Retno Lestari

Understand

what is expected at
Masters level at University.
Know how to use an appropriate
academic writing style.
Know the differences between an
essay and a report.
Know the different sections within a
report.

 What

do you think will be expected

of you at Masters level?
Take a few minutes to discuss this
with the person sitting next to you.

At Masters level you are expected

to be able to :
Demonstrate knowledge of practice
Apply theory to practice
Analyse relevant material
Evaluate theory and evidence within
the context of study

 Synthesise

new information and

knowledge.
Reflect critiquing and critically
reflecting on your learning and using
this to improve practice.

 What
What

does a deep learner do?

does a surface learner do?

Concentration on assessment exercises

Passive acceptance of all ideas
Routine memorisation of facts
Sees small chunks
Ignore guiding patterns and principles
Lack of reflection about underlying patterns and
theories
Little attempt to understand
May not see patterns or connections
Minimal preparation for classes

Effort to understand material for

themselves
Critical and thoughtful about idea and
information
Relates ideas to own previous experience
and knowledge
Sees the big picture
Relates evidence to conclusions
Examines logic of arguments
Interested in wider reading and thinking
Ongoing preparation for classes

 Are

you a deep/active language

learner?

Discuss

with your partner some ways

in which you can improve your
language skills.

Interact with as many different people as

possible.
Watch TV, listen to music, read in English.
Journal
Books

 The

language has to be clear,

concise and neutral.
Material is to be well researched.
Appropriate theories should be used.
It should be supported by relevant
literature.
All literature should be correctly
acknowledged.

Academic writing is formal and follows

some standard conventions

Each academic discipline has its own

specialist vocabulary which you will be
expected to learn and use in your own
writing

Note: The following conventions are

general guidelines for academic writing. Be
sure to follow the specific requirements for
each assignment.

 The

substance of academic writing

must be based on solid evidence and
logical analysis, and presented as a
concise, accurate argument.

Academic

writing can allow you to

present your argument and analysis
accurately and concisely.

Aim for precision. Dont use unnecessary

words or waffle. Get straight to the point.
Make every word count.
If there is any uncertainty about a
particular point, use cautious language
(such as may, might, could,
potentially).
Unless you are a confident writer, it is best
to avoid over-long sentences and to aim
for a mixture of long and short sentences
for variation and rhythm.
Avoid repeating the same words

 When

using words that are not

technical or subject related, use
simple words in place of obscure
words that have the same meaning.
Using overly elaborate language can
make your writing seem pretentious.

 Use

technical language and words

specific to your discipline where
appropriate.

However, it is wise to avoid

convoluted phrases and terms when
writing about general information.

 Today

being fat is totally bad for your

health. About 30,000 fat people die
every year in the UK and loads more
fat people die in the USA. By 2005
more people will die of being fat than
smoking and it doesnt have to be
this way, this could easily be
prevented, couldn't it?

 The

number of deaths per year

attributable to obesity is roughly
30,000 in the UK and ten times that
in the USA, where obesity is set to
overtake smoking in 2005 as the
main preventable cause of illness
and premature death.

 Abbreviations

and contractions are

informal, and are best avoided in
academic writing. For example:
Department should be used instead
of the abbreviation dept.
yang yg.

 Can

you think of common

abbreviations in your subject area?

 This totally changed peoples lives

Why is totally there?
If its a filler it can be omitted.
If its used for emphasis, a more

appropriate word could be used, for

example significantly or
fundamentally

 What is writing in the first person?

What is impersonal writing?
Can you give an example of

impersonal writing?

 In

many academic disciplines,

writing in the first person is not
acceptable as it is believed to be too
subjective and personal. Many tutors
prefer impersonal language to be
used in assignments.

Coursework
Reports
Dissertations

Tend to present an argument

Focus on evaluating or analysing theories,
past research by other people and ideas.
Rarely include new or original research.
Are continuous pieces of prose
Are meant to be read carefully
Do not generally include
recommendations
Are mostly used in academic settings

Present information
Present data and findings that you have
collected yourself e.g. in an experiment,
survey, case study or particular
experience.
Are divided into separate sections
Their structure means they can be scanned
quickly
Often include recommendations for action.
Are typical of writing produced in the
workplace.

