Essential Writing for Professionals and Graduate Students from edX

This course on expository writing consists of five sections, each covering an important aspect of the writing process, along with an optional appendix that reviews grammar and writing mechanics. The first section provides an overview of the writing process; discusses the importance of audience, purpose, and tone; and introduces the concept of prewriting. The second section covers the best strategies for researching a topic, including choosing appropriate keywords and differentiating trustworthy from untrustworthy sources. The third and fourth sections focus on writing itself, including how to construct an argument, how to be persuasive, and how to optimize the drafting and revision processes to create writing that is precise, concise, and clear. The final section covers the emerging area of how to use generative AI and large language models during the writing process, (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot) to help your writing, including the vital topic of prompt engineering. This last section concludes with a discussion of APA Style, including how to use APA Style to write academic papers and how to apply key concepts from APA Style to business and professional contexts.

Because the best way to learn the skills covered in the course is to actually use them, you will be given ample opportunities to practice the concepts that you’re being taught, including citing, revising, and proofreading. By the time you finish this course, you will understand how to write effectively, and your own writing skills will be greatly improved.

What's inside

Learning objectives

Identify the essential elements of the writing process.
Enhance your organization and productivity when writing.
Apply prewriting strategies to organize your ideas effectively and strengthen the drafting process.
Research, locate, and correctly incorporate credible and effective supporting information.
Paraphrase, cite, and reference sources to give appropriate credit and avoid plagiarism.

Construct concise, precise, and clear sentences and paragraphs.
Revise and improve written material.
Improve your ability to remain productive when feeling discouraged or experiencing writer’s block.
Describe best practices when using generative ai to aid your writing.

Identify the essential elements of the writing process.
Enhance your organization and productivity when writing.
Apply prewriting strategies to organize your ideas effectively and strengthen the drafting process.
Research, locate, and correctly incorporate credible and effective supporting information.
Paraphrase, cite, and reference sources to give appropriate credit and avoid plagiarism.
Construct concise, precise, and clear sentences and paragraphs.
Revise and improve written material.
Improve your ability to remain productive when feeling discouraged or experiencing writer’s block.
Describe best practices when using generative ai to aid your writing.

Syllabus

The Writing Process

What is Good Writing?

Writing Tools

Preparing to Write

Researching

Steps to Finding Sources

Steps to Evaluating Sources

Steps to Using Sources

Summarizing Sources

Synthesizing Sources

Steps to Acknowledging Sources

Drafting

Sentences

Paragraphs

Drafting Structure

Drafting Mindset

Revising and Finishing

Revising

Editing

Proofreading

Productivity

Writing for Professionals and Graduate Students

Applying APA Style in Academia and Beyond

Working with AI Models

Writing APA-Style Papers

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Covers strategies for researching a topic, including choosing appropriate keywords and differentiating trustworthy from untrustworthy sources, which are essential skills for academic and professional success

Teaches how to construct an argument and be persuasive, which are valuable skills for professionals who need to present ideas effectively and graduate students who need to defend their research

Includes a section on using generative AI and large language models during the writing process, which is an emerging area of importance for professionals and graduate students alike

Concludes with a discussion of APA Style, including how to use it to write academic papers and how to apply key concepts from APA Style to business and professional contexts

Published by the American Psychological Association, which is a leading authority on writing style and research methodology, especially in the social and behavioral sciences

Focuses on optimizing the drafting and revision processes to create writing that is precise, concise, and clear, which are essential qualities for effective communication in professional and academic settings

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Essential Writing for Professionals and Graduate Students with these activities:

Review Grammar Fundamentals

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Strengthen your understanding of grammar rules and writing mechanics to improve clarity and precision in your writing.

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Review basic grammar concepts such as parts of speech, sentence structure, and punctuation.
Complete online quizzes or exercises to test your knowledge.
Identify and correct common grammatical errors in sample texts.

Read 'The Elements of Style'

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Familiarize yourself with fundamental principles of writing style to enhance clarity and conciseness.

