Carpenter Document Consulting

We’ve been doing a lot of freelance work on projects ranging from doctoral dissertations to books lately, so here are some common errors we’re seeing:

• Allowed vs. Aloud: Allowed means “permitted.” Aloud means “out loud.”
• Text speak: Avoid using abbreviated words (like “thru” instead of “through”) in formal writing.
• Precision: Including “and more” at the end of the list doesn’t add much to your writing. Practice precision by listing everything readers need to know. Don’t lead them astray with these vague phrases at the end of sentences.

The Purdue OWL is one of my favorite style and grammar sites. It provides a comprehensive collection of style tips for students, whether you’re using MLA, APA, or Chicago, as well as plenty of resources for job-search writing.

Today, as I was editing a client’s midterm for a graduate course, I logged on to the Purdue OWL site to double check some APA items. Though my APA manual is my trusty resource, I like to double check things here because the website is easily searchable, allowing me to find answers instantly. I came across this detailed Sample APA Paper, which breaks down basic APA formatting in an easy-to-understand way. Reading through this paper is a must for anyone who is new to APA — or anyone who needs a quick refresher on basic APA guidelines.

Happy 2011! We’re just two weeks into the New Year, and business is booming at Carpenter Doc. We’ve been working with several graduate students to prepare their theses and dissertations for defense later this semester. We’ve also taken on some new online editing tasks, which have kept us busy.

Today, we’re going to look at items in a series. How you format these items depends on the style guide you’re using. For example, AP Style does not use the serial comma — or the comma before a conjunction in a simple series. Academic style guides, including APA, MLA, and Chicago, stress the importance of the serial comma for clarity, however.

A common mistake we catch when listing items in a series is when a writer mistakenly lists two separate items like there are three — or more. For example:

• The student can access help guides, writing tutorials, and discover new ways to format her paper.

Using the serial comma in this instance is incorrect because there are actually only two items, and those items are verb phrases. What we’re missing is a conjunction. Here’s the correct way to punctuate this sentence:

• The student can access help guides and writing tutorials and discover new ways to format her paper.

Make sure your items in a series are parallel — all nouns, all verbs, or all gerunds, for example. If they aren’t, you might not have a series that warrants a serial comma, as in this example.

Carpenter Doc has been editing more proposals lately, and this is a subject we haven’t touched on yet in the blog. Today, let’s discuss ways to write a convincing proposal.

Know your audience.

Identify your audience’s knowledge level. If you’re writing a conference proposal addressed to leading scholars in your field, don’t waste time explaining basic concepts to them. Instead, jump right in and discuss why your paper or study is relevant to the field. Focus on your findings or the impact your study will have on future research.

Research.

Show that you’ve done your homework. If you’re writing a grant application for a museum exhibit, look at how successful the past grant recipients’ exhibits have been. If you think your exhibit can draw more visitors or have a larger impact on the community than past recipients, state that. Explain how you’ve come to these conclusions with statistical proof.

Be specific.

Don’t speak in generalities. Instead, explain exactly why your proposal is the winning one. If your small business is applying for a start-up grant, list how you plan to use the funds, down to the dime. Allot your grant winnings in the proposal, and explain how these funds will help get your business off of the ground and, more importantly, benefit the community.

Proposals are challenging to write, so if you’re struggling, we can help! Contact us today!

As part of my freelance work, I write and edit for Demand Media Studios. As someone used to making the edits, I’ve been frustrated to see some copy editors make blatant errors made in my published work. Though most edits are useful ones, I’ve been directed by copy editors to do things that go against AP Style, company style and basic grammar rules.

Here are some of the strange requests I’ve received:

• Remove all commas from the article. This copy editor misinterpreted AP Style’s rule about not using serial commas as a general comma ban. In particular, this editor advised me not to use commas between independent clauses joined by a conjunction in a sentence. As we know, that is simply wrong.
• Hyphenate compound modifiers after the noun. As we know, the rule is that we only hyphenate compound modifiers that precede the noun they describe, with a few exceptions. I’ve seen plenty of “-ly” compound modifiers hyphenated in my work, which we also know is the exception to this rule.

What’s the point? Stand up for your writing. Even the best editors might slip up and forget a basic grammar rule or misinterpret one. An editor unfamiliar with your content might make edits that change the meaning of your sentence. Collaboration with editors is key. As the writer, you’re the subject matter expert, so you can help guide the editor to making the proper changes in your document.

