"Good writing is the result of good thinking." (Richard Aczel)

Academic writing is not just a matter of style and rhetoric (which are difficult enough to master), but a means of scientific communication and as such indebted to the rules of academic discourse. These include requirements such as

• clarity (what are your goal(s) and hypothesis, how is your argument structured ),
• fairness (make sure you quote others correctly and don't distort their arguments),
• transparency (what are your own findings and arguments, how do they relate to those of others),
• logic (try to avoid implausible or contradictory statements in your paper),
• strict adherence to best practice criteria (note that all cases of plagiarism will be dealt with along the guidelines of the BA and MA commitees and may - in severe cases - lead to exclusion from your course).

And this is only the beginning... In my book Schreibkompetenzen: Erfolgreich wissenschaftlich schreiben I have tried to give you easy access to all the information you need to improve your writing skills. The book offers a comprehensive introduction to comparisons, typologies. Each of the chapters on the writing process contains a checklist which help you to monitor your progress and improve what you have written - before you hand it in. Please use them - you will do yourself (and me!) a favour ;-) Good luck!

Please remember to design and format your term papers according to the rules laid out in the English Literature Department style guide which is based on the MLA guidelines for publications.