Academic Writing
Undergraduate | GRF-COM101 | 2024
Previously GRF-COM10
Develop essay writing skills that stay relevant throughout your degree. You’ll cover prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Work on critical thinking. Build your research skills. Communicate complex ideas effectively.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 7 July 2024
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Start dates
- 4 Mar 2024,
- 15 July 2024,
- 4 Nov 2024
Price from
$2,040
Upfront cost
$0
HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Academic Writing
About this subject
At the completion of this subject you will be able to:
- write clear and concise prose
- write a successful academic essay
- use critical thinking in reading and writing texts
- work with sources
- reference accurately
- be informed about ethical use of sources and plagiarism
- plan, draft and edit text
- discern and create an argument
- understand the basic structures of effective communication.
- Language
- Building blocks
- Sentences
- Paragraphs
- Argument/reading
- Analysis/note-taking
- Precis/synopsis
- Argument
- Composition
- Working with sources
- Drafting
- Editing
This unit provides an introduction to the distinctive conventions and practices of writing for university assessment. It focuses primarily on the academic essay, especially on the strategies successful academic writers use to incorporate information and viewpoints from existing sources, while at the same time forming and expressing their own independent viewpoint. It is essential training for students in navigating their way through existing knowledge without plagiarising. The unit is of particular relevance to students in all areas of the humanities and social sciences who are required to understand the research essay as a genre.
- Exercises (20%)
- Annotated bibliography; outline/plan; introductory paragraph (50%)
- Essay (30%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
With a network of campuses spanning three cities in South East Queensland, Griffith University is committed to progressive multidisciplinary teaching and research and a valuable online provider with Open Universities Australia. Already attracting students from over one hundred countries, Griffith's dedication to academic excellence is available across Australia through OUA.
Learn more about Griffith University.
Explore Griffith courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 18
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 20
Entry requirements
Prior study
To help set you up for success before you start this subject, we suggest completing or having equivalent knowledge in:
GRF-COM15 (Not currently available)
Equivalent subjects
You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
GRF-COM10 (Not currently available)
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
UndergraduateGRF-ART-DEG
UndergraduateGRF-COM-DEG
UndergraduateGRF-BUS-DEG
Single subject FAQs
Single subjects are the individual components that make up a degree. With Open Universities Australia, you’re able to study many of them as stand-alone subjects, including postgraduate single subjects, without having to commit to a degree.
Each of your subjects will be held over the course of a study term, and they’ll usually require 10 to 12 hours of study each week. Subjects are identified by a title and a code, for example, Developmental Psychology, PSY20007.
First, find the degree that you would like to study on our website.
If that degree allows entry via undergraduate subjects, there will be information about this under the Entry Requirements section. You will find a list of 2-4 open enrolment subjects you need to successfully complete to qualify for admission into that qualification.
Once you pass those subjects, you will satisfy the academic requirements for the degree, and you can apply for entry.
Our student advisors are here to help you take that next step, so don’t hesitate to reach out when you’re ready! We’ve also made it easier to figure out the right way to get started on our pathways page.
Our student advisors are more than happy to help you plan your online study. Get in touch with an advisor by:
You can pay up front with your credit card, or you may be eligible for a HELP loan from the Australian government depending on your citizenship status and where you’ll live during your studies.
For more information about how to pay for your studies visit our fees page or contact a student advisor.
When you’ve made your choice, click ‘Enrol now’ on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We’ll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.
Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.
If you get stuck at any time, reach out to us and we’ll talk you through it.
You can also take a look at our online self-service enrolling instructions .
Close of enrolment times vary between universities and subjects. You can check the cut-off dates for upcoming study terms by visiting key dates.