A Vampire Stands On The Front Porch Of A Farmhouse And Says “i Cannot Come In Unless I Am Invited”.

Academic writing advice inspired by Umberto Eco’s ‘How to Write a Thesis’:

Planning

Determine primary sources/bibliography.

Determine secondary sources/bibliography. 

Find title.

Brainstorm a table of contents with as much detail as possible (with chapters, sections and even paragraphs and sub-paragraphs - see How to Write a Thesis’ own table of contents as an example at the end of this document) (if the first drafted table of contents is good enough, it will not be necessary to start the writing from the beginning).

Do a first draft of the introduction.

Note-taking and research

Use Google Scholar to make sure you do not miss important sources.

Keep the table of contents in mind when researching and take notes of which sources could go where.

While note-taking, differentiate which parts could be used as quotations from the ones that are simply important for the argument.

Eco underlines the importance of what he calls reading sheets, which can be understood as your notes on your readings. According to him, these should contain:

information about the author if he is not a well-known figure;

a brief (or long) summary;

they should mostly consist of quotations (accompanied by all the corresponding page numbers)

any commentaries you might want to add;

an indication of which part (or parts) of your table of contents the information mentioned belongs to.

Keep reading sheets on primary sources (which should be the longest) separate from those on secondary sources (which should only be 1-2 pages long).

In the end, re-read the notes and color-code all the different parts according to where they would fit in your table of contents.

Writing and editing

A good place to start would be by redrafting the introduction.

Define every key/technical term used/mentioned unless indisputably obvious.

General writing tips:

keep sentences short;

do not be afraid to repeat the subject twice (ex: Roberta went to the shop (…) Roberta bought carrots and tomatoes);

avoid excessive details;

avoid subordinate clauses (orações subordinadas);

avoid vague language;

avoid unnecessary adjectives;

avoid the passive voice.

While drafting, write everything that comes to mind. Leave the editing for the end.

Use your tutor as a Guinea pig. Make them read your first chapters (and, progressively, all the rest) well before delivery is due. 

Ask for as much feedback as possible. Ask colleagues, friends and/or family to read your work. They will provide you with more diversified feedback, as well as allowing you to know if your writing is clear to anyone.

Stop playing ‘solitary genius’.

Don’t insist on starting with the first chapter. Start with what you know best and feel more comfortable writing about, then fill in the gaps.

Leave time for editing and try to take at least a one or two days long break in between writing and editing. 

Do not forget to fill in the gaps. When you revisit your writing, go through it with all these writing tips in mind as well as a conscience of what your most common mistakes are.

Use Hemingway in the final editing phase.

Quotations and footnotes

Since there are two kinds of sources (primary and secondary), there are also two kinds of quotations: either we quote a text which we will interpret, or we quote a text which supports your interpretation.

Some quotation rules to know:

“Quote the object of your interpretive analysis with reasonable abundance.”

 “Quote the critical literature only when its authority corroborates or confirms your statements. (…)  when quoting or citing critical [aka secondary] literature, be sure that it says something new, or that it confirms authoritatively what you have said.”

“If you don’t want readers to presume that you share the opinion of the quoted author, you must include your own critical remarks before or after the passage.”

“Make sure that the author and the source of your quote are clearly identifiable.”

“When a quote does not exceed two or three lines, you can insert it into the body of the text enclosed in quotation marks. (…) When the quote is longer, it is better to set it off as a block quotation. In this case the quotation marks are not necessary, because it is clear that all set-off passages are quotes, and we must commit to a different system for our observations. (Any secondary developments [like the quote’s reference] should appear in a note.) (…) This method is quite convenient because it immediately reveals the quoted texts; it allows the reader to skip them if he is skimming, to linger if he is more interested in the quoted texts than in our commentary, and finally, to find them immediately when need be.”

Some footnote rules to know:

“Use notes to add additional supporting bibliographical references on a topic you discuss in the text. For example, ‘on this topic see also so-and-so.’”

