Writing in the Discipline - Supplementary Lecture

Image from teche.ltc.mq.edu.au.

ACADEMIC WRITING STYLE

Research papers are written using academic writing style. Compare the difference between academic writing style and non-academic writing:

Non-academic writing: Consumers liked online shopping because it's quite convenient.

Academic writing: Convenience was cited by the consumers as the most important reason why      they prefer online shopping.

Academic writing style is embodied by the acronym FISH: Formality, Impersonality, Structure, and Hedging.

FORMALITY - the conscious use of words and expressions.

A. Use  longer, more complex words and sentences.

Informal writing: If users know how search engines work they can deal better with them.

Formal writing: An understanding of the fundamental operations of the search engine will provide improved user interface.

B. Use the formal one-word form of two-word phrasal verbs.

The week-long power outages used up/consumed the store's entire stock of batteries.

The committee was formed to look into/investigate the reports of cheating.

C. Avoid contractions and abbreviations.

* You aren't allowed to use your cell phone inside the theater.

You are not allowed to use your cell phone inside the theater.

* She had to go to work altho she wasn't OK yet.

She had to go to work although she was not well yet.

(* means 'unacceptable')

IMPERSONALITY - the distancing of oneself from one's own writing.

A. Use third-person pronouns when referring to yourself/yourselves. Instead of using words such as “I” or “we”, use “the group” or “the researchers” and call yourselves “we”.

B. Avoid using first-person pronouns (I, we) and second-person pronouns (you).

* If you don't know how to navigate through an e-commerce site, you will waste all lot of time.

If one does not know how to navigate through an e-commerce site, a lot of time will be wasted.

STRUCTURE - The use nominalization and the passive voice in writing.

A. Nominalization - The use of the noun form of the verb. (When the verb of a sentence is nominalized, it is placed in the subject and replaced by auxiliary verbs [is, are].) This can usually be achieved by using suffixes such as -tion, -ment, and -ance.

The economy did not perform well.

The performance of the economy was dismal.

B. Passive voice -  The voice of the verb where the subject is the receiver of the action.

Active: The company can use the cost savings to add value to their products.

Passive: The cost savings can be used to add value to a company's products.

HEDGING - The use of cautious language. Academic writing usually avoids absolute terms except in the conclusion.

A repeat of the terrorist attacks as massive as September 11 is just a matter of time.

It is possible that a repeat of terrorist attack such as the one on September 11 may be just a matter of time.

Examples of Hedging Devices:

Modals: Would, may, might, could.

Modal nouns: The possibility of..., the likelihood of...

Modal adverbs: Possibly, probably

Verbs: Appear, assume, indicate, seem, suggest, tend

Phrases: This indicates that..., These studies suggest that..., There might be a possibility....

 RESEARCHING IN A TRADITIONAL LIBRARY

 

1. Begin by looking for information in the card catalog. Search using the information available: the author's name (search the author cards), the title of the book (title cards), or the topic (subject cards). More modern libraries use a computer database to search for books. Take note of the call number in order to look for books. (In the Dewey Decimal Classification System, this is usually a three-digit number; in the Library of Congress Classification System, this is a two-letter code.) (Some libraries use computerized catalog systems, such as OPAC, or Online Public Access Catalog. To use these, simply type the keywords you are researching on.)

2. Look into the available materials in the library.

3. Do a general reading on the topic. Use the books in the References section or books in the Circulation section.

4. Look into more specific references, such as articles in scientific journals (when available).

5. Skim and scan the reference materials. Skimming is a quick reading of the whole material for the general idea. Scanning is looking for specific information (e.g., an entry in the dictionary or in the encyclopedia).

6. Be judicious in photocopying. Books are protected by copyright laws. Use photocopies for personal use only.

CONSIDERATIONS IN EVALUATING WEBSITES

1. Determine the credibility of the website. Research articles from university websites (e.g., University of Minnesota Raptor Center), professional organizations (e.g., Linguistics Society of the Philippines, the National Geographic Society), scientific agencies (e.g., NASA, CERN, PAGASA-DOST) and known experts in the field are usually credible. Websites that cite their sources (such as "myth-busting" websites such as Snopes) are usually credible. Personal websites (such as blogs) and freely-editable sites (e.g., Wikipedia) are usually NOT credible. Internet forums, bulletin boards, and answer sites (such as Yahoo! Answers and Google Answers) are usually NOT credible.

