College Composition / Unit 1 CMP 0009 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Academic Writing as Conversation
Captions available
The idea
Academic writing is a conversation: writers respond to what others have said and add something of their own.
In practice
That is why college writing uses sources, names them, and shows where the writer agrees, disagrees or extends an idea.
Where people slip
A paper that only reports what others said has not yet joined the conversation; it needs the writer's own point.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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