Writing technique

Academic writing skills are fundamental to effective study at university level.

By exploring the content on this page, you will learn how to write clear and effective paragraphs, paraphrase sources appropriately, use evidence to support your ideas, think critically about information and arguments, and use images effectively and ethically in your academic work.

Paragraph writing

What is a paragraph?

A paragraph is a group of sentences that work together to explain one main idea. Each paragraph focuses on a single point and helps the reader understand your argument step by step.

A paragraph usually begins with a sentence that introduces the main idea. The sentences that follow explain, develop, or support this idea with reasons, examples, or evidence. When the idea is complete, the paragraph ends and a new one begins for the next point.

Why do paragraphs matter?

Paragraphs help the reader follow your ideas. Each paragraph breaks your writing into clear steps, so the reader can understand one point at a time.

Well‑structured paragraphs make your writing easier to read and easier to understand. They show that your ideas are organised and that your argument develops in a clear and logical way.

How do you write an effective paragraph?

To write an effective paragraph, start with one clear main idea. Begin with a sentence that introduces this idea to the reader. Then explain it using reasons, examples, or evidence. Each sentence should help develop the same point.

An effective paragraph is focused, clear, and complete. When the idea has been fully explained, the paragraph ends and the next paragraph moves on to a new point.

Use PEEAL (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Analysis, Links) to help you write an effective paragraph:

• Point – sentence introducing the point with any necessary detail
• Evidence – illustration of point using evidence: research example, case study, figures, etc.
• Explanation – provide more details by explaining what the evidence means and how it supports the point you are making
• Analysis – critical analysis of point
• Links – concluding sentence summing up the point and linking to the question or your argument

Remember! It’s important that all of these elements are present when writing your paragraphs.

Paraphrasing

In academic writing you need to show that you understand the sources you read and be able to explain it clearly using your own words. When you express someone else’s idea using your own words and sentence structure, you keep the same meaning, but you do not copy the original text, you are paraphrasing.

What do you think happens in academic writing if a student is using other people’s ideas but does not paraphrase them? If you are not sure, you can learn more in our content on academic integrity and plagiarism.

How to paraphrase?

• Read the original source carefully. It is important that you understand it well.
• Consider each point; how could you rephrase it?
• Ensure that you keep the original meaning
• Use words or expression which have a similar meaning
• Change grammar (e.g. active voice to passive) or change vocabulary
• Change the order in which the information/ideas are presented
• Always provide a reference

1.What is paraphrasing?

• A. Copying a sentence exactly
• B. Expressing the same idea using different words and structure
• C. Changing a few words only
• D. Summarising the main idea

2.Read the two statements below. What is the problem with the students paraphrase of the original sentence?

Original: “Reading improves vocabulary and writing ability.”

Student version: “Reading improves vocabulary and writing ability."

• A. The meaning has changed
• B. The sentence is too informal
• C. It is identical to the original (plagiarism)
• D. The grammar is incorrect

3.Choose the best paraphrase of the following sentence:

Original sentence: “The weather forecast predicts heavy rain for the entire week”.

• A. The weather forecast indicates that there will be heavy rain for the entire week.
• B. The weather forecast has predicted heavy rain throughout the entire week.
• C. Heavy rain has been predicted for the whole week by the weather forecast.
• D. According to the weather forecast, substantial rainfall is expected throughout the week.

4.Which paraphrase is NOT acceptable?

Original text: “Exercise is important for maintaining good health.”

• A. Exercise is essential for staying healthy.
• B. Maintaining good health requires physical activity.
• C. Exercise is important for maintaining good health.
• D. Staying healthy depends partly on regular exercise.

5.Which strategy is used in this paraphrase?

Original: “Researchers analysed the data carefully.”

Paraphrase: “The data was carefully analysed by researchers.”

• A. Synonym replacement only
• B. Change of sentence structure (active → passive)
• C. Adding new ideas
• D. Shortening the sentence

Using evidence effectively

Using evidence is an essential part of academic writing. It involves engaging with a wide range of high-quality academic sources, including scholarly books, journal articles and policy or government documents to develop and support your ideas.

As you read and explore your sources, it is important to take clear notes in your own words to demonstrate your understanding and interpretation of the material. Effective academic writing also requires you to carefully select relevant ideas from your reading and group them together to create coherent paragraphs.

Strong use of evidence goes beyond simply describing sources. You should show how ideas from different readings connect, explain the conclusions that can be drawn from them, and discuss why certain arguments or perspectives may be more convincing or useful than others.

You will find below two examples of writing. Explore the examples and the tutors’ feedback to further understand how to use evidence effectively:

With regards to effective use of evidence, I can see that you were able to incorporate ideas from readings into your text, following Harvard referencing conventions accurately. However, you tend to mainly rely on quotes, rather than paraphrasing and demonstrating understanding of the reading you carried out. Your text appears like a list of ideas found in sources (Author X states... Author Y adds ... etc.) but you do not show how these ideas are connected, why they matter, what conclusions can be drawn from them, and why they are relevant to your assignment. You can try, for instance, to include a sentence that starts with 'this shows that...' or 'it can, therefore, be argued that...' after sentences that reference reading. Such sentences can help readers notice what you are making of the evidence included in your essay and why the information is relevant.

