NS4016/NS4026 Final Year Project: Academic Writing Íde O’Sullivan, Lawrence Cleary Regional...

NS4016/NS4026NS4016/NS4026 Final Year Project:Final Year Project:Academic WritingAcademic Writing

NS4016/NS4026NS4016/NS4026 Final Year Project:Final Year Project:Academic WritingAcademic Writing

Íde O’Sullivan, Lawrence Cleary

Regional Writing Centre

Regional Writing Centre 2

Workshop outline• Motivation and time management• Key consideration:

– The writing process– The rhetorical situation

• Structuring your FYP• Reporting the work of others• Academic writing style• Strategies to develop writing

Motivation and Time Motivation and Time ManagementManagement

Motivation and Time Motivation and Time ManagementManagement


It is not too late• Take stock of where you are now• Outline your research• Make plans based on the time that is

left• Organise your time accordingly• Get writing• Keep writing• Allow time for revision and to put it all

together• Let family and friends know• Be selfish with your time


Where am I?

• What writing have you done for the research proposal, and what writing do you need to do in order to complete the proposal on time?

• Keep writing non-stop for 5 minutes.• Write in sentences.• Do not edit or censor your writing.• Private writing -- no one will read it.• Discuss what you have written in

pairs.


Outlining (Murray, 2006)

• Title and draft introduction• Level 1 outlining

– Main headings

• Level 2 outlining– Sub-headings

• Level 3 outlining– Decide on content


Writing goalsOutline Words/Timeframe

TitleChapter 1 (title)

Section 1 (title)Section 2 (title)Section 3 (title)

Chapter 2 (title)Section 1 (title)Section 2 (title)Section 3 (title)

Chapter 3 … … …


Keep writing• Where and when do you write?• Why are you not writing?

– “I don’t feel ready to write.”– Writers’ block

• Getting unstuck– Writing to prompts/freewriting (write

anything)– Set writing goals– Write regularly– Integrate writing into your thinking– Break it down into a manageable

process


Keep writing• Be patient• Be creative• Taking pleasure in writing • Be proud of your writing• Get stuck in

Key ConsiderationsKey ConsiderationsKey ConsiderationsKey Considerations


Key stages in the process

• Planning

• Drafting

• Revision

• Editing and Proofreading


The rhetorical situation

• Occasion

• Topic

• Audience

• Purpose

• Writer


Key tasks for academic writers

• Participating in academic conversations

• Developing and advancing balanced arguments

• Exploring your personal writing process

• Developing strategies that work for you

Structuring your FYPStructuring your FYPStructuring your FYPStructuring your FYP


Organising principles

• Thesis

• Research question

• Hypothesis


Organising principles

• Unity

• Coherence

• CohesionAdobe Acrobat

Document Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation

Adobe Acrobat Document


Flow• Logical method of development• Effective transition signals• Good signposting• Consistent point of view• Conciseness (careful word choice)• Clarity of expression• Paragraph structure

– Unity– Coherence


Paragraph structure• Chapters or sections are divided into

paragraphs in a meaningful way.• Like chapter and section headings,

paragraphs also signal the logically organised progression of ideas.

• Just as an essay is guided by a thesis statement, a paragraph is organised around its topic sentence.

• A topic sentence informs the reader of the topic to be discussed. It contains controlling ideas which limit the scope of the discussion to ideas that are manageable in a paragraph.


Paragraph structure: Supporting sentences

• The sentences that follow expand upon the topic, using controlling ideas to limit the discussion. The main idea is supported by– Evidence in the form of facts, statistics,

theoretical probabilities, reputable, educated opinions,

– Illustrations in the form of examples and extended examples, and

– Argumentation based on the evidence presented.

– Qualifying statements indicate the limitations of the support or argument.


Paragraph structure: Concluding sentences

• Not every paragraph needs a concluding sentence.

• Concluding sentences can either comment on the information in the text, or

• They can paraphrase the topic sentence.


