university writing center

Choosing a topic is typically one of the first things you need to do when writing a research paper. It can also be one of the most difficult decisions to make regarding a research paper. Here are a few helpful tips to help with choosing a topic!

Typically, a professor will have you working within a specific guideline for a paper that may limit your realm of freedom when choosing a topic, but there are still a few things you can keep in mind:

• Choose a subject that aligns with the Reasearch Paper Requirements
  • As mentioned above, Professor’s generally give guidelines that limit your realm of freedom when it comes to choosing a topic
  • Make sure that the topic you choose falls within the requirements of your Research Paper
• Choose a subject that sparks personal interest
  • Choosing a subject that aligns with your personal interests will make the process far more enjoyable!
  • This may be difficult depend on what class it is for, but try to choose a topic that at least somewhat interesting to you.
• Choose a topic that is focused enough that it is manageable
  • You don’t want to be so vauge in your topic that it is hard to find information that is specific to what you want to research

Good luck selecting a topic for your research paper that is intersting to you, fits the requirements of your assignment, and is specific enough to research. As always, feel free to stop by the Writing Center if you need help at any point in the writing process! Also, stay tuned for more blog posts helping to guide you through the steps of writing a research paper! 🙂

 

~Cameron

Hi everyone!

I hope that the start of the semester is going well for everyone, and you’re all adjusting to your new schedules and class responsibilities. Just a heads up on behalf of the Writing Center, our hours are the same as last semester:

• Monday-Thursday: 12pm-8pm
• Friday: 12pm-4pm

You can schedule with us through Starfish or just walk in! We hope to see you sometime this semester!

~ Lauren

Finals week is accompanied by many deadlines for your essays and projects, on top of any exams you might have to complete. Here are some tips to stay on top of everything and manage your stress 🙂

• Remember where we’re at in the semester – you’re so close to being done with the semester! It’s taken a lot of hard work to get here, and that hard work doesn’t stop during this week. However, you’ve reached the last stretch, so give it your all and let that power motivate you!
• Prioritize sleep at night (and maybe even the occasional nap) – keep your mind sharp by sleeping enough at night, and reward your hard work with a nice afternoon nap if you need! Sleep will keep you on task and feeling more refreshed if you focus on getting enough of it.
• Take breaks – don’t force yourself to study, write, or work for hours on end. You’ll only end up exhausting yourself. Set aside a time limit to spend working/studying (1-2 hours), and then go take a break and grab Starbies before you get back to it!
• Be mindful about the time you’re not spending studying – if you’re choosing to give your brain a break from studying, find something aside from doom scrolling to do. Turn on your favorite Christmas movie, take a shower, go to the gym, meet with friends at the dining hall, or find other miscellaneous things to do to fill your time (return your textbooks, do some Christmas shopping, or just find something to do to be productive!)
• Create a to-do list – as high maintenance or silly as it sounds, to-do lists can make you feel SO much relief when you’re overwhelmed with the amount of work you have. It can make you feel like you CAN really manage your work and study load. You don’t need a fancy planner either; just log it in some scrap notebook paper!

Just a friendly reminder that, as much as finals week can feel like your final week, it’s one step closer to graduation; all of your blood, sweat, and tears will be rewarded by a winter break, so work hard now and soak it up later!

Sending the Millersville community good luck with their final week of the semester!

~ Lauren

Hello, everyone! I am just writing to wish everyone the best of luck with your final exams, essays, and projects. I know that the end of the semester can be an extremely stressful time for many students, and I want to remind you all that we’re here to help at the Writing Center if you need us!

Finals Week Hours:

• Monday, December 8th: 12-8 pm
• Tuesday, December 9th: 12-8 pm
• Wednesday, December 10th: 12-4 pm

Also, I wanted to let you all know that since I am graduating in December, these are my final two weeks as a Writing Center tutor. I have loved working with you all throughout the last two semesters, and I have made so many amazing memories during my time as a tutor! Congratulations to all other graduates, and I wish you all success as we wrap up the semester! Happy holidays to everyone as well! Stay safe and enjoy your upcoming winter break! 🙂

~Devin

Hi everyone!