Writers often find acronyms useful because they cut down on wordiness. For example, rather than spelling out a lengthy acronym like National Aeronautics and Space Administration, they can use the brief NASA. However, misused acronyms or poorly defined ones can cause more confusion than clarity.

Here are some tips for using acronyms:

Spell them out on first reference.

Assume that your readers do not know what the acronym stands for. After first reference, you can use the acronym throughout your document.

Avoid repetition.

Don’t call an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) an ATM machine. Don’t spell out a word of the acronym that you also abbreviate. Mistakes like these simply make you sound uneducated.

Double check your acronyms.

Make sure you are using the right acronym with the right spell out. Use the Acronym Finder to ensure you are properly using acronyms in your document.

For most college freshmen, their first semester includes an English course. Here are a few ways to survive the course:

Know grammar basics.

Understand comma basics, parallel structure and “that” vs. “which.” Avoiding classic freshman English mistakes will make your paper stand out. Your instructor can focus on your content and give you constructive criticism rather than simply marking up grammatical errors.

Read The Elements of Style.

This classic resource is a must for novice writers. Even though your high-school curriculum surely included some writing, Strunk and White’s book will prepare you for more intensive college writing.

Think beyond the five-paragraph essay.

Your high-school English teachers probably guided you through the five-paragraph essay time and again, but college writing calls for a more elaborate structure. Many freshman English instructors will push you to think beyond this structure to spark your creativity, so have an open mind and uncover paper formats that are more elaborate.

Most graduate programs focus on writing, whether you’re composing your master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. Your graduate coursework prepares you to write these comprehensive research papers, so take time this semester to think critically and write effectively.

Here are three ways for your graduate coursework to prepare for your cumulative graduate writing project:

Build a reference list.

The books you read or use for research for your first semester of graduate school will likely help you as you write your thesis or dissertation. Keep track of the reference’s author, title and major points in a comprehensive document. This reference list will aid you as you study for comprehensive exams and write your thesis or dissertation.

Read outside of class.

While your professors will assign you readings that will supplement your course study, graduate coursework requires reading outside of the syllabus. The more you read and research every semester, the less research you will have to conduct as you write your thesis or dissertation.

Find a reliable editor.

While this might seem like a business plug, it isn’t. Working with an editor from the start helps to improve your writing abilities long before you begin your thesis or dissertation. The editor becomes familiar with your field of study, making for a more thorough edit of your final work. Building a relationship with an editor is key to composing a thesis or dissertation that will impress your committee.

This semester, take advantage of the resources on the web to improve your writing. You can find answers to everything from basic grammar questions to questions about your style guide online. Here are some of our favorite resources:

Purdue Online Writing Lab

The Purdue OWL is our go-to resource for all things style. You can find in-depth answers to your APA and MLA questions as well as plenty of general writing tips. Electronic style guides are much easier to navigate than lengthy paperback manuals, and Purdue’s site provides answers to frequent style questions.

APA Style

Although the APA Style site is not a comprehensive style resource, it does provide some useful tutorials to APA beginners. These tutorials are a must-read for college freshman who will be working with APA for the next four years. The site also offers a helpful blog, which touches on common APA questions.

AP Stylebook

As a journalism major, the AP Stylebook was always on me. Even today, I access this site daily as a writer and editor for Demand Media Studios. Communications students can sign up for an annual membership for just $25. AP updates this site regularly, and users can receive AP Stylebook updates via e-mail, saving them the cost of a new, hard-copy manual every year.

After a semester away from the books, you might be wary to jump back into writing. If you’re feeling a little rusty, then take time now, at the beginning of the semester, to freshen your writing skills.

Here are a few tips:

Read.

Pull up your papers from last semester, and read through them. Look at your professor’s or editor’s comments. Note your weaknesses, and strive to break your bad writing habits early this semester. Reading last semester’s work will remind you what writing strategies worked and which ones didn’t.

Write informally.

Before you jump into academic papers, write informally. If you have a blog, write a post or two. Work on your poetry. Compose an e-mail to a friend you haven’t spoken to lately. Spark your creativity by writing about things you like. Small projects like these will get your creative juices flowing and make your academic writing easier.

Draft.

Your first papers of this semester will be your most difficult. You are out of the writing habit, and you might have forgotten what prewriting strategies worked for you. Compose multiple drafts of your first assignments, whether they are one-page reflections or 20-page research papers. Focus on revising to improve your writing skills and the quality of your early assignments.