2. Assess the quality of writing of the website. The website should also use academic writing style.

3. Judge the objectivity of the website. Make sure that the website is free of bias. Information on products from company websites are usually biased.

4. Determine the reliability of the data. A website is said to be reliable when the information in it can also be found in other websites. A website that is alone in making a claim is usually NOT reliable.

QUOTING, PARAPHRASING, AND SUMMARIZING

QUOTATION - A reproduction of the author's exact words, including spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Quotations are used when the idea of the author(s) is so perfectly stated that paraphrasing or summarizing it would detract its power.

1. Use quotations sparingly. Do not overuse quotations. Do not quote very long passages--it is better to summarize them instead.

2. Introduce the quotation (According to Cochrane...) or place in the proper context (Cochrane states that warp-speed travel is possible:...)

3. Irrelevant parts of a quotation may be deleted by using an ellipsis (...) or marked grammatical incorrect by the word "sic" (the Latin word for 'thus'). Clarificatory material should be placed in square brackets [ ].

4. Quotations up to four lines long should be placed with quotation marks ("..."). Quotations that are longer than four lines long are placed as "displayed quotations", placed two single spaces after the introductory material  and indented 0.5 inches from the left margin.

PARAPHRASE - The restatement of an author's ideas in one's own words. It usually involves replacing unfamiliar and technical terms with simpler and more familiar terms. A paraphrase is approximately the same length as the original. Paraphrases of an author's ideas should also be cited.

SUMMARY - The condensed version of a longer text. It contains the main idea of the text and supporting details using one's own words. A summary is usually one-third the length of the original.

REFERENCE

Miranda-Plata, S., Genuino, C., Ranosa-Madrunio, M. B. Beltran-Montenegro, M. C. S., Calero, E. R.     (2007). Keys to success in academic writing. Philippines: Trailblazer Publications.

Syllabus in English 2 - Writing in the Discipline

Image from Curriki.Org

  
COURSE SYLLABUS

First Semester, School Year 2014-2015

Course Code/Course Title    :   ENGLISH 2 – WRITING IN THE DISCIPLINE

Pre-requisite                          :   ENGLISH 1

Type of Course                      :   General Education

Course Credit                        :   3 units

Course Description               :  

A course that deals with basic research and writing skills of students in their respective discipline utilizing surveys and interviews as research tools and learning and applying the principles of business correspondents.

The PCU vision/mission and CASTE values are integrated in the course.

General Objectives:

At the end of the course, the students are expected to:

1. identify and follow the standard steps in preparing, writing, and presenting a research paper;
2. acquaint themselves with the correct way of note-taking and bibliography making;
3. create an appropriate outline for the research paper;
4. conduct a field research using questionnaires or interview guides;
5. write a well-planned and –studied research paper;
6. write business letter for various business situations; and
7. have integrated the PCU and CASTE values.

COURSE OUTLINE:

Week 1

I. Introduction to the Course

A. Getting to know the instructor, the students, and the course
B. Distribution of course syllabi
C. Introduction to Writing in the Discipline

Week 2

II. Introduction to Writing

A. History of writing
B. Nature of writing

Week 3

III. Introduction to Research

A. Definition of research
B. Characteristics of research
C. Purpose of research
D. Classifications of research
E. Qualities of a researcher

Week 4

IV. Library Research

A. The concept of library research
B. Choosing a workable topic

Week 5  

C. Doing a preliminary reading and note-taking
D. Outlining
E. Writing the first draft

Week 6 - PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

Week 7

F. Revising & proofreading
G. Documentation
H. Writing the final draft

Week 8 - 11

V. Field Research

A. Introduction to field research
B. Aspects of field research
C. Tools in field research: Survey and Interview

Week 12 -  MIDTERM EXAMINATION: Presentation of Title and Statement of the Problem

Week 13

VI. Business Letter writing

A. Format of the business letter
B. Résumé-writing

Weeks 14-17

VII: Research Break and Consultation

A. Gathering of Data
B. Interpretation of Data
C. Presentation of Data

Week 18 - FINAL EXAMINATION: Research Paper Defense

Textbook/References:

Bordo, P. E. C., E. D. Mercado, M. G. Gayeta, E. S. Magtoto, L. F. Noroña. (2010). The elements of writing across the disciplines. Malabon: Jimczyville Publications.