Example: (Meei-Fang et al. 2007,

p.471) People with dementia are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition: they have a decreased ability to understand directions and to express their needs verbally, are easily distracted from eating, prone to become agitated, and may use utensils incorrectly. Inability to feed oneself (eating dependency) is a major risk factor for malnutrition among older people living in long-term care settings (Abbasi & Rudman 1994, Durnbaugh et al. 1996). When people with dementia can no longer take food voluntarily, assistance is required although, as the disease progresses, even taking food with assistance can become difficult and, in some instances, tube-feeding may be required to supply nutrition. This form of feeding can, however, cause distress and anxiety, not only for the person being fed, but also for caregivers (Akerlund & Norberg 1985, Burgener & Shimer 1993).


Paragraph structure: Unity

• Paragraphs should be unified.• ‘Unity means that only one main idea

is discussed in a paragraph. The main idea is stated in the topic sentence, and then each and every supporting sentence develops that idea’ (Oshima and Hogue 1999, p.18).


Paragraph structure: Coherence

• Coherence means that your paragraph is easy to read and understand because – your supporting sentences are in some

kind of logical order– your ideas are connected by the use of

appropriate transition signals– your pronoun references clearly point to

the intended antecedent and is consistent

– you have repeated or substituted key nouns. (Oshima and Hogue 2006, p.22)


Example: (Meei-Fang et al. 2007,

p.471) People with dementia are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition: they have a decreased ability to understand directions and to express their needs verbally, are easily distracted from eating, prone to become agitated, and may use utensils incorrectly. Inability to feed oneself (eating dependency) is a major risk factor for malnutrition among older people living in long-term care settings (Abbasi & Rudman 1994, Durnbaugh et al. 1996). When people with dementia can no longer take food voluntarily, assistance is required although, as the disease progresses, even taking food with assistance can become difficult and, in some instances, tube-feeding may be required to supply nutrition. This form of feeding can, however, cause distress and anxiety, not only for the person being fed, but also for caregivers (Akerlund & Norberg 1985, Burgener & Shimer 1993).


Paragraph structure: Transition signals

• Transition signals do exactly what it says on the tin: they ‘signal’. They can signal relationships between sentences, just as they can signal relationships between paragraphs.

• Example: ‘Finally, there have been numerous women altogether outside the profession, who were reformers dedicated to creating alternatives’ (Gillet 2008).

• The signal indicates the final point in a series of points.


Paragraph structure: Transition signals

• To introduce an additional idea• To introduce an opposite idea or

contrast• To introduce a choice or alternative• To introduce an example• To introduce and explanation• To list• To introduce a conclusion/summary• To introduce a result


Paragraph structureDos and Don’ts• Do not use pronouns to refer to an

antecedent in the previous paragraph. • Lengthy paragraphs indicate a lack of

structure.• Short paragraphs indicate a lack of detail

or evidence to support the argument.• Do not end a paragraph with a quotation.• Use a variety of sentence patterns and

lengths to give your paragraph a lively rhythm.

• Signpost your paragraph organisation.


Sentence structure• Vary your rhythm by using a variety of

sentence types and patterns. Use a combination of– Simple sentences• Compound sentences• Complex sentences• Compound-Complex sentences

• Do not limit yourself to simple sentences or linking sentences using “and”/”but”.

Reporting the work Reporting the work of othersof others

Reporting the work Reporting the work of othersof others


Reporting the work of others

Making use of the ideas of other people is one of the most important aspects of academic writing because

• it shows awareness of other people’s work;

• it shows that you can use their ideas and findings;

• it shows you have read and understood the material you are reading;

• it shows where your contribution fits in;• it supports the points you are making.

(Gillet 2005)



• We report another author’s ideas by using paraphrase, summary, quotation and synthesis, and we use introductory phrases and reporting verbs to communicate our relationship to the ideas that we are reporting.

• Compare, for example: – Brown (1983, p.231) claims that a far

more effective approach is ...– Brown (1983, p.231) points out that a

far more effective approach is ...– A far more effective approach is ...

