Citing References in Text – some useful expressions
Introducing someone’s ideas:
Bloggs (2002)
suggests/argues/states/believes/concludes/proposes that ---
expresses/holds the view that ---
draws attention to ---
describes X as ---
describes how ---
refers to ---
takes the stance that ---
emphasises/stresses the need to/the importance of---
According to Bloggs (2002) ---
As stated/suggested/argued/proposed by Bloggs (2002) ---
There is a view/theory/argument that --- (Bloggs, 2002).
It has been suggested/stated/argued/proposed that --- (Bloggs, 2002)
One view/theory/argument/suggestion/proposal is that --- (Bloggs,
2002)
One view, expressed by Bloggs (2002) is that ---
Introducing an idea/theory that agrees with/has built on another:
This is supported by Smith (2003).
in line with the view/theory/suggestion of Smith (2003).
reflects the “ “ “
Smith (2003) accepts/supports/agrees with/concurs with this
view/suggestion/theory.
A similar view is held by Smith (2003)
” ” stance is taken by
This idea/theory has been extended/developed/taken further/built upon
by Smith (2003).
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Introducing an idea/theory that disagrees/contrasts with another:
This conflicts/contrasts with/is contrary to the view held by Smith (2003)
that ---
This is not accepted by/has been challenged by Smith (2003), who
argues that ---
Smith (2003), on the other hand/however/in contrast, suggests that ---
An alternative view/suggestion is that --- (Smith, 2003)
The opposite/a conflicting view is expressed by Smith (2003)
Conventions of style in essays
• Use formal, standard English - avoid colloquial terms and dialect.
(“You write as you speak” is a common complaint from tutors!”).
• Avoid abbreviations and contractions
(use “for example”, not “e.g.”; use “did not” instead of “didn’t”).
Proper Nouns (e.g. the National Health Service) can be abbreviated
provided you give the full name as well as the abbreviation on the
first use.
• Numbers below ten are written out in full, except in statistical and
scientific work.
• Be impersonal (unless your course requires otherwise) – avoid using
“I”, “we” and “you”. Instead use “It can be seen that”, “There are a
number of”, “It has been found that” etc.
• Be cautious. Avoid sweeping statements - use words and phrases
such as “appears to, “seems to”, “may”, “probably”, “apparently”,
“generally”, “The evidence suggests that”, “In some cases this”.
• Use rational argument rather than emotive language.
• Be objective – avoid personal, subjective words such as “wonderful”,
“worthwhile”.
• Use continuous prose – lists and headings are for reports and
projects.
• Do not address the reader directly by asking them a direct question
or telling them what to think.
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Expressing your ideas clearly
• Be clear in your own mind what you want to say.
• Express ideas clearly – the reader can not ask questions to clarify.
• Be concise - make every word and sentence count; avoid repetition,
fillers and unnecessary words.
(e.g. an annual income of £20,000 per annum)
• Be precise – avoid generalisations and vagueness.
(Specify who, what, where, when and how)
• Use short, straightforward sentences. (See “Reader loses way in
long-winded sentence”).
• Use plain English and familiar words.
(e.g. Death – not “negative patient care outcome”).
• Avoid clichés (e.g. at the end of the day, the bottom line is).
• Use the correct words – beware of commonly misused words.
(e.g. affect/effect, principle/principal, adverse/averse).
• Avoid ambiguous words and sentences.
(e.g. Water is available below the ground surface and most of the
country’s crops are grown there).
• Check your punctuation – it should help, not confuse, the reader.
(See Anglia Ruskin’s on-line guide on punctuation).
• Check your spelling. Make a point of learning to spell words used
commonly in your subject and in academic writing generally.
(See Anglia Ruskin’s on-line guide on spelling).
Reader loses way in long-winded sentence!
The respondents, however, in spite of their doubts about the single
currency, foresaw many benefits, including the elimination of the risks
involved with currency exchange, the equalization of currencies, the
reduced administrative costs (e.g. in billing) and the psychological
benefits attached because of a strengthening of the bonds between
countries and it being evidence of a united European economic power.
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Break the sentence up into its different parts:
The correspondents had doubts about the single currency but they
foresaw many benefits. The risks taken in exchanging currencies would
be removed, currencies would be equalized and administrative costs
would be reduced. Moreover, psychologically, bonds between countries
would be strengthened by the existence of a united European economic
power.
Spot the gaffe!
Based on the guidance, see if you can identify the problems with the
following examples:
At this moment in time it goes without saying that the situation is not
satisfactory in any shape or form. The long and short of it is that it is
believed that we must leave no stone unturned to rectify the situation at
grass roots level.
Coming round from the operation, I noticed he was a funny sort of
colour.
Everybody knows that ours is an undervalued profession, which effects
staff moral.
A well-conceived organisation constitutes a fundamental component of
efficacious management.
We have to remember that the Governments’ main aim is to save
money so it’s latest plans’ are just another attempt to provide education
on a shoe string budget.
When you’re an engineer you’ve got to write loads of reports so it’s
worth brushing up your writing skills.
Gemma had not sought any contraceptive advice prior to this occasion,
even though she could of attended her local family planning clinic,
probably because of a number of factors, one of which could be the
name, which might prevent young people attending when their not
planning to have a family, as suggested by Brown and Bloggs (1995).
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Referencing
When writing an essay, report or other assignment you will often need
to support your arguments by referring to other published work such as
books, journal or newspaper articles, government reports, dissertations
and theses, and material from the Internet.
You will need to give accurate references:
• To give credit to other authors' concepts and ideas
• To provide the reader (often the marker/examiner of the
assignment) with evidence of the breadth and depth of your
reading
• To enable the readers of your work to locate the references easily
• To avoid being accused of plagiarism, an academic offence which
can lead to loss of marks or module failure
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