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How to write a Research Proposal: Academic writing

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Academic writing skills by Prof S Van Antwerpen [06 Aug 2021]

Plagiarism and Research by Prof MT Gumbo (College of Education)

Unashamedly Research Ehics by Prof S Van Antwerpen 2020

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UNISA, Turnitin and Plagiarism by College of Graduate Studies

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Academic writing for Honours by College og Graduate Studies

• Academic Writing : A Handbook for International Students by Stephen Bailey Call Number: eBook Publication Date: 2017
• Academic Writing for International Students of Business and Economics by Stephen Bailey Call Number: eBook Publication Date: 2020
• Academic Writing and Referencing for Your Social Work Degree by Jane Bottomley; Steven Pryjmachuk; Patricia Cartney; Jane Bottomley; Steven Pry... Call Number: eBook Publication Date: 2018
• The Quick Fix Guide to Academic Writing : How to Avoid Big Mistakes and Small Errors by Phillip C. Shon Call Number: eBook Publication Date: 2017
• How to fix your academic writing trouble : a practical guide by Inger Mewburn, Katherine Firth and Shaun Lehmann Call Number: 808.066378 MEWB Publication Date: 2019
• Mastering Academic Writing by Boba Samuels and Jordana Garbati Call Number: 808.066378 SAMU ISBN: 9781446299661 Publication Date: 2019

• Success in academic writing by Trevor Day Call Number: 808.066 DAYT ISBN: 9781350352858 Publication Date: 2023

Videos - academic writing

Master & Doctoral Workshop - Academic Writing Skills presented by Prof van Antwerpen (Unisa)

Honours & PG Diploma - Academic Writings skills by Prof Mbatha (Unisa)

M&D Training workshop - Turnitin & Plagiarism presented by Erica Flinspach Van der Walt - 2021 (Unisa)

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• URL: https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/research_proposal

Academic Writing

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Academic Success Literacy Activity

Over the course of your studies, you will be writing essays, correspondence, reports and presentations, referencing, paraphrasing and undertaking other types of assignments. You will also be working closely with other students in your group assignments. The better equipped you are to communicate your ideas in your assessments, the greater your chances are for academic success. 

That is why we are continuously looking at ways to help, support and set students up to thrive in their degrees.

If you are a commencing undergraduate student, we invite you to participate in the  Academic Success Literacy Activity (or ASLA). ASLA is an online, 30-minute activity consisting of multiple choice questions and a short writing exercise that will enable us to tailor a personalised learning plan for you. We will provide guidance, support and access to resources to build your academic literacies so that you can truly experience positive learning outcomes and succeed in your study program.

Get started

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

What is asla or academic success literacy activity.

ASLA is a student support initiative for commencing undergraduate students. 

Who can complete the ASLA?

ASLA is open to all commencing undergraduate students. 

Is it compulsory to complete the Academic Success Literacy Activity (ASLA)?

Completing the Academic Success Literacy Activity (ASLA) is optional. However, it gives you a unique opportunity to evaluate your academic language and literacies profile and see how ready you are to tackle the demands of university study, particularly assessments that rely on your communication and writing skills.

Why should I complete the ASLA?

ASLA gives you an indication of your current academic language and literacies profile and how it meets the expectations of your specific program or discipline. Academic language is very different from language used for everyday communication. At university, you will need to develop your communication skills at a level that is necessary for various activities including essay writing, business correspondence, reports and presentations, referencing, paraphrasing, reading and comprehension, in the context of your chosen discipline.

How long will it take to complete the ASLA? How are the questions designed?

It should take you approximately 30 minutes or less to complete the ASLA. There is a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions which assess your academic English and literacy skills including reading comprehension. The ASLA also includes a paragraph writing task. It is important to attempt this task so that we can evaluate your writing capabilities.

What will I gain out of the ASLA?

ASLA results will be used to prepare a Personalised Learning Plan (PLP) for you. The plan is intended to provide guidance, support and access to resources to build your academic literacies so that you experience positive learning outcomes and succeed in your studies. 

Is ASLA the same as an English language test?

No, ASLA is different from an English proficiency test (e.g. IELTS or TOEFL). It is designed to identify and guide you towards accessing UniSA designed support services that will help you to continue to build/develop academic literacies over the course of your program and set you up for academic success.

I am a native English speaker. Do I need to complete ASLA?

Yes, you are strongly encouraged to complete the ASLA which focuses on academic literacies and not English language for everyday communication.

When is the best time to complete ASLA?

