1

Explaining all the stages of

The producing a piece of academic
writing, from analysing the title,
Writing reading the sources, note-
making and referencing,
Process through to rewriting and
proofreading the final draft.

1
 Why do we write?

1.1 Basics What is the

of Writing purpose of
academic writing?
(p.3)
Can you think of
four reasons?

Common reasons for writing (p.3)

TO REPORT TO ANSWER A TO GIVE THE TO SYNTHESISE

RESEARCH DONE BY QUESTION THE WRITER’S VIEWS ON RESEARCH DONE BY
THE WRITER WRITER WAS GIVEN A TOPIC OTHERS

2
 What are the differences between
these common types of academic
Types of writing?

academic Essay

writing Dissertation/ Thesis

Project
(p.4) Article
Notes
Report

Longer essays and reports usually include:

Introduction
The Main body
format of Literature review
Case study

writing Discussion

Conclusion
tasks (p.4) References
Appendices

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 The components of academic
writing (p.6)
Read the short text and identify a), b), c), d) and e)

a) The effectiveness of microcredit

b) An evaluation of programmes in India and the Philippines

c) Introduction

d) In the last ten years considerable claims have been made about the value of microcredit; the provision of
unsecured small loans to the poor in developing countries. e) But it has proved surprisingly difficult to
accurately measure the effectiveness of these loans, without interference from other non-commercial factors.

Text components (p.7)

a) title

b) sub-title

c) heading

d) phrase

e) sentence

What’s the function of these other components?

paragraph/ citation/ abbreviation/ italics/ brackets

4
 Writing in paragraphs (p.9)
Discuss these questions
with another student:

What is a paragraph?

Why are texts divided into

paragraphs?

How long are paragraphs?

Do paragraphs have a
standard structure?

1.2
Reading: What types of text may
Finding be suitable for academic
Suitable work?
Sources
(p.11)

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5
 What are the advantages and
disadvantages of these text types for
academic writing?
Textbook
Types of Website
text Journal article

(p.14) Official report

Newspaper or magazine article
E-book
Edited book

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Using library catalogues (p.14)

Online library catalogues let you find the material you need
quickly.

Remember:

Vary your search terms for best results

Use the most up-to-date books

Subject databases help you find relevant journal articles

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6
 Reading methods

READING ACADEMIC TEXTS IS WHAT IS THE BEST METHOD

NOT LIKE READING A NOVEL! OF READING TEXTS?

13

Choosing suitable texts (p.19)

1. Read title and sub-title carefully

2. Survey text features e.g. abstract, contents, index

3. Skim text for gist – is it 4. Scan text for information you

relevant? need e.g. names
5. Read extensively when useful sections are found

6. Read intensively to make notes on key points

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7
 1.3 Reading: Developing critical
approaches (p. 21)
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

The reader also needs to decide if the ‘facts’ are true:

Singapore was an ancient trading port (false)

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Decide if the following contain facts,

opinions or both. Are the facts true?

1 Sydney is the capital of Australia.

Fact or 2 Australia is a dynamic, prosperous
opinion? country.
3 The majority of Australians live on
(p.21) sheep farms.
4 Australia is the largest island in the
world.
5 Australians are the world’s best cricket
players.

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8
 Critical thinking (p.23)

As you read you should ask yourself the following questions:

a) What are the key ideas in this?

b) Does the argument develop logically?
c) Are the examples given helpful?
d) Does the author have any bias?
e) Does the evidence presented seem reliable?

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What do we
mean by
1.4
plagiarism?
Avoiding
plagiarism
(p.28) Why should it
be avoided?

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9
 Acknowledging sources (p.29)

To show that you are using someone else’s ideas, you can use:
1 Summary and citation:
Smith (2009) claims that the modern state …

2 Quotation and citation:

According to Smith: ‘The point is not that the state …
(Smith, 2009: 103)

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Acknowledging sources (p.29)

These in-text citations are linked to a list of references at the end of the article or chapter:

Author Date Title Place Publisher

Smith, M. (2009) Power and the State Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

This reference gives readers the information they need to find the source if they want to study
the original.

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 These are some of the key words used in
essay titles. What are they asking you to
do?
Analyse
1.5 From Assess
understanding Describe
titles to Discuss
planning (p.36) Examine
Illustrate
Outline
Summarise

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All written work

needs planning,
even in exams.

A clear plan helps

answer the question Outlines (p.40)
fully.

Different patterns of
outline suit different
students – what is
your favourite?

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 Two outline styles (p.41)
Title: What are the most significant sources of renewable energy?
List
a) Wind – best sites often remote
b) Solar – costs have reduced sharply
c) Thermal – limited application

Mind map
Wind (best sites often remote)
Sources Thermal (limited
application)
Solar (costs have reduced sharply)

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Before note-making
1.6 Finding you must find the most
important and relevant
key points ideas in a text.
and note-
making Where are these often
(p.43) found?

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 You will develop your own style of note-
making.
How many notes you make depends on
the task.

Effective Always use your own words – don’t copy

note- Record the source of your notes
Keep notes simple – no articles or
making prepositions
Don’t crowd notes and use clear
(p.47) headings
Use symbols (=, +, >)
Abbreviations save space (e.g. govt.
dept.)

Can you suggest any other tips?

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What makes a good summary?

1.7
Tell another student about a
Summarising film you have recently watched.
and
Did they summarise the story
paraphrasing clearly?
(p.50)
Why? / Why not?

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13
 Stages of summarising (p.51)

In academic work summarising can be a one- sentence outline or include much

more detail.

Put these steps of summarising in logical order:

Write summary from notes

Make notes of key points
Read original text carefully
Underline or highlight key points
Check summary to ensure accuracy

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Paraphrasing (p.54)
While summarising aims to reduce text
length, paraphrasing attempts to restate
the ideas.

Effective paraphrasing is vital for avoiding

plagiarism. It should:
Have a different structure to the original
Have mainly different vocabulary
Retain the same meaning

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14
 Why should we use references and
citations?

1.8 To show awareness of the relevant

sources
References To allow your readers to find the
sources
and To avoid plagiarism
quotations
(p.59) Can you suggest any situation where it is
NOT necessary to use references and
citations?

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Citations and references (p.60)

Citations provide a link to the list of references at the end of your paper:

For a quotation:
Family name/ date of publication/ page no.
(Smith, 2009:37)

For a summary:
Family name/ date of publication
Smith (2009)

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 Why use quotations in written work?

When the original words are

distinctive
Using When the original is concise
quotations When the original is well-known

(p.61)
Quotations should be introduced by
a suitable phrase:
As Keynes (1923) remarked: ‘In the
long run we are all dead’.

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1.9 Contrasting sources (p.68)

At the beginning of a paper writers Discuss reasons for this with

generally refer to the views of other another student.
writers on the topic.

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16
 In longer papers these sections may
be called ‘Literature review’.

Read the following extract:

Referring The expectations which students

have of higher education are
to sources influenced by their prior educational
experiences (Ramsden, 1992, p.82;
(p.68) Tinto, 2005; Cook and Rushton,
2008).

What is the writer’s reason for giving

these sources?

33

It is important to compare
a range of views to show
that you are familiar with
the different or conflicting
Contrasting views on a topic.
sources
(p.69) Discuss possible reasons
for this with another
student.

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17
 Discuss the following with
another student:

1.10 Why do we write in

Organising paragraphs?

paragraphs How do paragraphs help

(p.75) the reader?

Do all paragraphs have

the same format?

35

A paragraph is a group of
sentences on the same topic.

Paragraph Most paragraphs contain at least

four sentences.

structure
(p.76) Usually the first sentence
introduces the topic.

The parts of a paragraph are

linked together by reference
words, conjunctions and adverbs.

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18
 To introduce a new topic:

• Turning to the issue of inflation …

• Inflation is another area to consider … Introducing
paragraphs
Adverbs can also be used: and linking
• Traditionally, few examples were found … them together
• Currently, there is little evidence of … (p.79)
• Originally, most families were …

Can you suggest any more

phrases?

37

1.11 Introductions and conclusions

(p.80)
Introductions are a critical component of any
paper.

Suggest possible reasons for this.

Discuss what you expect to find in an introduction.

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 Introduction
structure (p.81)
This is a common outline of an introduction:

Definition of any key terms

Relevant background information
Review of work by other writers
Aim of the paper
Your research methods
Any limitations to your research
An outline of the paper

39

Arrange these parts of a

conclusion in a logical sequence:

Suggestions for further research

Conclusions Summary of your main findings

The implications of your work
(p.84) Reference to the limitations you
set
Link back to original question to
show it has been answered

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 1.12 Editing and
proofreading (p.86)
The first draft of written work can always be
improved. When you re-read, ask these
questions:
Does this fully answer the question?
Is it well-balanced between the sections?
Does the argument develop logically?
Have I forgotten any critical points?
Is it the right length, not too short or long?

41

Proofreading (p.88)

Proofreading is the final

Multiple errors will make a
stage of the writing process.
sentence almost
Even minor errors can create
incomprehensible:
difficulty for the reader:
• Tow factors need to be • A america senate once say:
considered ‘truth is first casualty off
war’.

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