We have made it to the final stretch of the semester! Our hours this week are the same as ususal:

Monday – Thursday: 12:00pm – 8:00pm

Friday: 12:00pm to 4:00pm

During finals week, our hours are:

Monday and Tuesday: 12:00pm – 8:00pm

Wednesday: 12:00pm – 4:00pm

If you need assistance on any writing assignments for the final week of classes, or for a final, feel free as always to stop into the Writing Center! We are always happy to help, and essay due dates can definately be stressful at the end of the semester.

~Cameron

 

Hi everyone!

Thanksgiving Break is quickly approaching! Our hours in the Writing Center next week are Monday, 1pm-8pm, and Tuesday, 1pm-8pm. Essay due dates tend to get overwhelming at this point in the semester. The Writing Center is your friend during this busy time; we’re always here to help. Happy Thanksgiving to all, and take time to enjoy your breaks in the midst of your crazy semester!

~ Lauren

The Importance of Outlines! Hey, everyone. Since outlines are such a useful tool in writing, I will provide you all with a general example to build off of. 🙂 I hope you find it helpful, and remember, this is just a starting point and can be adjusted as needed!!

Title:

 

Specific Purpose:

 

Introduction

1. Attention-getter: 
2. Thesis statement:
3. Preview the main points:  

[Transition…]

 

Body 1

Main Point— 

[Transition…]

 

Body 2

Main Point— 

[Transition…]

 

Body 3

Main Point— 

[Transition…]

 

[In the final analysis…]

Conclusion

I. Summarize the main points

II. Restate the Thesis Statement

III. Add a closing line that relates back to the Introduction

 

References

Edwards, Renee, et al. “Relationships among Misunderstanding, Relationship Type, Channel, and Relational Satisfaction.” Communication Research Reports, vol. 37, no. 5, Sept. 2020, pp. 298–308. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.bucks.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/08824096.2020.1864313. 

Joy, Shaylyn, “Lost in Translation: Emotion and Expression through Technology” (2009). Honors Scholar Theses. 87. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/srhonors_theses/87 

Morgan, L., Paucar-Caceres, A. & Wright, G. Leading Effective Global Virtual Teams: The Consequences of Methods of Communication. Syst Pract Action Res 27, 607–624 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-014-9315-2 

Vignovic, J. A., & Thompson, L. F. (2010). Computer-mediated cross-cultural collaboration: Attributing communication errors to the person versus the situation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(2), 265–276. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018628

Thank you!!

~ Devin

Grammarly is a great tool to use for your writing! It notices grammar mistakes, as well as issues with concision. However, when using it for your revision process, it should not be used as your ONLY source.

• Why Grammarly should be used with caution in your revision process:
  • It takes away from your own style and voice: Sometimes, Grammarly edits it the way IT wants, but it steals your OWN voice or original intention when you had written down your thoughts.
  • It can be detected as AI if used too much throughout your paper: Although this type of misunderstanding would certainly be understood by your professors if AI were detected in your paper, it’s still something to consider, as you never want your writing regenerated too much by an AI source (even like Grammarly).
  • Having a technology program make edits to your paper still doesn’t quite offer the feedback and assistance you could get from someone like a peer reading over your paper, or even a tutor here at the Writing Center: Having a real person read over your paper during the revision process can be so beneficial, as you can get feedback beyond just grammar: content, structure, voice, formatting styles, and any other areas that need attention.

Grammarly is a wonderful tool to use, but it’s always a great choice to come to the Writing Center to have someone read your paper during the revision process with you and work collaboratively alongside you for the issues Grammarly can’t catch!

~ Lauren

Language is symbolic – The connection between words and ideas/things they represent is arbitrary 

• FIVE
• CINQ – “5” in French
• 00110101 – computer code for “5”

Semantic rules 

• Reflect the ways in which we assign meaning to words
  • “Bikes” are for riding and “books” are for reading
• Without semantic rules, each person would use words in unique ways with no shared meaning 

Equivocal Language

• Statements that have more than one commonly accepted definition

Relative Language

 

• • • Words gain their meaning by comparison

Ex. Fast and slow, long and short, large and small

Static Evaluation 

• • Statements that contain or imply the word “is” lead to mistaken assumptions that people are consistent and unchanging 
    • Instead of “Mark is a nervous guy,” say “Mark appears to be nervous when meeting new people.”