The best time to complete ASLA is before you enrol in your first courses or subjects. Your ASLA results can then be used as a basis for adding available academic literacy courses that you may take as an elective into your study plan. 

What if I missed completing the ASLA prior to enrolment?

You can still complete the ASLA after the enrolment period closes. You will receive an email advising you to take the opportunity to complete ASLA within a specified timeline.

Are the results confidential?

The results will be kept confidential but bear in mind that staff will have access to the information from ASLA to develop the most appropriate learning plan to assist you in your studies. Whenever possible, individual names will be de-identified in reports generated about the ASLA.

How do I get access to ASLA?

You can access ASLA by clicking the blue ‘Get started” button above, or by accessing the link sent to you by email. Please note that you only have one attempt to complete ASLA. If you have any difficulty accessing the online ASLA, then contact our team via email at [email protected] . 

Do I need to complete ASLA online or on campus?

You can complete ASLA online using a desktop computer or laptop. Unfortunately, the tool is not optimised for iPad and mobile platforms. If you choose, you may also complete ASLA on any university computer on campus. It is recommended you have a reliable internet connection so that your attempt does not cut-out half way through the questions.

How will I get my ASLA results?

Your ASLA results and your Personalised Learning Plan (PLP) will be emailed to you. You may also receive an e-referral to see a Learning Adviser, it is up to you whether or not you accept the e-referral. 

Will ASLA results affect my grades/GPA?

No, your performance in the ASLA will not impact on your grades, GPA or your degree. Your results will be personally shared with you as the basis to prepare a Personalised Learning Plan (PLP) with your input to set you up for academic success. ASLA results will not be included in your academic record and will not appear on your official Academic Transcript or your Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS).

What if I do not achieve a high score on the ASLA?

If your score indicates you would benefit from receiving academic support, you will be provided with an e-referral to a Learning Adviser for an in-depth discussion of your score and the best support options that will help enhance your academic literacy skills.

What if I achieve a high score on the ASLA?

If you achieve a high sore on the ASLA, you will still receive a Personalised Learning Plan (PLP) to familiarise you with student support services and Study Help online resources. You will also be encouraged to participate in personal development activities focused on leadership and mentoring, which are available at UniSA.

For more information, contact [email protected]

Writing your assignment

The Writing your assignment resource is designed and monitored by Learning Advisers and Academic Librarians at UniSA.

The purpose of a report is to investigate an issue and 'report back' findings which allow people to make decisions or take action and depending on your course.  The report may require you to record, to inform, to instruct, to analyse, to persuade, or to make specific recommendations, so it is important to check your task instructions and identify the approach you are required to take.  Your completed report should consist of clear sections which are labelled with headings and sub-headings, and are logically sequenced, well developed and supported with reliable evidence . In this section you will learn more about writing a report, including process, structure and language use.  The report writing checklist at the end of this section can help you finalise your report.

• The main purpose of a report is usually to investigate an issue and report back with suggestions or recommendations to allow people to make decisions or take action.
• You will need to find information on the issue by reading through course materials and doing further research via the UniSA Library and relevant databases.
• Report writing requires you to plan and think, so give yourself enough time to draft and redraft, and search for more information before you complete the final version.
• The report is typically structured with an introduction, body paragraphs, a conclusion and a reference list.
• It usually has headings and subheadings to organise the information and help the reader understand  the issue being investigated, the analysis of the findings and the recommendations or implications that relate directly to those findings.
• A report can also include dot points or visuals such as graphs, tables or images to effectively present information.
• Always check the task instructions and feedback form as there might very specific requirements for the report structure.

Locate the task instructions in your course outline and/or on your course site, and use this activity to plan your approach.

• Reports overview  (pdf)
• Using headings in your writing  (pdf)
• Abstracts and introductions  (pdf)
• Writing introductions  (pdf)
• Writing paragraphs  (pdf)
• Literature reviews (pdf)
• Writing conclusions  (pdf) 
• Constructing graphs, tables and diagrams  (pdf)
• Psychology example report  (pdf)
• More example reports  (link)

Click through the slides below to learn about the key characteristics of academic writing. 

• Academic vocabulary and phrases  (pdf)
• Expressing yourself clearly and concisely  (pdf)
• Tentative language  (pdf)
• Writing objectively  (pdf)
• Academic phrasebank  - Courtesy: Uni of Manchester (link)

Your Best College Essay

Maybe you love to write, or maybe you don’t. Either way, there’s a chance that the thought of writing your college essay is making you sweat. No need for nerves! We’re here to give you the important details on how to make the process as anxiety-free as possible.

