Writing 101: Educational Content
21 Common Academic Writing Mistakes
Mistakes that can lower your grade and how to avoid them
A note on my credentials before we begin: I have a Masters degree and am currently pursuing a doctorate (PhD) in English literature. I have been teaching as a TA at university level since 2017, and have run seminars for the following university courses: “Introduction to English Literature,” “Irish Writing,” “Pulp: Introduction to Popular Literature,” “Writing the Body, 1690–1800: Gender, Race, and Power,” and “Modernisms: Making It New.” I have also worked as a proofreader in both an academic setting and for layman publications.
Having taught both high schoolers and undergraduates in two countries, I have had to grade a lot of assignments. Every year, I see the same mistakes being made that lose a student “easy” marks; careless writing can take a paper down a whole letter grade if you aren’t careful. To give your paper the best shot at getting an A, here is a list of the most common writing mistakes that I have had to take off points for.
Note: Where applicable, I have included the abbreviation for each error; whether your paper is being graded by hand (on paper) or using a software like TurnItIn or BlackBoard, your instructor will likely use some of these…
