Academic resources

Lund University-specific guides

• ’Academic Writing in English at Lund University’ (AWELU) is an excellent online resource for all students and staff writing texts in English. It explains text types, the writing process, grammar issues, referencing, academic integrity, and other writing-related concerns.
  AWELU website
   
• ’Hints on Layout and Style’ was written by Helen Sheppard in 2015.
  Hints of Layout and Style – for Writers of Dissertations and Theses at the Faculties of Science, Engineering and Medicine, Lund University (PDF 1 MB, new tab)
   
• Do not underestimate the knowledge of your librarians. Ask them questions about referencing, starting research, or navigating the library’s website. Don’t miss the 'subject guides' with information specific to your programme.
  Lund University Libraries website

General writing-related topics

Online

• ’Harvard Writes’ is one of our favourite resources, this website decodes academic writing expectations by focusing on argument, stakes, structure, and evidence, including videos, example texts and exercises for multiple disciplines. Start here for an overview of why academics write and the essential elements of all academic writing.
  Harvard Writes on the Harvard University website
   
• ’The Purdue Online Writing Lab’ (OWL) was launched in 1994 by Purdue University as the world’s first online writing lab and has been widely successful. The website features information on many writing-related topics, from overcoming writer’s block to grammar instruction to revision strategies to visual rhetoric. Use this resource!     
  Purdue Online Writing Lab website
   
• ’The Purdue Global Guide to Plagiarism and Paraphrasing’ is a useful resource that covers a range of topics. It explains the common types of plagiarism; why academics cite their work and links to citation managers; and finally, tips on how to help you paraphrase relevant information in your own writing.
  Purdue Global Guide website
   
• ’The Writing Center’ at the University of North Carolina offers a host of tips on tools on paper writing, citation, style, as well as specific writing assignment types and writing for specific fields. 
  The Writing Center website
   
• ’The Harvard College Writing Center’ offers guides to writing papers in several different disciplines as well as general strategies for essay writing.
  Harvard College Writing Center website
   
• On the ’Grammar Girl’ website, you will find lots of writing tips, including short and friendly grammar rules and word choice guidelines.
  Grammar Girl website
   
• ’Research 101’ by Ithaca College Library offers guides and tutorials about evaluating and citing sources, and much more.
  Research 101 on the Ithaca College Library website
   
• The Linnæus University Library has compiled several useful links on the writing process, videos on structure and general writing tips on their comprehensive website.
  The Linnæus University Library website

Print

• ’Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write’ by Helen Sword (2017).
• ’Becoming an Academic Writer: 50 Exercises for Paced, Productive, and Powerful Writing’ by Patricia Goodson (2013).
• ’Grammar Choices for Graduate and Professional Writers’ by Nigel. A. Caplan (2015).
• ’Just Write It! How to develop top-class university writing skills’ by Greta Solomon (2013).
• ’Line by Line: How to Edit Your Own Writing’ by Claire Kehrwald Cook (1985).
• ’Scientific Writing and Communication: Papers, Proposals, and Presentations’ by Angelika H. Hofmann (2014).
• ’Scientists Must Write: a guide to better writing for scientists, engineers and students’ by Robert Barrass (2002).
• ’Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace’ by Joseph Williams (2007).
• ’The Sense of Structure: Writing from the Reader’s Perspective’ by George D. Gopen (2004).
• ’They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing’ by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein (2010).
• ’Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process’ by Peter Elbow (1998).

Thesis/Dissertation writing

Online

• ’Explorations of Style blog’, written with graduates and post-graduates in mind, tackles all kinds of issues in academic writing and “discusses strategies to improve the process of expressing our research in writing”. The posts are well-written and strike the perfect balance of theoretical contemplation and practical advice.
  Explorations of Style blog
   
• The ’Thesis Whisperer blog’ is “dedicated to helping research students everywhere.” The majority of posts are geared toward PhD students, with topics like 'you and your supervisor' and 'your career'.  Other topics including 'getting things done' and 'on writing' are relevant to both PhD and Master's students.
  The Thesis Whisperer blog
   
• ’Patter’ is geared toward the social sciences for academic writers, but it is generally informative and contains a number of valuable insights into the writing process as well as how to plan your writing.
  Patter

Print

• ’Demystifying Dissertation Writing: a Streamlined Process from Choice of Topic to Final Text’ by Peg Boyle Single (2010).
• ’The Craft of Research’ by Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb, and Joseph Williams (2008).
• ’Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day’ by Joan Bolker (1998).
• ’Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation: Entering the Conversation’ by Irene L. Clark (2007).