What's the College Essay?

When we say “The College Essay” (capitalization for emphasis – say it out loud with the capitals and you’ll know what we mean) we’re talking about the 550-650 word essay required by most colleges and universities. Prompts for this essay can be found on the college’s website, the Common Application, or the Coalition Application. We’re not talking about the many smaller supplemental essays you might need to write in order to apply to college. Not all institutions require the essay, but most colleges and universities that are at least semi-selective do.

How do I get started?

Look for the prompts on whatever application you’re using to apply to schools (almost all of the time – with a few notable exceptions – this is the Common Application). If one of them calls out to you, awesome! You can jump right in and start to brainstorm. If none of them are giving you the right vibes, don’t worry. They’re so broad that almost anything you write can fit into one of the prompts after you’re done. Working backwards like this is totally fine and can be really useful!

What if I have writer's block?

You aren’t alone. Staring at a blank Google Doc and thinking about how this is the one chance to tell an admissions officer your story can make you freeze. Thinking about some of these questions might help you find the right topic:

• What is something about you that people have pointed out as distinctive?
• If you had to pick three words to describe yourself, what would they be? What are things you’ve done that demonstrate these qualities?
• What’s something about you that has changed over your years in high school? How or why did it change?
• What’s something you like most about yourself?
• What’s something you love so much that you lose track of the rest of the world while you do it?

If you’re still stuck on a topic, ask your family members, friends, or other trusted adults: what’s something they always think about when they think about you? What’s something they think you should be proud of? They might help you find something about yourself that you wouldn’t have surfaced on your own.  

How do I grab my reader's attention?

It’s no secret that admissions officers are reading dozens – and sometimes hundreds – of essays every day. That can feel like a lot of pressure to stand out. But if you try to write the most unique essay in the world, it might end up seeming forced if it’s not genuinely you. So, what’s there to do? Our advice: start your essay with a story. Tell the reader about something you’ve done, complete with sensory details, and maybe even dialogue. Then, in the second paragraph, back up and tell us why this story is important and what it tells them about you and the theme of the essay.

THE WORD LIMIT IS SO LIMITING. HOW DO I TELL A COLLEGE MY WHOLE LIFE STORY IN 650 WORDS?

Don’t! Don’t try to tell an admissions officer about everything you’ve loved and done since you were a child. Instead, pick one or two things about yourself that you’re hoping to get across and stick to those. They’ll see the rest on the activities section of your application.

I'M STUCK ON THE CONCLUSION. HELP?

If you can’t think of another way to end the essay, talk about how the qualities you’ve discussed in your essays have prepared you for college. Try to wrap up with a sentence that refers back to the story you told in your first paragraph, if you took that route.

SHOULD I PROOFREAD MY ESSAY?

YES, proofread the essay, and have a trusted adult proofread it as well. Know that any suggestions they give you are coming from a good place, but make sure they aren’t writing your essay for you or putting it into their own voice. Admissions officers want to hear the voice of you, the applicant. Before you submit your essay anywhere, our number one advice is to read it out loud to yourself. When you read out loud you’ll catch small errors you may not have noticed before, and hear sentences that aren’t quite right.

ANY OTHER ADVICE?

Be yourself. If you’re not a naturally serious person, don’t force formality. If you’re the comedian in your friend group, go ahead and be funny. But ultimately, write as your authentic (and grammatically correct) self and trust the process.

And remember, thousands of other students your age are faced with this same essay writing task, right now. You can do it!

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Writing for Academic Purposes

Course Level Undergraduate

Course information

Area/Catalogue COMM 1085

Offered Externally Yes

Note: This offering may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Course ID 173536

Unit Value 4.5

University-wide elective course No

Course owner UniSA Education Futures

To prepare students for the university environment by equipping them with academic literacy skills.

Course content

This course develops students' academic literacy skills. Students are introduced to conventions of academic writing and the importance of understanding what a text’s audience, purpose and content are. Across the course, students learn to construct different text types commonly used at university level and learn the importance of editing and proofing written work.

Students examine the difference in writing styles for varying disciplines, and practice skimming and scanning; note-taking; summarising; building an academic argument; and referencing and academic integrity skills. Students also analyse fundamental aspects of question comprehension; apply reading strategies for complex texts; and rehearse the application of areas of writing construction and common English grammar including punctuation and register; effective time management and meeting deadlines. They will learn how to build strong study habits by strategically breaking down and applying the 8-10 hours of study expectation for a university course per week.