Tutor's feedback

Your writing clearly highlights that you have consulted a range of sources and have integrated those ideas into your text. As you chose to express those ideas in your own words, I can see what you have understood from the reading, what ideas you chose to focus on and how they link together.

Tutor's feedback

Critical thinking

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to examine information carefully and make thoughtful decisions based on evidence. In university study, this means looking beyond surface-level ideas, considering different viewpoints and questioning whether arguments are clear, reliable and well supported.

When using critical thinking in your academic work, you should compare ideas from different sources, identify strengths and limitations in arguments, and explain the reasoning behind your own conclusions. This helps you move beyond simply describing information and allows you to develop more balanced and persuasive discussions in your writing.

Building strong critical thinking skills can improve the quality of your assignments by helping you analyse information more effectively, use evidence with purpose and communicate your ideas in a clear and logical way.

Have you ever received feedback saying your work needs to be ‘more critical’ but felt unsure what that actually means?

You are not alone. Many university students regularly receive comments about lacking critical analysis in their academic work. This video will help you understand what critical thinking looks like in practice and show you how to develop stronger critical analysis skills in your own work.

More than being negative

One of the biggest misconceptions about critical analysis is that it simply means criticising ideas or focusing only on weaknesses. In reality, critical thinking is much broader than being negative; it involves carefully exploring different viewpoints, evaluating evidence, making connections between ideas and explaining the reasoning behind your conclusions. The image below highlights some of the key skills involved in becoming a more critical and thoughtful academic writer.

The benefits of being critical

Developing critical thinking skills can strengthen every aspect of your academic work. It can help you read more purposefully, identify the most important ideas and recognise patterns, connections and contrasting viewpoints across different sources. Being more critical also improves your ability to question information, remain objective and communicate your own arguments more clearly and confidently.

One useful way to develop criticality in your assignments is by using a triple perspective approach when working with evidence. This means first evaluating each source individually by considering its quality, reliability, possible bias and limitations. Next, you compare ideas across different sources to identify agreements, disagreements or alternative perspectives. Finally, you connect the evidence directly to your assignment question, explaining how each idea contributes to your overall argument. Using this approach can help you create more balanced, thoughtful and academically persuasive work.

If you would like to learn more about how to identify bias in your reading and show those observations in your work, watch this Skills for Study video.

1. Critical thinking means:

• A. Criticising ideas
• B. Carefully analysing and evaluating information
• C. Memorising facts

2. True or False:

Good critical thinking involves comparing different viewpoints.

3. Which is part of the triple perspective approach?

• A. Comparing sources
• B. Ignoring opposing ideas
• C. Using only one source

4. Critical thinking can help you:

• A. Build stronger arguments
• B. Avoid research
• C. Write less clearly

Using images effectively and ethically

It is quite possible that many of you have created a meme from a well-known cartoon or altered a photograph to share among your friends and family; you may have recorded yourself singing your own lyrics to a well-known tune and posted it on YouTube; or you may have used images that you found on the internet in a poster presentation. But have you ever thought whether this type of appropriation of other people’s original ideas and creative works is ethical or legal? According to Lev Manovich (2007) we live in a ‘remix culture’ and the combination of ideas from multiple sources is not only inevitable but creates exciting opportunities for creative and original thought. However, does everyone feel the same?

Images online can often be downloaded for free, however, this does not mean that they are legally free to use or in the public domain. As students or staff of an educational institution, we are legally allowed to use images if we follow the concept of ‘fair dealing’. You can include an image in your assignment if it relates to your discussion and is of a lower quality than the original. However, you should include an image credit acknowledging the copyright holder and, if relevant, details of the copyright licence. You should write a credit under the image and then include a reference to this in your reference list, e.g.

Using images from online blogs, articles and e-books in your assignment without proper attribution, can lead to charges of plagiarism. Similarly, AI generated images which are constructed from other images may have copyright protection, and so you must not think of them as yours because you created the prompt, but acknowledge the tool that made them, e.g.

Sometimes when we choose images from presentation tools such as PowerPoint it can be hard to identify who created the image. In this case acknowledge the tool e.g.

To be confident that what we are doing is not infringing the intellectual property rights of another individual, it is advisable to choose material where we can be confident that the creator is happy for us to reuse their material. When searching for material, we should look for creative commons licences or royalty free images which state how we can use the content.

Use image sites such as Pixabay, Unsplash or Flickr which organise photos according to their usage rights and acknowledge the sources you find. Google offers a ‘Usage rights’ filter but it’s not fool-proof and you need to check the original website to be sure that you have permission to reuse content.

Manovich, L. (2007) What comes after remix? Available at : http://manovich.net/index.php/projects/what-comes-after-remix (Accessed: 15 July 2020).

Key takeaways

These skills are essential for successful academic writing and study. By learning how to structure clear paragraphs, paraphrase effectively, use evidence appropriately, and think critically, you are able to present ideas in a more organised and convincing way. Additionally, understanding how to use images ethically helps you avoid plagiarism and follow academic conventions. Together, these skills support you in producing work that is clear, well-structured and academically appropriate, and they will continue to be useful throughout your studies.

Credit

Written by Lynsey Blandford, Silvina Bishopp-Martin, Ruth Collingwood, Michelle Crowther, Jon Newcombe, Dina Norris and Gaynor Williams.

Last updated 2026