(Brown 1983, p.231)


Paraphrasing

‘Paraphrasing is writing the ideas of another person in your own words. You need to change the words and

the structure but keep the meaning the same’ (Gillet 2008).


ParaphrasingExample:• Original Text:

Memory is the capacity for storing and retrieving information.

• Paraphrase: Memory is the facility for keeping and

recovering data.(Gillet

2008)


Summary‘A summary is a shortened version of a text. It contains the main points in the text and is written in your own words. It is a mixture of reducing a long text to a short text and selecting relevant information. A good summary shows that you have understood the text’ (Gillet 2008).


SummaryExample:• Original text:

People whose professional activity lies in the field of politics are not, on the whole, conspicuous for their respect for factual accuracy.

• Summary: Politicians often lie.

(Gillet 2008)


Synthesis• A synthesis is a combination, usually a shortened

version, of several texts made into one. It contains the important points in the text and is written in your own words.

• To make a synthesis you need to find suitable sources, and then to select the relevant parts in those sources. You will then use your paraphrase and summary skills to write the information in your own words. The information from all the sources has to fit together into one continuous text.

(Gillet 2008)


Direct quotation

• The text quoted is sacrosanct.

– Do not change spelling (i.e. American to British) or punctuation.

– Do not correct spelling and punctuation.

– Sic enclosed in square brackets, [sic], is inserted into the quote, after the error, to indicate to the reader that the error was not yours.



• Reporting the work of others:– Integral– Non-integral

• Language for reporting:

http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm

• Short quotations (quotations in text)• Long quotations (block quotations)• Omitting words […]• Using the abbreviation et al.• Secondary sources

Academic Writing Academic Writing StyleStyle

Academic Writing Academic Writing StyleStyle


Stylistic differences that mark

academic writing

• Complexity• Formality• Objectivity• Accuracy

• Precision• Explicitness• Hedging• Responsibility

(Gillet, 2008)


Academic writing style

• Hedge. Distinguish between absolutes and probabilities. Absolutes are 100% certain. Probabilities are less than 100% certain.

• Be responsible. Provide traceable evidence and justifications for any claims you make or any opinions you have formed as a result of your research.


Persuasion and truth in academic writing

• Because they are argumentative, academic writing tends to be persuasive.

• An argument should be persuasive, but don’t sacrifice truth in favour of persuasion.

• Academic inquiry is a truth-seeking pursuit.• facts are distinguished from opinions.• relative truths are distinguished from

absolute truths.• The integrity of the conclusions reached in

an academic essay or report is based on its honest pursuit of truth.

Strategies to Strategies to Develop WritingDevelop Writing

Strategies to Strategies to Develop WritingDevelop Writing


Cracking the codes

• Analysing the genre/text and modelling• Generate a list of

– The most important features of academic writing

– Criteria to make your writing-strategies more effective

– The important conventions in your discipline

– What is/is not acceptable in your discipline • Student handbooks and guides for written

submissions


Getting started• Create time and space for writing• Freewriting• Writing to prompts

– “What writing have you done for this assignment, what writing would you like to do……”

– “The aim of this assignment…”• Experiment with different types of

writing


Writing time

• Dealing with issues of time• Setting goals• “Binge” and “snack” writing (Murray,

2005)• Do I need a big block of time to write

productively? • “Short bursts of productive writing”

(Murray and Moore, 2006:17)• Outlining (Murray, 2005)

Regional Writing Centre 47Regio

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Dialogue as a social strategy

• Peer-review• Generative writing• The “writing sandwich” (Murray,

2005:85): writing, talking, writing• Writing “buddies” (Murray and Moore,

2006:102)– Engaging in critiques of one

another’s work allows you to become effective critics of your own work.


Resources• Shannon Consortium Regional Writing

Centre, UL http://www.ul.ie/rwc/• Using English for Academic Purposes

http://www.uefap.com/index.htm• The Writer’s Garden

http://www. cyberlyber.com/writermain.htm

• The OWL at Purdue http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

• The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://www.unc.edu/depts /wcweb/handouts/index.html

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