available are English composition Links to an external site. for reading and writing skills, and English for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Links to an external site. (STEM) for improving English skills in science. Here Links to an external site. is a free course on academic writing, and this Links to an external site. is a course specified for writing a thesis.

If you need individual help to develop your academic writing skills, you are welcome to visit our drop-in sessions in the MDU libraries. The library calendar Links to an external site. is always updated online.

Good luck from Sara Ekstrand, Lärum