“Use notes to introduce a supporting quote that would have interrupted the text. If you make a statement in the text and then continue directly to the next statement for fluidity, a superscript note reference after the first statement can refer the reader to a note in which a well-known authority backs up your assertion.”

“Use notes to expand on statements you have made in the text. Use notes to free your text from observations that, however important, are peripheral to your argument or do nothing more than repeat from a different point of view what you have essentially already said.”

“Use notes to correct statements in the text. You may be sure of your statements, but you should also be conscious that someone may disagree, or you may believe that, from a certain point of view, it would be possible to object to your statement. Inserting a partially restrictive note will then prove not only your academic honesty but also your critical spirit.”

“Use notes to provide a translation of a quote, or to provide the quote in the original language.”

guy that shot reagan on twitter and doing well apparently

Hey let’s not lie to ourselves and act like the shit with Elon is funny even in a way where it’s ironic. He genuinely doesn’t follow any societal rules and lives like a godking this isn’t a laughing matter and don’t let him think it is. This is some seriously dark shit and we need to kill him. If you kill him I’ll slop you good

this is the biggest damn 10yo i’ve ever seen. the hell are they putting in school lunches nowadays.

Man I really had my keys stolen and found out who the UA traitor is in one day

God, this. I worked in a highschool during my last semester at college, and taught while using a cane because I needed a mobility aid. I started counting students who would innapropriately ask about my disability. The most common phrase was just "what is wrong with you?" I'm not kidding when I say at least 20 highschoolers, many who are in my classes and I've never met before, asked me this question or something similarly worded. While it's a great oppurtunity for me to educate students on what NOT to say to someone with a disability, the fact of the matter is that its rude and condescending. Teach your kids about disabilities so that we dont have to for you.

Able bodied parents I'm begging you to teach your kids about disabled people. Not just because they could become disabled themselves one day but also because even if they don't, they have a very real chance of being rude to us if you don't teach them.

Yes, kids just say shit. They have no filter. That doesn't make it any less humiliating when your child sits near me on the bus and incessantly grills me on why I have a stick when I'm not old. Or laughs at us for things our disability causes. It doesn't take away the hurt when they bully a disabled classmate. For a large part these things could be avoided if you just taught your kids to respect us. It's really not that hard.

here’s the full comic written by highschoolers and the homies of YPAC, and drawn by me.  SROs are trash, I had bad experiences with mine when I did highschool. My mom issa teacher and she spends her own paycheck on supplies for her students cause the school is too busy pitching funds toward school cops who are negligent (at best) or escalate violence (at worst).

This comic was made in collaboration with homies from MPD150 check em out.

I’m terrified for the children of Florida and the future of the United States. Florida holds (currently) a ridiculous amount of persuasion and power in education. Despite consistently ranking in the bottom third of all educational metrics and SEVERALLY participating in redlining tactics, the state has not only chosen to lower teacher standings, but bolster privatization of education, and demolish the separation of church and state.

The fact that Florida holds a significant position in the election of all presidents (and to a lesser degree a number of house representatives) is the real issue. Floridian education will PLUMMET, but to the world nothing will change. But every election and decision they make will be radically altered.

Future voters won’t have the education or wherewithal to know what’s being presented to them. Only the upper echelon will and they will absolutely choose to maintain whatever status quo they live under. Under-educated people will vote for what they’re steered towards. Proper democratic methods will be removed.

This WILL spread to other southern states and continue the actions to dumb down the population to assure the wealthy and powerful remain in control.

Education in the cornerstone of democracy. EVERY authoritarian government begins with removing the educated. This is NOT a coincidence.

I know that tumblr/Twitter/Facebook/Instagram is an echo chamber but spreading this can only help, even just a little.

CARE ABOUT HOW YOUR STATE VALUES EDUCATION YOU FUCKS.