ACADEMIC WRITING

Fereshteh Didegah
Email: fereshteh.didegah@soran.edu.iq
November 2014
Soran University, Faculty of Engineering

IS IT YOU?

Do Not Panic!

Today we will learn about

academic writing, step by step!

Academic writing is structured

What are the main parts of a research paper?
Introduction
Body
Conclusion
References

Introduction
Explains what you write
how you plan to do it

about and

Body
A series of paragraphs, 80-90%
of the
paper. Gives details/
evidence to answer the
questions
Conclusion Usually one paragraph, briefly
summarises
main ideas and
shows you have answered the
questions
References List of sources you used
style is preferred)

(Harvard

A Research Topic as an Example

Suppose that your teacher asks you to research
about:
The Impact of Facebook on Undergraduate
Students in Faculty of Engineering at Soran
University

The Introduction
The introduction guides the reader into your paper by
grabbing attention and introducing the topic.
Make sure to introduce your topic. Provide a brief
synopsis of what your topic is and also remember to
include your reference works in text.
Remember to have a concluding sentence in your
introduction.

Body Structure
Body may be consisted of:
1. Literature Review
2. Methodology
3. Results and Discussion

Literature Review
Review relevant literature to the topic
Try to point out the gaps in the literature
Conclude with a short paragraph why you are doing the
current research? Is it in-line with any previous research
work?
Mention about research questions/hypotheses you are
seeking to answer them.

Methodology
Methodology section comprises of:
Research sample and population
Research method to conduct the research
Statistical/Mathematical methods if applied

Results and Discussion

Answer the questions one by one
Discuss the results
Refer to the literature review when discussing
a result

The Conclusion
The conclusion brings together ALL of the main points of
the research.
It refers back to the results and discussion.
The conclusion leaves the reader with a final thought and
a sense of closure by resolving any ideas brought up in the
research.
#1 RULE IN ANY CONCLUSION
YOU CANNOT INTRODUCE ANYTHING NEW!

Lecturer Expectation from You

It is important to give your lecturer exactly what he/she asks

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for.
An Example:
Research
Gate

The impact
of social
Advantag
Disadvanta
es
ges

media on undergraduate students

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Proof reading
Proof reading is different from revision. Revision
focuses on the content but proof reading deals with
recognizing and correcting errors, punctuation,
capitalisation, spelling and grammar.
If your writing is in English, ask an English native
speaker to proof-read your work.
Even if it is in your mother language (Kurdish),
proof-read your work few times or ask a second
person to do it for you.

Referencing

Referencing is a standard method of

acknowledging your sources of information and
ideas that you have used in your assignment.

Unitec New Zealand

15

Why do we reference?

To acknowledge another person's intellectual work

To make it possible for your reader to locate your sources
independently
To demonstrate your knowledge of your field and make
your writing more trustworthy
To avoid being accused of 'plagiarism' (using other
people's words/ideas as if they were your own)

Unitec New Zealand

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Source of references
References can include a range of sources:
Journal articles
Books
Conference proceedings
Dissertations
Government reports and reports from other bodies
Patents
Reliable websites/weblogs

Where to find sources?

Libraries
Scholarly search engines (See Google Scholar)
Electronic databases (Science Direct, EBSCO,
ProQuest, Springer, )
Open access journals (See DOAJ)

Google Scholar

Directory of Open Access Journals

(DOAJ)
doaj.org

Most Common Referencing Styles

Harvard referencing style
Oxford referencing style
APA stands for "American Psychological Association"
MLA comes from the "Modern Language Association of America

Harvard Referencing Style

In text reference: When you summarise, refer to, or quote from an
author's work in your document, you need to acknowledge your source in
the text.
Example:
(Levitt, 2013, p. 14)
In the reference list:
If it is a book:
Levitt, P. (2013) How are we to live? Oxford: Oxford University Press.
If it is a journal article:
Levitt, P. (2013) Case study research: principles and practices.
American journal of research, 25(6), 10-20.

Plagiarism
Definition: Using someones words or ideas and
presenting them as your own (Marshall & Rowland,
1998).
There are many plagiarism software. The best used
by universities around the word is TURNITIN.

How to Prevent Plagiarism?

Quoting - use the exact words of the author(s). When

quoting you usually place the words in quotation marks
()
Paraphrasing - putting the information in your own
words

Summarising - express the main points when it is

someone else's opinion, theory or information.
When you incorporate the work of others in your writing
you must always reference your sources.

It is by writing, even more than by

speech, that you actually master your
material and extend your own
understanding.

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Good luck with your

academic writing!