 Both

use formal academic style

Have

some form of introduction,

main body and a conclusion

Contain
Are

critical analysis

well structured and presented

report presents the results of an

investigation.

Reports

are highly structured forms

of writing.

 Title
Abstract/

Executive
Summary/Overview
Introduction
Background/Scene Setting
Literature Review
Method
Results/ Analysis

 Discussion.
Recommendations.
References

( using an appropriate

system)
Bibliography.
Appendices.

 Preliminaries-

Introduction

problem

The title
Acknowledgements
List of contents
List of figures/tables

- The abstract
Statement of the

 Main

body- Review of the literature

Design of the
investigation
Measurement techniques
used
Results

 Conclusion

Discussion and

conclusion
Summary of

conclusions
Extras

Bibliography
Appendices

 Please

note: many reports will

contain different or additional
features.

title is very important!

A brief summary of the entire report,

generally around 150 - 200 words.
Write the abstract after you have
written the report.

 Provide
States

a context for the report.

the purpose of the report.

Indicates

what the report will cover.

 Not

needed in a standard report- but

required for thesis/dissertation
Critical evaluation of literature on
topic or issue of study
Identify gaps in subject area

 Methodology

did.

summarises what you

Results

describes what you

discovered, observed, etc, in your
observations and experiments.

Discussion

- discusses and explains

your findings and relates them to
previous research.

 Conclusion

- sums up the main

points of the report.

Recommendations

future action..

- suggestions for

 Academic

writing is formal in style

and there are a number of
conventions to follow.
Once you have completed your first
few assignments, you should
become more familiar and confident
with this style of writing.

 Reports

are highly structured forms

of writing and differ from essays.

The

features of reports vary, but

some common features have been
introduced.

The

report writing style should be

concise and formal.

The writing process: a model

based on Coffin

1. Prewriting

To find something to write about

Understand, generate ideas
Research, read, discuss

Methods:
1. Brainstorming
2. Freewriting
3. Personal journal writing

Research the topic

Read the right
Books
Periodicals/journals
Internet

2. Planning
To clarify, focus, organize
Methods include:
1. List
2. Graphic organizers: mind map,
clustering
3. Outline view (essay plan).

Cluster diagram4

Mind maps

3. and 4. Drafting and

revision

Whatever your process, good writing

takes
Time
Work
Revisions.
Revisions can be made on the word
processor screen or on paper.
Leave time for revisions.

Summarize
Paraphrase
Synthesize
Analyze
Evaluate

Summarize

Paraphrase

Synthesize

Analyze

Evaluate

Paraphrase

To express the meaning in

other words

Summary or
Abstract

Containing the chief points or sum

or substance of a matter with
implication of brevity
(Shorter Oxford English Dictionary)

5. Peer review
Peer review is an essential part
of professional academic life.
Anonymous peer reviews are
necessary for journal publication
and some books.
Review by critical friends is
common.

6. Editing
Editing, proofreading & polishing are to
correct the surface features of the text.
1. Appearance

Formatting, fonts, footnotes, footers

2. Linguistic accuracy

Spelling, punctuation
3. Sources, references, acknowledgements

Citations correct, references complete

The paragraph is a series of

sentences developing one topic.

The topic of a paragraph is stated in one

sentence. This is called the topic sentence. It
should be specific and detailed.
The topic sentence is often found at the
beginning of the paragraph, but it can be in
other places, too.
The sentence in which the main idea is stated
is the topic sentence of that paragraph

The rest of the paragraph consists of

sentences that develop or explain the
main idea.

concluding
sentence

main
idea

Through the centuries rats have

managed to survive all our
efforts to destroy them. We have
poisoned them and trapped them.
We have fumigated, flooded, and
burned them. We have tried germ
warfare. Some rats even survived
atomic bomb tests conducted on
Entwetok atoll in the Pacific after
World War II. In spite of all our
efforts, these enemies of ours
continue to prove that they are the
most indestructible of pests.

