Tips and Tricks: Formal Writing in the Internet Age

Posted by Randall Hall

As a lawyer turned high school English teacher, I often receive "academic" papers from students littered with informal language. In fact, I even sometimes see examples of "text-speak" in student work (words like OMG, LOL and BTW), which led me to create the list of acronyms you can view on your left. I had to actually ask students to decipher what some of the acronyms meant, and I encourage you to click on the image and see how many you can figure out.

I teach my students that informal writing is fine when texting a friend, but they need to learn how to use formal language when writing for academic and professional purposes. However, high school students are not the only people committing the sin of breezy, conversational writing these days though. In fact, if you have ever read an internet discussion board, you were probably abhorred with the grammar and usage you witnessed, even from educated individuals on professional blogs.

In order to avoid making the mistake of writing in an informal tone when your audience expects formal language, you can follow these tips and tricks:

1. Edit, Then Edit Agian Again - formal writing should be dissected at least twice to catch any and all grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.
2. "Don't" Use Contractions - formal writing should sound professional, not conversational.
3. Slang/Colloquialisms Are Not "Groovy" - formal writing should be understood by all audiences, not only those of a certain age group or social subculture
4. Idioms/Cliches Should Not Be "Raining Like Cats and Dogs" - formal writing should be understood by international audiences, which means idioms and cliches will not translate clearly (and may even end up offending someone)
5. "Finally," Use Transitions - formal writing should provide readers with a logical "map" of your ideas, so use transitions like "for example," "however," and "therefore" to let your reader know where you are going.

It is my duty as an educator to teach children how to write and speak formally so they can succeed academically and professionally. The Red Mountain Writing Project at UAB is also dedicated to teaching students to write in a polished manner that will hopefully someday serve them well in the profession of their choice. Check them out at their website, and - if you are an educator - please consider attending their upcoming conference.

Tips and Tricks: The Art of Mobility, Getting Around UAB

Posted by Tandy L Dolin Petrov

Mobility is the action of moving, and when living downtown near an urban university, understanding its art is the key to successful navigation. Writers should be good at this. When we are outlining a research article, for example, we find all sorts of different ways to navigate the path, of getting from Point A to Point B and then onto Point C, if we are lucky. Why not apply our writer’s navigational skills to the challenge of getting around UAB’s 82-block campus? To that end, here are some tips and tricks to making the move more efficient and/or exciting.  

TIP #1: One of the most important principles in writing AND getting around campus is understanding structure. So, this first tip is to know about UAB roadways is that the Avenues run parallel to University Blvd., however the Streets transect University Blvd. In other words, they run perpendicular. We are also located in the south hemisphere of Birmingham, thus all our roads will have South at the end of them. 
TRICK #1:  Taking side roads off of University, such as 7th Avenue and 6th Avenue, can help avoid the traffic jams that can occur on University.  These also lead to hidden parking oases, the priceless gems of undergraduate and graduate commuters (15Lots). 

TIP #2:  Writers always look for cool tools to get them to their destinations faster and more easily. Blazer Express provides a quick and efficient way to chauffeur faculty, staff, and students around campus to designated, safe locations.
TRICK #2:  There are 5 bus routes that rotate around our university clockwise and if you download the [Transloc] APP you get to see RealTime location updates on your bus and find out what time you need to arrive at the bus stop.

TIP #3:  Walking is not only good for a person, but also provides a unique and healthy way to get around campus by providing the most scenic views of UAB and the Vulcan.
TRICK #3:  The various greens, parks, and quads offer cut-through pathways to commuter and resident parking lots, while ensuring that the journey includes a detour past your favorite coffee spot. Stop, grab a latte, and take a break from your research writing to create a blog post, i.e. do some fun writing (like this!) 

Finally, my favorite way of negotiating the Birmingham grid is via scooter.  The motorized scooter or “Moped”, is an inexpensive European favorite, is conservative on gas (last visit to the pump 02/12/15 = $1.93 = 100 miles), come in a variety of colors to match every personality (pictured top right, my ‘Buddy’) and are extremely convenient to park (almost anywhere is a parking place!)  Scooters open a rider up to the adventure of Alabama weather extremes and are a more environmentally friendly vehicle when compared to other automobiles.

I have yet to find the equivalent of a scooter for a writer unless it’s an ergonomic desk chair on wheels, but let me know what you think. Do you have favorite tips for navigating a writing project and getting around UAB?

Research Writing: My Kitchen Sink Dissertation Model

Posted by Anthony C. Hood, PhD

Courtesy of Anthony C. Hood

Are you having difficulty settling on a dissertation topic? I was. It's the gift and the curse of being extremely inquisitive and genuinely interested in a multitude of topics. My dissertation chair, K. Michele Kacmar, and I would meet weekly to discuss my progress. Each week I found myself apologizing profusely for yet again changing my dissertation topic and model. After apologizing for possibly the 5th or 6th time, she calmly said to me, "Anthony, you don't have to apologize. You know why? My PhD is hanging right there on the wall. You can keep changing your topic for the next 3 years and I'll be here to support you." She then advised me that there are two types of dissertations—one that changes the world and one that allows me to graduate and move on with my career. She would help me write either one as long as I knew that the former would likely take much longer to complete than the latter. 

I choose the latter, and she had me create my "kitchen sink" dissertation model. This was a visual depiction of the relationships connecting every variable I was interested in studying from that point until I attained tenure. From that larger comprehensive model, I selected the top 4 or 5 variables I wanted to study. This abbreviated model became the focus of my dissertation. 

As a faculty member in the Collat School of Business at UAB and a mentor with The Phd Project network, I share this advice with many doctoral students struggling with committing to a dissertation topic. They usually find it helpful. I hope you do too. 

Tips & Tricks: Unlock Your Inner Writer with Free Writing

Posted by Taylor Roberge

I was reminded over the holidays of how difficult it can be to sit down, write, and be productive. I always feel like I will just get distracted or bogged down in trying to get all my materials out. Really I just come up with excuse after excuse to avoid writing at all costs. Oh you need help baking cookies? Here let me take the trash out. All out of butter? Let me run to the store to get some more. Everything seems to be a better option than to sit down and crank out a couple of pages of text.

A lot of this sentiment, at least for me, stems from the idea that I need to produce a near finished product on the first try. This takes a lot more time and concentration than those short 30-45 minute intervals between talking to your visiting family.

The problem of putting off writing because it doesn't seem like there will be enough time to get it near perfect on the first try is not isolated to the holidays. It has haunted me, and most likely others, countless times. That is until I started free writing. I've found that in relatively short amounts of time I can synthesize quite a bit of information. Sure its super rough, and will definitely need to be reworked, but it gets you started. You only have 15 minutes? So what? That's enough time to get a couple paragraphs down sans references that you can go back through later and probably double once you've actually fleshed out all of your fine detail.

So don't get bogged down by the need to have every reference perfect, or have each idea fully realized on the first draft. Try to get something down on paper to get going, even if it's incomplete. You'll be glad you did.