Sixteenth Lesson

Organizing and shaping your writing

Some structure used in university writing

Here are seven examples of some structures commonly used in university writing, in last lesson we discussed three of them and in this lesson we discuss remaining four.

4- Compare/contrast writing

This is a very common structure. It shows the similarities and differences between two things and, in the process, it tells you more about each of them. One common feature of university writing is that the things may well be quite abstract or intangible - for example, two different social policies of two different psychological theories. You can handle the compare/contrast structure by moving back and forth between both things or by discussing each in turn.

5- Summary writing

You will sometimes be asked to write a summary and to give the gist of what an article or book is about as an exercise in its own right. You may also have to write briefly about what someone says, or about a particular position or way of thinking a part of your assignment. This is necessary because a lot of university writing is specifically about discussing what other authors have said about a topic. In the case, you will need to refer to just those points and ideas that are relevant to your particular assignment.     

6- Analysis writing

This is the most difficult kind of writing to explain because analysis is a term that is frequently used by the university tutors in different ways. It always demands that you say more about, for instance, what you are describing or comparing. Strictly analysis means breaking things down into their constituent parts, and this idea comes from science. This taught can be helpful in understanding what you need to do in any analytical writing.

7- Evaluating writing

In evaluating writing you have to make some sort of judgment, often about what other writers are saying. This is different from the kind of judgment you might make in daily life, for example, "That was a good film". You have to evaluate different positions, perspectives or points of view. You have to do more than say, for example, "This is a false argument". You have to give reasons for your judgment. Evaluating may involve writing about how different positions suggest certain attitudes or omit some crucial information, weighing up one against the other.