Read the following paragraph and underline

the stated main idea. Write down in your own
words what you are able to conclude from the
information.

The rules of conduct during an examination are

clear. No books, calculators or papers are allowed in
the test room. Proctors will not allow anyone with
such items to take the test. Anyone caught cheating
will be asked to leave the room. His or her test sheet
will be taken. The incident will be reported to the
proper authority. At the end of the test period, all
materials will be returned to the proctor. Failure to
abide by these rules will result in a failing grade for
this test.

Answer:

You should have underlined the first

sentence in the paragraph - this is
the stated main idea. What can be
concluded from the information is: If
you do not follow the rules, you will
automatically fail the test. This
concluding information is found in the
last sentence.

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Every sentence in a paragraph should support

the main idea expressed in the topic sentence.

main idea
se

s ent

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Restate the topic sentence in

different words.

A concluding sentence clinches the

point made in the paragraph.

It summarizes the paragraph.

Paragraphs: A Bad Example

I live in a house in west Provo. I like the
view from our house. We have lived there
since November. We also have a car that I
like very much. We were in an accident a
few months ago. We hit a deer that was
crossing the street at night. I felt sorry for
the deer, but it cost a lot of money to repair
the car.

Paragraphs: A Good Example

My husband and I bought our first house last
November, and we love it. It is located in west Provo
near Utah Lake. Although we cannot see the lake from
our house, we do have a beautiful view of Mount
Timpanogos. Our house has three bedrooms, two
bathrooms, a living room and a family room, and a large
kitchen and dining area. We also have a large backyard
and a small garden. We are very happy to own our own
home, and I hope that we will live there for several years.

 Stick

to the point: The ideas have a

clear and logical relation to each other.
Put details or examples or incidents in
logical order.
chronological
in relation to each other
in order of importance

4
3
2
1

Transition words
chronological
order

objects in relation to
one another

in order of
importance

first

next to

however

meanwhile

in front of

furthermore

later

beside

as a result

afterwards

between

in fact

finally

behind

yet

The narrative paragraph

The persuasive paragraph.

tries to convince the audience

The descriptive paragraph

tells a story

describes something

The expository or explanatory

paragraph

gives information or explains something

 To

avoid plagiarism
To acknowledge direct quotes
To provide evidence to support
arguments
So that readers can check how much
preparation has gone into your work and
can find extra information

 These

appear in the main body of the text

to indicate the source of your information
Use in-text references whenever you
mention facts written by someone else,
or when you include someone elses ideas
Write the surname of the author and
the date of publication, in brackets e.g.
(Greaves, 2004)
Use letters after the date to distinguish
between books by the same author
published in the same year (Greaves,
2004a)

 Include

a reference at the end of a

sentence. (Greaves, 2004)
Greaves (2004) says that references can
be written in the middle of a sentence.
For direct quotes, use speech marks
and state the page number of the source
in the reference. (Greaves, 2004, p.72)
Remember that what you put in the in-text
reference must direct the reader to the
correct reference in the end list.

The end list is a list of sources that you

have either quoted directly or used
arguments from, listed in alphabetical
order by author (or editor) surname
Be consistent with formats capitals &
italics should be used in the same way
throughout
You should also include a bibliography of
items consulted but not cited in your work

1 way citing--author

Direct quote example

Cowie (1996, p. 91) argues that
socialism rejected the liberal ideals of
individualism and competition.

Paraphrase example
Cowie (1996) suggests that unlike
capitalism, socialism promotes the
good of the whole before the good of
the individual.

2 way citing--information

Direct quote example

It has been argued that socialism
rejected the liberal ideals of
individualism and competition (Cowie,
1996, p. 91).

Paraphrase example
Unlike capitalism, socialism promotes
the good of the whole before the good
of the individual (Cowie, 1996).