Effective Written Communication in Grad School and in Academe

1. Dr. Heather Lea Moulaison Effective Written Communication in Grad School and in Academe

2. Agenda • Electronic media (i.e. emails) • Formal papers submitted to your professors

3. In email… • Remember that it is electronic mail and that regular rules of letter writing apply to some extent • Address the person by name • “Hey,” is not appropriate ever • When communicating with professors, use the appropriate honorific • Dr. for PhD, Ed D; Ms. or Mr. for MA, MSLIS, etc. • Sign your own name, using the signature that you expect the person to use in subsequent conversations • If you want to be known as William, please don’t sign “Billy” • If your professors sign Heather, that’s a sign that they don’t mind being addressed as “Heather” in subsequent emails from you.

4. Email contents • Electronic media are notoriously difficult for expressing emotions, being sarcastic, conveying humor, etc. • Save the time of your reader… • State your purpose at the beginning; do not ramble • With email, less is more • Use bullet points if necessary • Remember that emails sent through a university are technically part of the public record. • Email is not a secure medium • Only record in email info you wouldn’t mind seeing on the front page of the New York Times • Do not send anything compromising or in poor taste • Reread all emails for typos and content before hitting send • When irritated, wait an additional day before sending

5. Formal papers submitted to your professors • One element of being an information professional is understanding and internalizing the basics of scholarly communication • Many of you are probably very comfortable with this idea, but just to clarify our expectations in this Masters program… • Style guides • Parts of scholarly papers

6. Style guides • Every time you write anything (paper, presentation in class, Discussion Board post in Blackboard, presentation for a conference, etc.) you need to cite ideas that are not your own. • Ideas that aren’t your own? That’s simple! • Anything that’s not common knowledge needs to be cited in the text of the document • If you cite an idea using the exact words another author used, you will use quotation marks and provide a page number (or a paragraph number if from the web)

7. Common style guides • Based on the discipline or the outlet, you will be asked to use different style guides (see examples) • Social sciences • Humanities • Books/book chapters • As an academic, I have used all of these in the past year. • Your usage needs to be consistent if you are told that you may choose a style guide • Choose one and stick with it! • You need to be an expert in all of these, so get experience using as many as you can! • One day soon if not already, you will need to help people with these. If you need to get help now, there’s no shame in that!

8. Mastering style guides • When you are told you need to use a style guide, take it seriously • Acquire the guide • Check it out at the library or purchase it • Use the guide • The index will contain a treasure-trove of information • You will also likely need to *read* through sections • Rely on the interpretations of others when stuck • The OWL at Purdue Libraries is a great resource, but it’s not definitive. It’s simply the kind of resource you’ll be making if you work in academic libraries. • Ask your local librarian.

9. Aspects of References dictated by style guides Again, references are at the end of the paper. They mostly include the same elements from guide to guide. However, differences include: • The way the author’s name is listed • Capitalization in the title of the article • The use of italics • The use of punctuation marks like commas and periods • The placement of the date • The way of indicating volume and number along with page numbers • Etc. • Some software products claim to format references according to certain style guides – YOU MUST ALWAYS VERIFY. • Purchasing software isn’t enough. • Human intervention is required on EVERY REFERNECE – in short, you still need to consult the style guide itself.

10. Formats to be addressed in References • Articles are the most commonly cited sources in LIS, but you will need to cite others too. Each style guide is different, so you’ll need to look up how to cite: • Books • Newspaper articles • Conference proceedings • Websites • Blog posts • Online reference sources like Wikipedia or dictionaries • Etc.

11. Parts of a scholarly paper • Your instructors expect to see the consistent and accurate use of a style guide in the papers you submit. • They also have expectations that your papers will mirror the kinds of scholarly papers you are reading in class. • For this, they need to have certain elements that may be new to you, especially if you’re new to the social sciences!

12. Scholarly papers in LIS may contain: • Title • Abstract • Keywords • Introduction • Problem statement or thesis • Review of the literature • (Methodology and Results – for research papers) • Discussion • (Limitations – for research papers) • Future study • Conclusions • References (not bibliography)

13. A side note • Citations will appear throughout the body of the work, every time you mention an idea that is not your own. • Mentioning ideas that aren’t your own is actually a good thing! It ties your work to the body of knowledge in LIS and makes a stronger case for the validity of your argument.

14. Some tips about writing • Use correct grammar • If in doubt, read your paper out loud to yourself. • Don’t use contractions (i.e. use cannot for can’t; do not for don’t) • Define terms that you bring up for the first time • Cite scholarly resources when possible (prefer primary source material to a summary in Wikipedia or in a blog) • Attention humanists: In the social sciences, we don’t necessarily expect to use a lot of synonyms because the language we employ is very precise. • If you are writing about Millennials, then you will want to define that term. Once it’s defined, you’ll want to use it consistently. If you begin to talk about Digital Natives, you mean something different. If you talk about Screenagers, that’s yet a different group. In short, there are no bonus points for finding additional clever ways to talk about a specific topic! Get comfortable repeating the same word over and over and over… it’s fine.

15. Yet more writing tips • Make sure the paper makes logical sense at a macro level • Begin by writing an outline • Writing is a process. Give yourself time. • Once you’ve finished, let the paper sit for a night. Reread it the next day, making edits as necessary. • Follow instructions given by your instructor • In instances where you have limited instructions, think of your audience and make sure what you submit is readable in terms of font, ratio of white space to print, etc. • Remember – sometimes in libraries, you will be asked to write up a report, and NO INDICATIONS will be given. Develop the habit of submitting clear, legible, readable work. • Get a proofreader; work with a writing tutor

16. Don’t sell yourself short • Develop the habit of including your name on a paper • If the old adage is true and that the sweetest sound to anyone’s ears is her own name, then you might want to add your professor’s name to the title page as well • Include your name and contact info if applicable on presentations

17. Thanks! • Heather Lea Moulaison • moulaisonhe@missouri.edu