LEMME THINK

Defining
academic text
Informational text
ON THE AGENDA structure
Content and Style
of Academic Texts
 Defining
academic text
Informational text
ON THE AGENDA structure
Content and Style
of Academic Texts
 • ACADEMIC WRITING IS A PROCESS THAT
STARTS WITH
1. POSING A QUESTION
WHAT IS 2. PROBLEMATIZING A CONCEPT
ACADEMIC 3. EVALUATING AN OPINION
WRITING? 4. ENDS IN ANSWERING THE QUESTION
OR QUESTIONS POSED, CLARIFYING
THE PROBLEM, AND/OR ARGUING FOR
A STAND.
 PURPOSE
WHAT IS 1.TO INFORM
ACADEMIC
WRITING? 2.TO ARGUE A SPECIFIC POINT
3.TO PERSUADE
 AUDIENCE

WHAT IS 1.TEACHER
ACADEMIC 2.YOUR PEERS
WRITING? 3.ACADEMIC COMMUNITY
 •FORMAL
•THEY HAVE CLEARLY STRUCTURED
INTRODUCTION, BODY, AND
CONCLUSION
STRUCTURE
•INCLUDE INFORMATION FROM
CREDIBLE SOURCES AND ARE
PROPERLY CITED.
•INCLUDE A LIST OF REFERENCES.
EXAMPLES
 • TEXTBOOKS ARE SPECIFICALLY
DESIGNED TO HELP THE LEARNER.
TEXTBOOKS VARY IN STYLE, TONE AND
TEXTBOOKS LEVEL DEPENDING ON THEIR AUDIENCE.
THEY ARE A GOOD PLACE TO START
WHEN LEARNING ABOUT A NEW TOPIC.
 • STUDENT ESSAYS VARY IN LENGTH AND
FORMALITY, BUT THEY USUALLY CONTAIN
THREE SECTIONS: INTRODUCTION, MAIN
ESSAYS BODY, CONCLUSION. THEY USUALLY
NEED TO INCLUDE CITATION OF
SOURCES
 THESE TEXTS ARE THE RESULT OF A LONG PERIOD OF
READING, RESEARCH AND REFLECTION – PERHAPS
SEVERAL MONTHS OR YEARS. THE STRUCTURE AND STYLE
VARIES ACROSS DISCIPLINES BUT IS LIKELY TO INCLUDE
THE FOLLOWING:
• INTRODUCTION
DISSERTATIONS • BACKGROUND
AND THESES • LITERATURE REVIEW
• RESEARCH DESIGN/METHODOLOGY
• RESULTS/FINDINGS
• DISCUSSION/INTERPRETATION
• RECOMMENDATIONS
• CONCLUSION
 RESEARCH ARTICLES ARE WRITTEN MAINLY FOR A SPECIALIST
AUDIENCE – RESEARCHERS, ACADEMICS AND POSTGRADUATE
STUDENTS. THEY USUALLY CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING:
• INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH
• LITERATURE REVIEW
• BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH AND METHOD
RESEARCH • RESULTS OR MAIN FINDINGS
ARTICLES • DISCUSSION, INCLUDING AUTHORS' INTERPRETATION OF THE
RESULTS
• RECOMMENDATIONS: IDEAS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
• CONCLUSION
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
• APPENDIX (OPTIONAL) TO GIVE INFORMATION SUCH AS
TABLES OF RAW DATA FROM THE RESEARCH
 CASE STUDIES MAY BE FOUND IN ANY DISCIPLINE,
THOUGH THEY ARE MOST COMMON IN
DISCIPLINES SUCH AS BUSINESS, SOCIOLOGY
AND LAW. THEY ARE PRIMARILY DESCRIPTIVE. A
TYPICAL STRUCTURE IS AS FOLLOWS:
• CONTEXT (WHAT IS THE FOCUS, WHERE,
CASE STUDIES WHEN?)
• DESCRIPTION OF THE SETTING (PERSON,
COMPANY OR PLACE)
• AN ACCOUNT OF HOW THIS CHANGED OVER THE
PERIOD OF TIME UNDER INVESTIGATION
• HEADINGS HELP THE AUDIENCE WORK
THROUGH THE TEXT
 THE PURPOSE OF REPORTS IS TO DESCRIBE
WHAT HAPPENED (E.G. IN A PIECE OF RESEARCH)
AND DISCUSS AND EVALUATE ITS IMPORTANCE.
THEY TYPICALLY INCLUDE SOME OR ALL OF THE
FOLLOWING:
• CONTEXT/OVERVIEW (TITLE, CONTENTS ETC.)
REPORTS • INTRODUCTION
• METHODOLOGY/DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT
(E.G. PIECE OF RESEARCH)
• FINDINGS/MAIN POINTS
• DISCUSSION/EVALUATION
• CONCLUSION
TAKE NOTE

ACADEMIC WRITING IS THINKING –

YOU HAVE TO ABIDE BY THE SET OF
RULES AND PRACTICES IN WRITING.
 TAKE NOTE
• WRITE IN A LANGUAGE THAT IS
APPROPRIATE AND FORMAL
• CONSIDER THE KNOWLEDGE AND
BACKGROUND OF YOUR AUDIENCE.
• BACK UP YOUR STATEMENT WITH STRONG
AND VALID EVIDENCE.
• NEEDS RESEARCH
 Defining
academic text
Informational text
ON THE AGENDA structure
Content and Style
of Academic Texts
 Definition
Description
Recount of a sequence

INFORMATIONAL Cause-effect
TEXT Problem-solution
STRUCTURES Comparison and contrast
Enumeration
Classification
Thesis-evidence
DEFINITION
•A DEFINITION TEXT EXPLAINS THE NATURE OF
SOMETHING, DESCRIBES THE THING BEING DEFINED
AND/OR CITES EXAMPLES OF IT.
DESCRIPTION

•A DESCRIPTIVE TEXT GIVES CONCRETE

DETAILS ABOUT APPEARANCE ,
CHARACTERISTICS , AND ACTIONS.
RECOUNT OF A SEQUENCE
•A RECOUNT OF A SEQUENCE IS A
CHRONOLOGICAL NARRATION OF A HISTORICAL
PERIOD, SEQUENTIAL DESCRIPTION OF A
PROCESS OR A PROCEDURE.
CAUSE-EFFECT

•A CAUSE-EFFECT TEXT PRESENTS

REASONS WHY A SITUATION IS
OBTAINED.
PROBLEM-SOLUTION

•A PROBLEM-SOLUTION TEXT STARTS OFF WITH

A NEGATIVE SITUATION (A PROBLEM) AND ENDS
WITH A POSITIVE SITUATION (A SOLUTION)
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

•SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

ARE PRESENTED
ENUMERATION

•ENUMERATION IS LISTING, AS IN A LIST

OF PARTS, OF CHARACTERISTICS, OF
EXAMPLES.
CLASSIFICATION
•PRESENTS GROUPINGS, TYPES, CLASSES,
CATEGORIES, AND SUB-CATEGORIES THAT
CONSTITUTE A CONCEPT, PRESENTED IN
HIERARCHICAL ORDER.
THESIS-EVIDENCE
•PRIMARILY TO SERVE THE PURPOSE OF ARGUING A
POINT/POSITION OR INTERPRETATION.
•IT CAN BE ARRANGED DEDUCTIVELY ( GENERAL STATEMENT
OR THESIS FOLLOWED BY SUPPORTING DETAILS) OR
INDUCTIVELY (DETAILS FROM WHICH AN INFERENCE OR
THESIS IS DRAWN).
 Defining
academic text
Informational text
ON THE AGENDA structure
Content and Style
of Academic Texts
CONTENT AND STYLE OF ACADEMIC TEXT
• THEY STATE CRITICAL QUESTIONS AND ISSUES
• THEY PROVIDE FACTS AND EVIDENCE FROM CREDIBLE SOURCES.
• THE USE PRECISE AND ACCURATE WORDS WHILE AVOIDING JARGON AND
COLLOQUIAL EXPRESSION
• THEY TAKE AN OBJECTIVE POINT-OF-VIEW AND AVOID BEING PERSONAL AND
SUBJECTIVE
• THEY LIST REFERENCES
• THEY USE HEDGING OR CAUTIOUS LANGUAGE TO TONE DOWN THEIR CLAIMS.