Academic Writing for

Scientific Researches

Lecture 1
Rhetorical Preferences
Overview

l  Language is culture. Hence, writing is culture.

l  In your native language you know the culture
expectations.
l  In a second language, however, you might have
difficulties.
l  Writer’s responsibility.
l  Credibility.
Writer’s responsibility

l  Writer is responsible for meaning.

l  If the reader does not understand the text,
the writer may not have communicated
effectively.
l  What does this mean when we write?
Writer’s responsibility

l  Question: Which one should come first, and

which last?
3 Part Organization
Linearity and Directness

l  Question: Look at the two proposed outlines

of a student paper on the topic “Effect of
Digitalization”. Which of the two outlines is
more persuasive? Why?
Linearity and Directness

l  Alternative to outline B.
Credibility: Register

l  Question: Read the following excerpt from a

student paper. Is it appropriate for academic
writing?
Credibility: Fairness

l  Question: Read the following excerpt from a

student paper. Is it appropriate for academic
writing? Why? Or why not?
Credibility: Fairness

l  Avoiding arrogance in tone: Claims that have

not been proven conclusively need to be
expressed as such.
l  Giving credit to fellow academics through
citation and referencing.
Summary

l  Language and writing are cultural.

l  Knowing cultural expectations is important,
so in a second language you might have
difficulties.
l  Remember to consider:
•  writer’s responsibility
•  credibility
 Academic Writing for
Scientific Researches

Lecture 2
Genre
Overview

l  Genre: It is the style or category that your text fits

into, and different genres have different structures
and conventions.

l  Three different genres

u  Essay
u  Report
u  Thesis
Genre

l  Which genre is appropriate for your text?

l  Which genre should you choose?
Differences between Essays,
Reports and Thesis

l  There are comparisons between each type of

writing in the areas of:
u  Purpose
u  Topic
u  Audience
u  Structure

l  Ask yourself the following questions:

Purpose

l  What is the purpose of this text?

u  To convince
u  To analyze
Topic

l  What is your topic?

u  A question
u  A case study
u  A project
u  An Original research
Audience

l  Who is your intended audience?

u  Your supervisor
u  Your colleagues
u  The public in general
Structure

l  What structure do you need to follow?

u  Format
u  Sections
u  headings
u  Length
Genres in Academic Writing
Genres in Academic Writing

l  Match each excerpt to the correct genre?

Genres in Academic Writing

l  Which sections go with which genre?

Genres in Academic Writing
 Academic Writing for
Scientific Researches

Lecture 3
Drafting
Overview
The two and a half draft method

l  First step
u  Draft Half: get the ideas and down on paper.
u  This is the most effective technique against the problem of writer's block.
u  Exercise 1: (Focused Free Writing)
1.  Take out a blank piece of paper.
2.  Write your question of the day at the top of that paper.
3.  set a timer for 10 minutes.
4.  only rule here is: don't stop writing for the entire 10 minutes.

u  This technique support the Flow state.

The two and a half draft method

l  Second step
u  First Draft: Write out the text in a logical flow of ideas.
u  Don't kill your rhythm.
u  Don't suddenly invent reasons to have writer's block at this phase.
u  Don't think at all about sentence construction, word choice, style, rhetoric,
and etc. That's going to come still later.
u  Focus on ideas.
u  Exercise 2:
1.  Highlight the important ideas or phrases from exercise 1.
2.  Turn your highlights into two or three coherent sentences that answer
your question of the day.
The two and a half draft method

l  Third step
u  Draft two: polish your text following the principles of style.
u  Pulling your ideas into a logical order.
u  At this point you think about the the most appropriate style for how to
present your ideas and also how to clean up all the incorrect syntax or
grammar that you might have, or you know misspellings or whatever else.
u  One of the main causes of writer's block is that people try to jump into this
step right away from the beginning.
Example

l  How to write Proposal?

Steps

l  Background: (5-10)
l  Problem statement: (3-5)
l  Objectives (2-3)
l  Methodology: (3-5)
l  Hypothesis: (2-3)
l  Conclusion: (3-5)
 Academic Writing for
Scientific Researches

Lecture 4
Revising
Overview

l  Academic literacy necessitates a careful attention to style and

layout of the written text due to the immense impression they
have on the overall appreciation of the audience.
u  Correct spelling
u  accurate grammar
u  Punctuation
u  Some key aspects of academic literacy

l  In order to guarantee this correctness and accuracy, students

and researchers must frequently revise, edit and proofread
their drafts for any blemishes that may deform the perfection of
the final written production
Revising

l  Revising is a large-scale checking over of the text in terms of

purpose, focus, organization of content and paragraphing.

l  To revise your final draft:

Ø  Consider global aspects of your text as the clarity of arguments.
Ø  Coherence of paragraphs.
Ø  Unity of ideas.
Ø  Consistency of purpose and appropriateness of style to content.
Revising

l  When revising, the following questions need to be considered:

Ø  Is the target audience well identified (their knowledge of the subject,

level of interest in the subject, and their attitudes toward the subject)?

Ø  Is the purpose of the text well accomplished i.e. to inform readers,

persuade them, entertain them, or call them to action?

Ø  Is the voice of the text appropriate to its audience and purpose? Or is

the tone too formal/ informal?
Ø  Are the arguments clear enough to be understood by the audience?

Ø  Is the evidence well-supported and accurate for each of my claims?

Revising

Ø  Are the arguments fairly developed in each section, chapter, or

paragraph?
Ø  Is the purpose of each paragraph clear and understood?
Ø  Are the paragraphs coherent and cohesive? Are they too long or too
short?
Ø  Does the introduction prepare the readers for the development of the
text?
Ø  Is the emphasis appropriately given to the main parts of the
arguments?
Ø  Do the transitions help readers move from one paragraph to the next?
Ø  Does the conclusion sum up the arguments and leave the readers with
the sense of closure?
Revising

l  Example:
Editing

l  Editing means checking the draft at the sentence level to

correct spelling and mechanical errors, besides checking word
choice and format.

l  The difference between the revising and editing is revising

checks the draft in its largescale, while editing makes surface-
level changes that ensures the correctness of the text.
Editing

l  It should always accompany revision to fix the following

aspects:

Ø  Sentence structure
Ø  Subject–verb and noun–pronoun agreement
Ø  Punctuation
Ø  Word choice and usage
Ø  Spelling
Editing

l  This checklist helps for better editing.

Ø  Are the sentences easy to read?
Ø  Are fragments and run-ons repaired?
Ø  Are wordy and awkward sentences eliminated?
Ø  Are the punctuation marks properly used?
Ø  Are the subjects in agreement with verbs?
Ø  Are the tense and voice suitable?
Ø  Are the modifiers well-placed?
Ø  Are the sentences grammatically appropriate? Does each sentence
make sense on its own?
Ø  Are the references appropriately quoted according to the referencing
conventions?
Editing

l  Example: