ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

CHAPTER 3: WRITING ACADEMIC TEXTS

LESSON 1: The Pre-writing Process

Critical Reading is a requirement in order to become a critical writer. Reading gives you more knowledge about
the world and makes you aware of the different issues happening around you, helps you explore and discover new things,
etc. reading in this case can enrich your writing.

Steps in the pre-writing process:

1. Choosing a topic- One of the hardest task in writing is finding the topic to write about. It rarely happens that you can
pinpoint the topic in an instant.

STEPS IN CHOOSING A TOPIC:

a) Brainstorming- generating possible topics for your paper. It is a way of creating or combining as many ideas as you
can on a subject.
b) Freewriting- similar to brainstorming in that you just write any idea that comes to your mind. Put down into writing
the ideas that you think of so that later on you will be able to generate ideas and narrow them down into a single
topic for your paper.
Ex.) what I do best/ an embarrassing moment/daydreams or nightmares/ youth of today
c) Clustering- also called as ballooning or mapping. This technique provides a graphic representation of your ideas,
allowing you to visualize the connections and/or relationships of your ideas. Write your main topic at the center of
your paper then circle or box it. Think of subtopics and place them around the center circle until you feel that you
have developed all the subtopics fully.
d) Cueing- you can use the 5Ws (who, what, where, and why).

Example) topic:
Wh o:
What;
Where:
Why:
When:
2. Narrowing a topic- discuss only one idea thoroughly in your paper. Narrow down your topics by focusing on an aspect of
your topic.
Ex.) animals pets suitable for small apartments
3. Ponder on the reason why you are writing- you should understand what the writing is for. Understanding the assignment
is important because it will help you focus your ideas on the assigned task.
4. Knowing your purpose and identifying your reader or audience-one of the most crucial steps. Determining your purpose
will help you communicate clearly your ideas to your readers, which is the goal of all writing. After you determined your
purpose, knowing your audience comes next.

Importance of knowing your readers or audience:

- The knowledge, interests, attitudes, and needs of your reader will give you an idea as to how you will organize
your points and claims in such way that you can establish a common ground with your readers and will help you
adjust your language, tone, and style in writing.
- Reading is engaging in a dialogue with the writer of the text.
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Writers Block- this occurs when a writer feels incapable of putting any words at all down on your paper.

Reason: you have so many ideas that you dont know where to begin or because you cannot think of a single thing
to write.

Solution: keep on writing something, no matter what.

*if you feel incapable of writing, write anything. Remember you can always change it later.

Lesson 2: Avoiding Plagiarism

What is plagiarism?

Deliberate copying of somebody elses work and claiming that work to be his/her own.
Using somebody elses work or ideas without proper acknowledgement or citation
Copying the text without paraphrasing it.

1. Paraphrasing- rendering ideas in a text (sentence or paragraph) using your own words. Paraphrased
materials are usually shorter than the original text.
- It is more detailed than a summary.
- When you paraphrase, it is advised that you first understand what the text is about and then write your
renditions of the text without referring to it as you write. The tendency of having a copy of the text in
front of you is to copy the structure of the text and just change some of the words, which still qualify as
plagiarism.
Kinds of Plagiarism:
a. A word-for-word (verbatim) plagiarism also known as cut-and-paste plagiarism. It happens when a
researcher copies the work of another writer word-for-word and claims it as his/her own.
b. Word order plagiarism- it happens when a writer changes some of the words of another author to
makethe work look as if it were his/her own.
c. Idea plagiarism- it happens when a writer paraphrases a work and includes it into his/her own article
without proper attribution.

2. Direct quotations - quotations must be identical to the original text. Direct quotations is preferred to a
paraphrase when the authors ideas are so important that paraphrasing them will change the essence
of those ideas.
Example) I shall return!- Douglas McArthur
 ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Lesson 3: Writing and Rewriting

The Writing Process

A. DEVELOPING THESIS STATEMENT
What is Thesis statement:
- It is the claim or stand that you will develop in your paper.
- It is the controlling idea of your essay.
- It gives your readers ideas what your paper is all about.
Strong thesis statement:
A strong thesis statement usually contains an element of uncertainty, risk, or challenge. (Ramage, Bean,
and Johnson 2006:34)
1. It offers a debatable claim- something that you prove or disapprove in your essay. It should be debatable
enough to let your readers agree or disagree with you.
2. It should not merely announce something or just state a fact.
Example: Women and men are born to perform specific roles is not a good thesis statement because there is
nothing to contest in that statement; it is just stating that women and men have specific roles to perform.
3. Give tension by introducing ideas- ideas that may challenge your readers views.
Example: Although there seem to be specific roles assigned to women and men, those roles should never
dictate nor limit women and men to do other things that are beyond their assigned roles.
-this thesis statement challenges the readers and not everyone may agree to it so this is something that you
can explore in your paper.
4. Gather evidence in order to back up your thesis statement.
B. ORGANIZING YOUR PAPER
Organizing your ideas- finding the connections of one point to another and establishing a link from one idea
to another.
Steps:
1. Outlining- an effective way of ensuing he logical flow of your ideas. You may use lists, diagrams, or
maps.
2. Introduction- academic essay provides a background of your topic, poses a question regarding the
topic, explains how the question is problematic and significant, and gives the writers thesis
statement.
3. Develop the body of your essay- this is where you develop an answer or propose a solution to the
thesis statement that you given in the introduction. You have to support your main points and include
the other details that you would support your thesis statement.
4. Conclusion- it should bring together the points made in your paper and emphasize your final point.
-The conclusion may also leave a thought-provoking idea that you wish your audience to consider.
-do not just summarize your main points; make sure that you synthesize your main points and
emphasize your thesis statement.
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-Remember not to open a new topic in the conclusion.

THE POST-WRITING PROCESS

Writing is Revising by Murray (2005)
-acknowledge the necessity to review and revise their work.
-writing is a work in progress; it cannot be perfected all at once; you have to go through the process of writing.

2 Processes:
1. Revising- re-seeing the entire draft so that the writer can deal with the large issues that must be resolved
before he or she deals with the line-by-line, word-by word issues involved in editing.
2. Editing- to make changes , move, or remove/to alter or refine especially to bring about the conformity to a
standard.

MURRAYS CHECKLIST FOR REVISING:

1. Subject
Do I have something to say?
Are there readers who need to hear what I have to say?
2. Focus
Does the draft make a clear dominant point?
Are there clear, appropriate limits to the draft that include what needs to be included and exclude
what is necessary?
3. Authority
Are the writers credentials to write this draft established and clear?
4. Context
Is the context of the draft clear?
5. Voice
Does the draft have an individual voice?
Is the voice appropriate to the subject?
Does the voice support and extend the meaning of the draft?
6. Reader
Can you identify a reader who will need to read the draft?
Are the readers questions answered where they will be asked?
Does the draft fulfill the readers expectations of that form?
7. Structure
Will the lead attract and hold a reader?
Does each point lead to the next point?
Does each section support and advance the meaning?
Is the readers hunger for specific information satisfied?
8. Documentation
Does the reader have enough evidence to believe each point in the draft?
9. Quantity
Where does the draft need to be developed?
Where does it need to be cut?