The Academic Writer's Toolkit5 proven templates to improve your writing
Academic writing requires a command of structure, evidence, and formal style. This toolkit provides practical strategies for these core components by presenting five actionable templates. It is designed to help students plan, draft, and refine their work with greater clarity and efficiency.
Click on the button (right) to download the Academic Writer's Toolkit.
About the Academic Writer's Toolkit
There are five templates in the Academic Writer's Toolkit. Below is a brief introduction to each of them.
- Template 1. Guided Essay Organiser: A framework to plan and structure an essay from introduction to conclusion. It provides prompts for developing a thesis statement, topic sentences, and supporting evidence.
- Template 2. Lab Report Checklist: A step-by-step guide to the required sections and conventional language of scientific reports, from the abstract to the conclusion.
- Template 3. Citation and Reference Guide: A concise guide to formatting in-text citations and reference list entries for common source types, promoting consistency and accuracy.
- Template 4. Hedging Language Quick-Switch: A reference table for employing cautious language to express claims with appropriate academic precision and to acknowledge degrees of certainty.
- Template 5. Transition Signals Chart: A comprehensive list of words and phrases, organised by function, to connect ideas logically and improve the cohesion of a text.
Next steps
To begin, you may find it useful to skim the entire document to familiarise yourself with the five templates. Then, identify the one most relevant to your current writing task.
For a comprehensive exploration of the principles underlying these templates, the online course Mastering Academic Writing: From Basic to Advanced Skills offers detailed instruction across 12 modules, including critical writing, advanced research skills, and stylistic precision.
