Foundations Main Text

Foundations of Academic Writing

Attention new students! Your attendance is required:

Friday, October 4, 13:00–15:00
Glasgow 109

(Zoom Webinar for DL students)

What Is Foundations?

In this series of presentations—mandatory for all new resident and DL students—you will learn the basics of what is expected of your written work, gain survival skills, and receive an overview of the writing process, whether your task is a two-page executive summary or a multi-chapter thesis.

The presentations consist of the topics below and are delivered by seasoned scholars and writers. Slides and videos from the present and/or past quarter are available under each presentation description.

Foundations covers the philosophies, standards, and techniques of academic writing. If you're looking for an introduction to the GWC and its services, see our New Student Orientation video or our GWC services packet.

Can't Attend Live?

Students who cannot attend the live event due to class or work schedules may watch the video below and report completion by filling out this form no later than October 6.

The four lectures and closing remarks are also available individually in the drop-downs below.

Foundations segments

This talk introduces you to some of the central expectations of graduate school. You will learn where military and academic writing expectations overlap and how and why they diverge. You’ll become familiar with the steps in any serious research process: defining your research question, systematically gathering original and borrowed material, conducting logical but creative analysis, and writing in your own voice within academic norms. Quality source material informs each phase to increase your accuracy, understanding, and potential contributions. (slides)

Plagiarism seems like a straightforward issue: just don't do it. Right? But at the graduate level, most plagiarism is unintentional, caused by missteps that you don't know you're making. Do you need to cite common knowledge? When do you need quotation marks? What is "patchwriting," and is it plagiarism? This presentation will teach you what plagiarism does (and doesn't) mean at NPS, the conventions for properly attributing source material, and how to masterfully use sources to improve your writing and critical thinking. (slides)

Optional: View the online, self-paced workshop for an interactive experience.

This presentation offers a step-by-step guide to getting started on writing a paper, overcoming writer's block, and drafting and revising your writing. Good writing at every level involves discovery, planning, developing ideas, creativity, and revision. Students will learn a variety of techniques as well as receive sound advice on what to expect, how to cope, and how to excel while writing papers and building toward a successful thesis. (slides)

Students conducting research using the following types of methods may be conducting human subjects research: surveys, interviews, equipment testing on people, audio/video recording, archived data mining containing PII, and task or work analysis. These types of research are more common in the social science and business fields but also take place in some STEM disciplines. (slides)

For more information, please consult your advisor or professor and see the website for the Human Research Protection Program or email Bryan Hudgens.

These remarks describe useful resources from the Graduate Writing Center. (slides)