How to write up/organize your written work

 

Use the following headings to construct your papers.

 

Introduction

This is where you give a little background (2-3 sentences) about the project (identify the project and say why you chose this)

 

Methodology

Describe the setting and how you collected the data. Describe the setting or sources that you used and how you gathered the information you did.

 

Data

Just present the data.  Discuss the comparisons, what ling forms you are looking at if any, and just present what you find.

 

Discussion/Conclusion

Can break into 2 sections if you like. This is where you offer an interpretation of the data. You can refer to literature if applicable and be sure to use APA style for citations. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ and http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citapa.htm for some examples. Be sure to say what you find interesting and how you INTERPRET the data presented in the analysis. You can also discuss problems with the project: either how to analyze the data, how to collect the data, the questions you asked when looking at the data, etc. Just offer a critical eye on the project you’re writing about.

 

Tables/Figures

The use of tables and figures can be a great way to represent your data!  A picture is worth 1000 words after all.  But they cannot stand alone.  You need to label your table/figure (e.g., Table 1, Figure 1), you need to give it a title (something that briefly says what it is about so for those who just look at the figure/table and not the text, they know what it is about).  AND you need to refer to the table of figure as you talk about the data they represent.  These are great ways to get information across but they need to be properly situated within your own writing.