Have you ever wondered why your students' writing often sounds general, awkward, or unsophisticated? Or have you wished that your students could express a more "scholarly" writing style? This session will explore some of the complex factors at play in student writing, particularly in research-based tasks. Drawing from faculty interviews and detailed analysis of high- and low-graded student writing in three separate disciplines, we will discuss concrete ways to assist students to express appropriate and authoritative stances in their course writing.