Understandings & Misunderstandings:

Abstract Language

• • • Vague in nature 

Ex. “You need to have a better attitude”

Behavioral Language

Specific to things people do or say

Ex. “You need to complain less every time we have to work late.”

Syntactic Rules

• • • Govern grammar
    • While we may not be able to describe them, we recognize when they are violated

Pragmatic Rules

• • Govern the way speech works in everyday interaction
    • Communication is a kind of “cooperative” game and success depends on all players following the same set of rules 
      • Coordination
    • Shared by most people in a culture 

Naming and Identity 

• • • Names are more important than a simple means of identification
    • Shape the way others think of us, the way we view ourselves and the way we act
    • Studies show that people with unusual names or spellings often suffer psychologically and emotionally 

Affiliation

• • • Speech can build and demonstrate solidarity with others 
    • We are attracted to those whose style of speaking is similar to ours

Convergence

• • • The process of adapting one’s speech style to match that of others 
      • Vocabulary, pauses, politeness, etc.

Divergence 

• • Speaking in a way that emphasizes one’s differences from others 

Powerless Language:

• Language patterns can add to or detract from a speaker’s power to influence others

Ex. Women tend to ask questions; men make statements 

• Powerless speech: less authoritative and socially attractive 
• Even in cultures that value assertiveness, language that is too powerful may intimidate 
• A mixture of powerful and polite speech is usually most effective 

Examples:

• Hedges = “I guess I’d like to…”
• Hesitations = “Uh, can I have a minute to…”
• Tag questions = “It’s time to go, isn’t it?”
• Disclaimers = “I’m not really sure, but…”

Disruptive Language:

• Three linguistic habits to avoid

1) Fact-Opinion Confusion

• “Paying that much for a pair of shoes is a waste of money.”
• “In my opinion, paying that much for a pair of shoes is a waste of money.”

2) Fact-Inference Confusion

• Problems can arise when we confuse factual statements with inferential statements or conclusions that we arrive at from our own interpretations

3) Emotive Language

• Seems to describe something but actually announces attitude toward it
• “Tactful” vs “Beating around the bush” 

“It” Statements:

• Avoid responsibility 
  • Ex. “It’s nice to see you” vs “I’m glad to see you”

“But” Statements:

• Cancels the thoughts preceding it
  • Ex. “You’re doing great work, but we have to let you go.”

“I” and “You” Language:

• “You” language is judgmental and can cause defensiveness 
• “I” language shows that the speaker takes responsibility by describing his/her reaction to someone’s behavior without making a judgment

“We” Language:

• Implies that “we are in this together”
• Can help to build a constructive climate  

Content 

• • Female friends spend more time discussing: 
    • Relationship problems, family, health
  • Male friends spend more time discussing:
    • Current events, music, sports, business, etc.
  • Differences can lead to relational frustration when men and women try to converse with one another 

Reasons for Communicating 

• • Men and women use language to build and maintain social relationships 
    • Men are more likely to engage in joking or teasing
    • Women’s discussions tend to involve feelings, relationships, and personal problems

Conversational Style

• • Myth – women are more talkative than men; no scientific evidence 
  • In mixed-sex conversations, men are more likely to use sentence fragments and women are more likely to use emotional references 
  • Men’s speech is more characteristically direct, succinct, task-oriented 
  • Women’s speech is typically indirect, supportive, and focused on relationships
  • Women are also inclined to ask more questions 

Non-Gender Variables

• • Ways in which women and men communicate are actually more similar than different
    • Male and female supervisors behave the same way and are equally effective
  • Gender roles influence language use 
    • Conversational styles of partners reflect power differences in the relationship more than the biological sex of communicators 

Verbal Communication Styles 

Language styles can vary across cultures:

• • • Low-context cultures 
      • Value using language to express thoughts/feelings; looking for meaning in the words 
    • High-context cultures
      • Value social harmony and discover meaning in non-verbal behaviors of speaker and in the context of which the message is delivered 
    • Elaborate or succinct 
      • Arabic vs English
    • Formality or informality
      • Korea vs North America

That’s all for now! I hope that you find this information helpful in using language in your life through both written and verbal contexts! 🙂

~Devin