View Melania on Amazon

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Read the book, paying close attention to the rules and examples provided.
Take notes on key concepts and principles.
Apply the principles to your own writing.

Practice Paraphrasing and Summarizing

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Improve your ability to accurately and effectively paraphrase and summarize sources to avoid plagiarism and strengthen your arguments.

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Select several passages from academic articles or books.
Paraphrase each passage in your own words, ensuring that you accurately represent the original meaning.
Summarize each passage, focusing on the main points.
Compare your paraphrases and summaries to the original passages to check for accuracy and completeness.

Four other activities

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Write a Short Argumentative Essay

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Practice constructing a well-reasoned argument to improve your persuasive writing skills.

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Choose a topic that you feel strongly about.
Research the topic and gather evidence to support your argument.
Write a short essay presenting your argument, including a clear thesis statement, supporting evidence, and a conclusion.
Revise and edit your essay for clarity, conciseness, and accuracy.

Read 'Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association'

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Deepen your understanding of APA Style guidelines to ensure accuracy and consistency in your writing.

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Familiarize yourself with the different sections of the manual.
Pay close attention to the rules for formatting, citation, and referencing.
Practice applying APA Style guidelines to your own writing.

Create an Annotated Bibliography

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Consolidate your research skills and demonstrate your understanding of sources by creating an annotated bibliography on a topic related to your field.

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Research and locate credible sources on the topic.
Choose a topic related to your field of study or professional interests.
Write a brief summary and evaluation of each source, highlighting its main points and relevance to your topic.
Organize your annotations in a consistent format, following APA Style guidelines.

Revise a Previous Writing Sample Using AI Tools

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Experiment with using generative AI tools to revise and improve a piece of your own writing, focusing on clarity, conciseness, and style.

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Select a writing sample that you would like to improve.
Use generative AI tools to identify areas for improvement, such as grammar, style, and clarity.
Revise your writing sample based on the suggestions provided by the AI tools.
Compare your revised writing sample to the original, noting the improvements that you have made.

Career center

Learners who complete Essential Writing for Professionals and Graduate Students will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Technical Writer

Technical writers create documentation, such as instruction manuals and online help guides. This role requires clarity and conciseness, and this course helps strengthen those abilities through its focus on precise, concise, and clear writing. The course's emphasis on the writing process, drafting, and revision also aligns with the core skills needed for a technical writer. The section on researching and evaluating sources is particularly useful for ensuring accuracy in technical documents. Those looking to become technical writers will find that this course thoroughly covers many core proficiencies.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Writer

Grant Writer

Grant writers develop proposals to secure funding for organizations. This role requires persuasive writing skills, as well as a strong ability to construct an argument. This course addresses both of these topics in its focus on writing, demonstrating how to be persuasive, as well as how to construct compelling arguments. This course also gives instruction on developing an ideal drafting and revision process, which benefits any grant writer. The course's section on researching can help a grant writer find credible information to support their requests for funding.

See salaries and explore the career path for Grant Writer

Editor

Editors review and prepare written material for publication. As an editor, you will need strong proofreading, revising, and editing skills, all of which are covered in this course. The course helps develop a better understanding of creating clear and concise writing. Furthermore, instruction in writing mechanics is provided in the appendix. The course’s sections on sentence and paragraph structure can help ensure a high level of writing quality. Aspiring editors can use the skills taught in this course to improve their own writing, and also to advise others.

See salaries and explore the career path for Editor

Copywriter

Copywriters create marketing and advertising materials. The ability to produce writing that is clear, concise, and persuasive is essential in this field. This course explicitly covers these items, including how to be persuasive, and how to optimize the drafting and revision process to create writing that is precise, concise, and clear. Through instruction on the topics of audience, purpose, and tone, you will be able to tailor your writing to suit specific contexts. The course helps copywriters develop their persuasive writing skills, which are valuable to the role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Copywriter

Content Writer

Content writers produce online content such as blog posts and articles. Writing clear, engaging, and well-researched content is at the heart of this role. This course helps content writers develop these skills. Through its examination of the writing process, and the best practices for researching, the content writer will be well-served by this course. The section on using generative AI can also benefit the content writer. This course will have a positive impact on a content writer's productivity and writing quality.

