UndergradSkiller: Skill Set Map for Undergraduates and Their Educators
ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING: Academic Writing
Getting Started with Writing
Beginning a writing project can be one of the most difficult parts of the process. Strategies for generating ideas, choosing and narrowing a topic, and planning a piece of writing help students progress from a blank page to a working draft.
Useful resources on Getting Started with Writing:
NTK. (2026, March 4). How to start writing. https://www.techlib.cz/en/85139
Annotation: Guide walking students through the process of beginning an academic writing project such as an essay or thesis. Covers choosing and refining a topic, approaching writing as a project, navigating and organizing research sources, understanding different source types, and correct citation practices.
Purdue OWL. (n.d.). Prewriting (invention) general questions. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/prewriting/questions.html
Annotation: Structured set of questions to guide the prewriting (invention) stage of the writing process. Prompts students to think about their topic, audience, purpose, and approach before they begin drafting.
3. Tucker, A., & Chafe, P. (2018). Write here, right now: An interactive introduction to academic writing and research. Ryerson University. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/write-here-right-now-an-interactive-introduction-to-academic-writing-and-research
Annotation: Textbook providing an interactive introduction to academic writing and research.
Peer Review: None
Table of contents:
- 1.1. Reading Strategies
- 1.2. Academic Writing
1.2.1. Getting Started with Writing
- 1.3. Essay Writing
- 1.4. Thesis Writing
Author: Leeanne Irwin
Peer Reviewer(s): None