Primary Citation
For the MICUSP corpus itself:
MICUSP
About the Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Student Papers
The Michigan Corpus of Upper-level Student Papers (MICUSP) is a specialized collection of effective student writing from the University of Michigan. This corpus provides a window into how advanced undergraduate and graduate students write across different academic disciplines.
What’s in MICUSP?
MICUSP contains 828 student papers representing:
- Writing from 17 different disciplines including Biology, Economics, English, History, Philosophy, Psychology, and more
- Papers from students at different levels: upper-level undergraduates (juniors and seniors) and graduate students
- Multiple paper types: research papers, reports, argumentative essays, case studies, and proposals
- High-quality writing: All papers received grades of A- or better from instructors
Why Use MICUSP?
This corpus is particularly valuable for students because it shows:
- Real examples of successful academic writing at the college level
- Disciplinary differences in how students write across fields like science, humanities, and social sciences
- Genre variations - how different types of assignments (reports vs. essays) use language differently
- Advanced academic language patterns that can inform your own writing development
Available Versions in DocuScope
MICUSP is available in several formats to suit different research needs:
| Corpus Version | Size | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| MICUSP Mini | Sample subset | Quick exploration and learning the tools |
| Full MICUSP | Complete corpus | Comprehensive analysis across disciplines |
| MICUSP by Paper Type | Organized by genres | Comparing different types of academic writing |
| MICUSP by Level | Separated by student level | Comparing undergraduate vs. graduate writing |
Research Questions You Can Explore
MICUSP is perfect for investigating questions like:
- Disciplinary Writing: How do Biology papers differ from English papers in their language use?
- Genre Analysis: What makes a research paper different from a report or proposal?
- Academic Sophistication: How do graduate students write differently from undergraduates?
- Rhetorical Patterns: Which disciplines use more hedging language (“might be”, “could suggest”)?
- Citation Practices: How do different fields incorporate sources and evidence?
Getting Started with MICUSP
- Start Small: Begin with the MICUSP Mini version to familiarize yourself with the corpus
- Focus Your Question: Choose a specific discipline or paper type that interests you
- Compare Strategically: Use the organized versions to make meaningful comparisons
- Consider Context: Remember these are all successful papers - they represent strong student writing
Citations and Further Reading
Key Research Using MICUSP
Disciplinary Variation: Hardy, J. A., & Römer, U. (2013). Revealing disciplinary variation in student writing: A multi-dimensional analysis of the Michigan Corpus of Upper-level Student Papers (MICUSP). Corpora, 8(2), 183-207. https://doi.org/10.3366/cor.2013.0044
Genre Analysis: Hardy, J. A., & Friginal, E. (2016). Genre variation in student writing: A multi-dimensional analysis. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 22, 119-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2016.05.001
For Course Citations
If you use MICUSP data in your coursework, cite both the corpus and any specific research that informed your analysis:
Tip
Example: “Using the Michigan Corpus of Upper-level Student Papers (Äder & Römer, 2012), this analysis examines…”
Ready to explore? Head to the Load Corpus guide to get started with MICUSP data analysis.