Writing Across the Curriculum

 WHAT IS EXCELLENT WRITING?

 Faculty at USM agree that in any discipline:  

• Excellent writing is shaped by a strong sense of purpose, and is clear and well-organized.
• Excellent writing conforms to the organizational conventions relevant for its purpose and audience.
• Excellent writing presents the reader with a clear logical and conceptual structure.
• Excellent writing takes account of the intended reader, including the reader’s point of view, assumptions, and background knowledge.
• Excellent writing conforms to standard grammatical, spelling, and punctuation conventions unless the writer consciously violates these standards for effect.
• Excellent writing draws widely on both the vocabulary of the discipline and the language as a whole to produce writing that is clear and concise.
• Excellent writing reflects a high sense of responsibility for accuracy and precision, and acknowledges other writers and researchers whose words or ideas have contributed significantly to the work at hand.