Academic Writing

DR. SAMAR HUSSEIN

Session 2
 Reading
Developing Critical Approaches
Students are expected to take a critical approach to sources, which
means to challenge what they read rather than accepting it as
reliable.
Clearly this approach requires a good understanding of written texts.
this lecture:
explains effective reading methods
examines common text features, including abstracts
explores and practices critical analysis of texts
Reading methods
Reading academic texts in the quantity required for most courses is a
demanding task. You will not benefit from attending lectures and
seminars unless the reading is done promptly, while clearly most
writing tasks require extensive reading.
This means that distinct methods have to be adopted to cope with
the volume of reading required, which is especially important when
you are reading in another language.
Clearly, you do not have time to read every word published
on the topic
you are studying, so you must adopt a two-stage process of
selection:
Carefully choose what you read
Assess the chosen material thoroughly and critically
 Activity
Complete the empty boxes in the chart with the following
techniques:
• Read intensively to make notes on key points.
• Scan text for information you need (e.g. names).
• Survey text features (e.g. abstract, contents, index). P. 78
Titles, subtitles and text features

Read and discuss pages 79 - 82.

Read the passage p. 82 and do the following
exercise.
Answers
3 Reading abstracts
a) Background position – A growing chorus of scholars … American
democracy.
b) Aim and thesis of paper – this article questions … engaged citizenship.
c) Method of research – Using data from … political participation.
d) Results of research – Rather than the erosion … in America.
Fact and opinion
When reading, it is important to distinguish between facts:
Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia.
and opinions:
Kuala Lumpur is a welcoming, bustling city.
In addition, the reader needs to decide if the facts given are true:
Singapore lies near the equator. (true)
Singapore was an ancient trading port. (false)
You need to be careful of texts that contain unsupported
opinion or ‘facts’
that you think are wrong.
Practice a) and B) p. 83&84
Answers
a) fact (not true)
b) opinion
c) fact (not true)
d) opinion
e) fact (true) + fact (true)
f) fact (true) + opinion
(Objective version with facts corrected)

New Zealand is an island nation in the southern Pacific Ocean, consisting of

two main islands. Nearly 1,000 miles east of Australia, it was one of the last
places on Earth to be settled by man: Polynesians who arrived in about 1250
CE and who developed the Maori culture. In the eighteenth century
European settlers started to land, and in 1841 New Zealand became part of
the British Empire. Due to its long period of isolation, many distinctive
plants and animals evolved, such as the kiwi, now the nation’s symbol. The
country suffers from frequent earthquakes, such as the one that hit
Christchurch in 2011, causing serious damage and loss of life.
Assessing internet sources critically
Internet sources are plentiful and convenient, but you
cannot afford to waste time on texts which are unreliable or
out of date. If you are using material that is not on the
reading list, you must assess it critically to ensure that the
material is trustworthy by asking several questions about
each site:
Is this a reputable website, for example with .ac. (= academic) in
the URL?
Is the name of the author given, and is s/he well known in the
field?
Is the language of the text in a suitable academic style?
Are there any obvious errors in the text (e.g. spelling mistakes,
which suggest a careless approach)?
Practice
Using these questions, compare the two internet
texts on deforestation (the loss of forests). Which is
likely to be more reliable? P. 86
Do practice 6 p. 88
Brainstorming & Outlining,

In this part we’ll study:

I. Brainstorming
II. Listing
III. Narrowing Down a Topic
IV. Clustering / Mind Mapping
V. Formulating Your Introduction
Brainstorming

Brainstorming refers to quickly writing down or taking inventory of all your

thoughts as fast as they come to you.

Writing of some kind is very helpful in brainstorming, as it can often be

difficult to keep track of all your thoughts and ideas without writing them
down.

your writing does not have to be formal. Many writers simply use bullet
points to mark all their ideas; in this sense, brainstorming often looks more
like a list, rather than a coherent piece of writing
When brainstorming, don't feel pressured to connect, defend, fully articulate,
or censor your ideas.

If you allow yourself to simply pour out all the thoughts that are in your head,
following them wherever they lead, you might come up with a really
interesting topic, theme, motif, etc. to focus your paper on.
Listing

Listing is a brainstorming technique many people find

useful. It means doing just what its name suggests -- listing
possible topics and then sublists of things you could say
about each topic.
A list could consist of the main topic , then sublists would
be might be particular words or details.
Narrowing Down a Topic
Most students will have to narrow down their topic at least a little.
The first clue is that your paper needs to be narrowed is simply the
length your professor wants it to be.
Preliminary research also helps you determine whether or not
you'll even need to refine your topic.
Consider this topic:

Staff Motivation and Impact on Productivity

Now consider the following question areas to generate specific ideas to narrow down your
topic.
Problems faced?
Problems overcome?
Motives
Effects on a group?
Group benefited?
Clustering/Mind Mapping

Clustering is a type of prewriting that allows you to explore many

ideas as soon as they occur to you. Like brainstorming or free
associating, clustering allows you to begin without clear ideas.
To begin to cluster, choose a word that is central to your
assignment , then write words all around it --words that occur to
you as you think of the main idea/word.
group words around the central word. Connect your new words to
previous ones with lines; when you feel you have exhausted a
particular avenue of associations, go back to your central word and
begin again.
Select a topic and design a mind map
organizer
Is Internet Advertising the Most Popular Means of Advertising

Impact of Wages on Employee Productivity

Challenges of Small Enterprises

Thank You!