<p>Other than Strunk and White, what would you recommend to those of us preparing to take on university-level writing?</p>
<p>It may depend on your style, but I found George Orwell's article, "Politics and the English Language," to be helpful. His analysis about meaning being expressed through words vs. meaning being found through words is on point if your writing finds profundity through complex language rather than through complex ideas.</p>
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Other than Strunk and White, what would you recommend to those of us preparing to take on university-level writing?
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<p>Strunk and White is sufficient, I think. It is worthwhile to familiarize yourself with the Chicago Manual of Style citation system; I know many professors who prefer it over MLA. </p>
<p>Also, I would recommend, when writing, that you ask yourself "how can I shorten this?" This question is one that is missing from the attitudes of many students, where the question they ask instead is "how can I make this longer?" During my first year, my introductions were anywhere from half a page long to a page long (double-spaced, and depending on the paper). Now they are, maximum, 9 lines long and they can be as short as 4 lines long. I know it's difficult to shorten text, because you feel like you're not going to be able to fulfill the page requirements, but doing so ensures that you will fill the paper with much more substance rather than garbage.</p>