writing tips

What is a case study? A case study is a research approach that provides an in-depth examination of a particular phenomenon, event, organization, or individual. It involves analyzing and interpreting data to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject under investigation. Case studies can be used in various disciplines, including business, social sciences, medicine (clinical […]

What is an academic essay? Academic essays are a common form of writing in higher education and play a crucial role in shaping a student’s future academic success. An academic essay is a piece of writing that presents an argument based on evidence and provides the reader with a clear and well-structured understanding of a […]

What are research methods? Research methods are the techniques and procedures used to collect and analyze data in order to answer research questions and test a research hypothesis. There are several different types of research methods, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Common Types of Research Methods There are several main types of research […]

When conducting research for an academic paper, it is important to understand the differences between primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are original, firsthand accounts of an event or phenomenon, while secondary sources are any materials that are not primary sources, such as books or articles that analyze or interpret primary sources. This article will […]

Specific rules for citing visual media (paintings, infographics, maps, etc.) in papers and formal presentations are often not included in the basic how-to guides, but they do exist and vary depending on the style guide you have to follow. Here we explain what information you need to cite and how—see below for examples in APA, […]

You are probably familiar with (or know where to look up) in-text and reference list citation rules for books, online articles, and websites, but that’s not always enough these days—how do you use a YouTube video as a source and correctly cite it? Here, we show you how to do that in all the common […]

According to Merriam Webster, a preposition is “a word or group of words that combines with a noun or pronoun to form a phrase that usually acts as an adverb, adjective, or noun”. You have probably heard explanations like this one many times. But you might still be a bit unsure what a preposition is […]

Are punctuation mistakes common? Although our client document data shows that punctuation mistakes are somewhat less common than other types of mistakes (e.g., grammar mistakes or spelling errors) in academic texts written by non-native speakers of English, these mistakes nevertheless get in the way of conveying important information about your research to your readers. These […]

What is an Annotated Bibliography? An annotated bibliography is a list of sources (books, articles, other publications) that provides an overview of the available research on a topic by summarizing, interpreting, or evaluating each entry. It usually consists of citations followed by short paragraphs of 150–250 words. Purpose of an Annotated Bibliography The purpose of […]

Are you new to the Great Comma Debate? Are you a firm believer in the usage of the Oxford comma or do you think it’s a waste of space and ink? The Great Comma Debate has been raging in academia for over a hundred years, and it still has yet to be settled. Hopefully, our […]

You sometimes have to submit an essay outline or a research proposal checklist for a research project before you do most of the actual research to show that you have understood the assignment, defined a good research question or hypothesis, and contemplated the structure of your research paper. You can find various templates and examples […]

What is a research hypothesis? A research hypothesis is an attempt at explaining a phenomenon or the relationships between phenomena/variables in the real world. Hypotheses are sometimes called “educated guesses”, but they are in fact (or let’s say they should be) based on previous observations, existing theories, scientific evidence, and logic. A research hypothesis is […]