Textbook(s)

Prerequisite(s), corequisite(s), teaching method.

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Contribution, Learning log/Journal

EFTSL*: 0.125 Commonwealth Supported program (Band 4A) To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to: How to determine your Commonwealth Supported course fee. (Opens new window)

Fee-paying program for domestic and international students International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to: How to determine the relevant non award tuition fee. (Opens new window)

Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.

Learning resources for this course

Course Coordinators

Degrees this course is offered in

• DDCS Diploma in Creative Studies
• DDCS Diploma in Creative Studies (Architecture)
• DDCS Diploma in Creative Studies (Art and Design)
• DDCS Diploma in Creative Studies (Communication)
• DDCS Diploma in Creative Studies (Screen)
• DDSS Diploma in Social Sciences (Psychology)
• DDSM Diploma in STEM
• DDSM Diploma in STEM (Information Technology)
• DUUS Undergraduate Certificate in University Studies (Creative Studies)
• DUUS Undergraduate Certificate in University Studies (Social Sciences)
• DUUS Undergraduate Certificate in University Studies (STEM)

Checking your eligibility

Australian students

Phone: +61 8 8302 2376 Enquiry: unisa.edu.au/enquiry

International students

Phone: +61 8 9627 4854 Enquiry: unisa.edu.au/enquiry

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Guest Essay

I Don’t Write Like Alice Munro, but I Want to Live Like Her

By Sheila Heti

Ms. Heti is the author of the novels “Pure Colour,” “How Should a Person Be?” and, most recently, “Alphabetical Diaries.”

It is common to say “I was heartbroken to hear” that so-and-so died, but I really do feel heartbroken having learned about Alice Munro, who died on Monday.

As a writer, she modeled, in her life and art, that one must work with emotional sincerity and precision and concentration and depth — not on every kind of writing but on only one kind, the kind closest to one’s heart.

She has long been a North Star for many writers and was someone I have always felt guided by. We are very different writers, but I have kept her in mind, daily and for decades, as an example to follow (but failed to follow to the extent that she demonstrated it): that a fiction writer isn’t someone for hire.

A fiction writer isn’t someone who can write anything — movies, articles, obits! She isn’t a person in service to the magazines, to the newspapers, to the publishers or even to her audience. She doesn’t have to speak on the political issues of the day or on matters of importance to the culture right now but ought first and most to attend seriously to her task, which is her only task, writing the particular thing she was most suited to write.

Ms. Munro only ever wrote short stories — not novels, though she must have been pressured to. She died in a small town not too far from where she was born, choosing to remain close to the sort of people she grew up with, whom she remained ever curious about. Depth is wherever one stands, she showed us, convincingly.

Fiction writers are people, supposedly, who have things to say; they must, because they are so good with words. So people are always asking them: Can you say something about this or about this? But the art of hearing the voice of a fictional person or sensing a fictional world or working for years on some unfathomable creation is, in fact, the opposite of saying something with the opinionated and knowledgeable part of one’s mind. It is rather the humble craft of putting your opinions and ego aside and letting something be said through you.

Ms. Munro held to this division and never let the vanity that can come with being good with words persuade her to put her words just everywhere, in every possible way. Here was the best example in the world — in Canada, my own land — of someone who seemed to abide by classical artistic values in her choices as a person and in her choices on the page. I felt quietly reassured knowing that a hundred kilometers down the road was Alice Munro.

She was also an example of how a writer should be in public: modest, unpretentious, funny, generous and kind. I learned the lesson of generosity from her early. When I was 20 and was just starting to publish short stories, I sent her a fan letter. I don’t remember what my letter said. After a few months, I received a handwritten thank-you note from her in the mail. The fact that she replied at all and did so with such care taught me a lot about grace and consideration and has remained as a warmth within me since that day.

She will always remain for me, and for many others, a model of that grave yet joyous dedication to art — a dedication that inevitably informs the most important choices the artist makes about how to support that life. Probably Ms. Munro would laugh at this; no one knows the compromises another makes, especially when that person is as private as she was and transforms her trials into fiction. Yet whatever the truth of her daily existence, she still shines as a symbol of artistic purity and care.

I am grateful for all she gave to the world and for all the sacrifices she must have made to give it. I’m sorry to be here defying her example, but she was just too loved, and these words just came. Thank you, Alice Munro.

Sheila Heti is the author of the novels “Pure Colour,” “How Should a Person Be?” and, most recently, “Alphabetical Diaries.”

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