✍️Style and Presentation

In the first instance, your work should adhere to basic standards of academic writing. If you aren't sure what these are, check the University library's resources on academic writing. Write clearly and avoid confusing your reader. Make sure to use punctuation appropriately and use correct spelling. Be especially aware that your word processor can automatically correct to a word you didn't intend, but won't flag this as a spelling mistake. Always proofread your work carefully prior to submission.

All written assignments in language and linguistics should have some internal structure.

Your first port of call for the structure of an assignment should be the specific assignment guidance from the module. Many assignments have specific requirements that can't be covered here and may occasionally diverge from guidance on structure here. When in doubt, defer to guidance from the module, and ask your module leader if you're unsure.

In general, essays in language and linguistics will have a particular structure. They should have:

• An explicit Title. This may be specified in assignment guidance, or it may be up to you to come up with something descriptive.

• You should begin with an explicit Introduction which minimally tells the reader what to expect.

• You should end with explicit Conclusion, which reminds the reader of key points.

Sections should be labelled and numbered (e.g. 1. Introduction’, ‘5. Conclusion’). Sub-sections should be numbered and formatted so they are visually distinct from the main text, e.g.,

1. Introduction ...

2. Data and methodology

   2.1 Data

   2.2. Methodology

If you write using Microsoft Word, the Heading 1, Heading 2, etc styles are useful in this regard.

Content paragraphs should either be indented and/or indicated by a line space. The essay must have a List of References which follows after the main body of the text and precedes any Appendices.