See salaries and explore the career path for Content Writer

Communications Specialist

Communications specialists develop and implement communication strategies for organizations. A key aspect of this work is crafting clear and concise messages. This course strengthens the skills required of a communications specialist, including the writing process, drafting, and revision. Instruction on the importance of audience, purpose, and tone, is also extremely relevant in communications. In particular, the course will improve the clarity of your writing, preparing you for the writing challenges of the job.

See salaries and explore the career path for Communications Specialist

Journalist

Journalists research, write, and report on current events. This role demands precise and clear writing, as well as a strong ability to assess sources for credibility. This course addresses all of these, with its instruction on the writing process, drafting, and revision. The course covers research strategies, and teaches learners how to differentiate between trustworthy and untrustworthy sources. These skills, among many others taught in this course, are especially suited to journalists.

See salaries and explore the career path for Journalist

Public Relations Specialist

Public relations specialists manage an organization's public image. This role often requires careful and persuasive writing that suits various audiences. This course covers prewriting, drafting, and revision, preparing learners for the writing challenges of this role. By providing instruction on the importance of audience, purpose, and tone, this course is particularly beneficial to public relations specialists. The techniques learned in this course can be adapted to improve an organization's public image.

See salaries and explore the career path for Public Relations Specialist

Proposal Writer

Proposal writers create documents that persuade clients or stakeholders to take action. This work involves the construction of convincing arguments, along with clarity and precision. This course is very relevant to this role, as it covers constructing arguments, and the optimization of the drafting and revision processes to create writing that is precise, concise, and clear. With its focus on clear communication styles and persuasive writing, this course allows the proposal writer to do their job successfully.

See salaries and explore the career path for Proposal Writer

Researcher

Researchers investigate topics and create reports, often in academic and scientific fields. This job requires meticulous writing, along with proper citation and referencing. This course helps researchers develop their ability to synthesize research findings into clear writing, and it includes detailed instruction on citation to help researchers avoid plagiarism. In addition, the course's instruction on drafting and revision helps refine findings into well-written reports. This course may be useful for any researcher.

See salaries and explore the career path for Researcher

Librarian

Librarians manage information resources and assist users in finding the materials they need. This often requires the ability to research with care, assessing the credibility of sources. This course can aid librarians with instruction on research strategies, and the differentiation between trustworthy and untrustworthy sources. Moreover, the course's emphasis on writing clarity and precision may be helpful when a librarian communicates with patrons. This course will be useful for any librarian.

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Curriculum Developer

Curriculum developers create educational materials used in schools and other learning institutions. This position requires the ability to translate complex subjects into clear and well-organized writing. This course can aid curriculum developers with the process of writing, particularly through the instruction provided on drafting and revision. Also, the course’s instruction on audience, purpose, and tone can provide the curriculum developer with a wider framework for their work. This course may be helpful to those in a curriculum development role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Curriculum Developer

Policy Analyst

Policy analysts research and develop policy recommendations for government or organizations. This role requires clear communication, and the ability to cite and reference sources accurately. This course teaches these topics, and the course can help you in your role as a policy analyst. You may find the instruction on drafting and revising especially useful. This course may be helpful for anyone looking to enter the policy field.

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Training Specialist

Training specialists develop and deliver training programs for staff within a company. This role may include developing manuals and training materials, requiring clear, well-written prose. This course may be helpful for training specialists, as it provides instruction in writing clearly, and also in the process of drafting and revision. Through these techniques, training specialists will be able to better communicate with their staff. This course may be beneficial for training specialists.

See salaries and explore the career path for Training Specialist

Academic Advisor

Academic advisors provide guidance to students on their academic paths. The role requires careful communication and writing, especially when creating a student's plan or responding to questions. This course may be useful to an academic advisor, as it covers writing mechanics and the importance of audience, purpose, and tone. This course may be beneficial for those interested in entering academic advising.

See salaries and explore the career path for Academic Advisor

Essential Writing for Professionals and Graduate Students

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