The Quick Fix Guide to Academic Writing

Phillip C. Shon received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of Illinois (Chicago); he also holds an M.A. in linguistics and a B.A. in philosophy from Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago). He is currently a Professor of Criminology at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology where he teaches courses in homicide and criminological theory. He is the author of How to Read Journal Articles in the Social Sciences (2nd ed.). London: Sage, 2015; Language and Demeanor in Police-Citizen Encounters. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2008; Respect, Defense, and Self-Identity: Profiling Parricide in Nineteenth-Century America, 1852-1899. New York: Peter Lang, 2014. He is a co-editor (with Dragan Milovanovic) of Serial Killers: Understanding Lust Murders. (eds). Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2006. Phil grew up in Chicago. He no longer hides the shame of being a Cubs fan, and has completely forgotten Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series. He is patiently awaiting the Chicago Bears to come up with a sequel to the “Super Bowl Shuffle” before they return once more to the Promised Land.

At last! A text that supplies the student with specific tools for the specific requirements for reading and writing in the social sciences.

• Chapter 1: Understanding the “Big” and “Little” Errors in Your Paper“Big” Errors“Little” ErrorsChapter 2: What Am I Supposed to Do In My Paper?The Lone Wolf ClaimFormulating a Research QuestionTypes of Writing AssignmentsChapter 3: How to Synthesize the LiteratureOrganizing your own RCOSInterpreting RCOS: A Student ExampleThe Infiniteness of SynthesisChapter 4: How to Develop a Critique of Previous LiteratureCritiquing Ice Cream, Hamburger, and a MovieThree Questions that Lead to an Appropriate Critique of Previous LiteratureA Haven for CPLs and GAPsChapter 5: How to Produce a ClaimDifferentiating between ROF and ROAThe Citationality of the ROF and ROABuilding an Argument and Creating Main SectionsThe Scope of Claims in Non-empirical PapersChapter 6: How to Write an Abstract, Introduction, Discussion, and ConclusionHow to Write an AbstractHow to Write an IntroductionHow to Write a DiscussionHow to Write a ConclusionA Note on Data and MethodsChapter 7: Conclusion: A Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Model of Social Science Writing