Editors—and, no doubt, thesis examiners—sometimes encounter sentences like this: In a further report discovered to be of relevance to the present study, it was communicated by Smith et al. (2050) that the failure of a front line hospitality staff member training program to have a positive impact on front line…

In my 13 years of teaching at university, I have graded thousands of essays. And in that time, I have seen students make the same mistakes over and over again (sometimes even when I know I’ve already taught them how to do it properly in a tute!) Some of the commonly made…

It’s that time of year again. Office doors are closed. Heads are bowed. Music plays gently. No, not exam time, marking time. It’s a time of mind-numbing toil, when the fruits of teaching are harvested. Will your students surprise and delight you (well yes, some probably will)? Or will you…

Introduction This guide will explain everything you need to know about how to organise, research and write an argumentative essay. It is also available as a video on Capstone Editing’s YouTube channel. I developed this method as a tertiary student and perfected it as an academic. I have taught this system to hundreds…

An introduction is the first paragraph in an essay. To write an introduction, you must: Only begin writing after you have completed your research. Answer the essay question with your thesis statement. Preview the topics you will discuss in the essay. Provide any brief relevant background information to the subject (optional). What…

In our previous article, we presented the theory behind the not only … but also construction. You’ll remember that this construction is a correlative conjunction. The key to the correct presentation of not only … but also is balance. Let’s look at a couple of examples from leading dictionaries accessed online. She not only wrote the…

If you are reading this blog, you are probably a person who frequently has to write for your studies or career. If you are, you may know that different fields, workplaces and publishers have their own preferred styles of writing. These preferences are often collected into a style guide, which…

In our previous article, ‘Approaching Your First Essay: A Quick Guide to Undergraduate Essays’, we outlined how to tackle your first uni essay. Particularly in your first year, undergraduate essays can be incredibly daunting. Writing a confident introduction is a necessary component of a successful undergraduate essay. This series, our quick guide to essay…

The purpose of a conclusion is to wrap-up the essay’s argument. In your conclusion you must do two things: Clearly restate your thesis and answer to the essay question. Summarise the arguments you’ve made throughout your essay, especially the main ideas in each paragraph. Remind the reader about the connection…

‘A dangling modifier is a phrase (or clause) out of place, as a weed is a plant out of place, making a mess of the garden.’ (Treddinick, 2008, p. 201) This is one of the most commonly encountered errors in editing: the dangling modifier. As Treddinick suggests, it truly does…