On this page you will find various worksheets to help you improve your writing skills. You can use these materials on your own, but we recommend that you discuss them in a consultation with our peer tutors. There you will also get advice on which techniques could be particularly useful for you and learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

Click on the image thumbnail to download the worksheet as a pdf.

This page houses our handouts for English Academic Writing. For the full collection and links to writing guides of individual disciplines, visit our German website.

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Do you have questions about the use or purpose of certain materials? Then it's best to make an appointment for a writing consultation—discussing and working through the handouts together is an excellent basis for a consultation.

Do you feel like something is missing? We would be happy to receive input for improving our services. Please contact our office team and we will try to find a solution: :

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Meta-Processes

The Academic Writing Process


This handout offers an approach to breaking down the writing process into 5 steps. You can use it to plan your project or just get a better hand on what needs to happen during the writing process.

Writing Effective Paragraphs


Paragraphs are a critical unit of discourse in academic writing. This handout offers an overview of paragraphs in English academic writing with a focus on argumentative body paragraphs.
An Introduction to Thesis Statements


In this handout you can read about what a thesis statement is, why they are important to English academic writing, why and when you need them, and what makes a good thesis statement "good."

Planning and Organizing

The Academic Journal


Keeping an academic journal can help you track and develop interests, topics, or projects in your academic field. This handout offers tips on how to design such a journal.

Cluster

A cluster is a great creative exercise for brainstorming ideas and clearing your head before starting to work on your project.

Planning your Topic


Before starting your writing project, you can fill out this handout to get an overview of your topic and how you want to approach it.
Schedule for Writing Projects


With this handout, you can plan your project in detail and make sure you finish all tasks in time.
Developing a Thesis Statement


This handout provides a step by step process for developing a thesis statement.
Developing a Research Question


This handout provides a process for developing a research question and includes examples.

Structure and Source Evaluation

Concept Map


A concept map can help you generate ideas or clear your head of all the terms roaming around. You can use it to see what you already know and begin systemizing your ideas.
Exposé


An exposé aims to outline your writing project to both your audience and yourself and set clear expectations. This handout provides a guideline on writing an exposé.
Excerpting


Excerpts are an effective method to work through a text and understand all the important aspects. This handout provides information on why and how you can write effective excerpts.
SQ3R Reading Technique


This handout provides a systematic approach to reading academic texts.

Understanding Source Use in Academic Writing

The secondary/primary source distinction is not always useful to us as writers. This handout introduces you to a new vocabulary for categorizing sources, and suggests how you might use it to read academic texts, organize your research, and revise your writing.

Kinds of References

In academic writing, there are different ways to include references in your texts. This handout offers an overview of forms and functions of indirect, direct, integrated, and non-integrated references.

Note-taking Template

This is a handy sheet for keeping all your sources organized throughout your writing project.

Bird's Eye View

With the help of this handout, you can get a good overview of an academic text and note down all the important information you might need while working with the source.

Writing

Argumentation on the Paragraph Level

This handout provides instructions on how to create an argumentative paragraph.

English Academic Writing Sentence Templates


This handout offers a number of sentence templates to help you get the hang of English academic writing. It should give you an idea of the kinds of rhetorical moves you should be making in your papers.

Integrating Quotations

This handout provides a basic overview of the rules of integrating quotations in your acedemic writing.

Revising

Reverse Outlining

This method can help you with both analyzing source texts and revising your own writing. It helps you understand the structure of a text and shows you possible gaps in your argumentation.

Creating Cohesion (Reader Guidance)

Cohesion helps your reader navigate through your text and makes it fluent to read. This handout provides some tips on how to create reader guidance in your text.

Final Corrections

(Coming soon) Commas

Commas are an essential part of English grammar and can have a great influence on a text's readability. This handout provides basic comma rules in English.