Other books on research paper/thesis writing available at the College Library.

"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway

“A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961). It first appeared in Scribner's Magazine in 1933 and then included in Hemingway's anthology Winner Take Nothing. Just like “Hills Like White Elephants”, this story illustrates Hemingway's masterful use of dialogue (rather than plot). In this story, the dialogue is between a younger waiter and an older waiter, talking about an old man drinking outside the cafe they are working in after all the other customers had left.

Closing time in a cafe in Paris, c. 1935. (Image from Taxi-Library.Org)

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

It was very late and everyone had left the cafe except an old man who sat in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light. In the day time the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference. The two waiters inside the cafe knew that the old man was a little drunk, and while he was a good client they knew that if he became too drunk he would leave without paying, so they kept watch on him.

"Last week he tried to commit suicide," one waiter said.

"Why?"

"He was in despair."

"What about?"

"Nothing."

"How do you know it was nothing?"

"He has plenty of money."

They sat together at a table that was close against the wall near the door of the cafe and looked at the terrace where the tables were all empty except where the old man sat in the shadow of the leaves of the tree that moved slightly in the wind. A girl and a soldier went by in the street. The street light shone on the brass number on his collar. The girl wore no head covering and hurried beside him.

"The guard will pick him up," one waiter said.

"What does it matter if he gets what he's after?"

"He had better get off the street now. The guard will get him. They went by five minutes ago."

The old man sitting in the shadow rapped on his saucer with his glass. The younger waiter went over to him.

"What do you want?"

The old man looked at him. "Another brandy," he said.

"You'll be drunk," the waiter said. The old man looked at him. The waiter went away.

"He'll stay all night," he said to his colleague. "I'm sleepy now. I never get into bed before three o'clock. He should have killed himself last week."

The waiter took the brandy bottle and another saucer from the counter inside the cafe and marched out to the old man's table. He put down the saucer and poured the glass full of brandy.

"You should have killed yourself last week," he said to the deaf man. The old man motioned with his finger. "A little more," he said. The waiter poured on into the glass so that the brandy slopped over and ran down the stem into the top saucer of the pile."Thank you," the old man said. The waiter took the bottle back inside the cafe. He sat down at the table with his colleague again.

"He's drunk now," he said.

"He's drunk every night."

"What did he want to kill himself for?"

"How should I know."

"How did he do it?"

"He hung himself with a rope."

"Who cut him down?"

"His niece."

"Why did they do it?"

"Fear for his soul."

"How much money has he got?" 

"He's got plenty."

"He must be eighty years old."

"Anyway I should say he was eighty."

"I wish he would go home. I never get to bed before three o'clock. What kind of hour is that to go to bed?"

"He stays up because he likes it."

"He's lonely. I'm not lonely. I have a wife waiting in bed for me."

"He had a wife once too."

"A wife would be no good to him now."

"You can't tell. He might be better with a wife."

"His niece looks after him. You said she cut him down."

"I know." 

"I wouldn't want to be that old. An old man is a nasty thing."

"Not always. This old man is clean. He drinks without spilling. Even now, drunk. Look at him."

"I don't want to look at him. I wish he would go home. He has no regard for those who must work."

The old man looked from his glass across the square, then over at the waiters.

"Another brandy," he said, pointing to his glass. The waiter who was in a hurry came over.

"Finished," he said, speaking with that omission of syntax stupid people employ when talking to drunken people or foreigners. "No more tonight. Close now."

"Another," said the old man.

"No. Finished." The waiter wiped the edge of the table with a towel and shook his head.

The old man stood up, slowly counted the saucers, took a leather coin purse from his pocket and paid for the drinks, leaving half a peseta tip. The waiter watched him go down the street, a very old man walking unsteadily but with dignity.

"Why didn't you let him stay and drink?" the unhurried waiter asked. They were putting up the shutters. "It is not half-past two."

"I want to go home to bed."

"What is an hour?"

"More to me than to him."

"An hour is the same."

"You talk like an old man yourself. He can buy a bottle and drink at home."

"It's not the same."

"No, it is not," agreed the waiter with a wife. He did not wish to be unjust. He was only in a hurry.

"And you? You have no fear of going home before your usual hour?"

"Are you trying to insult me?"

"No, hombre, only to make a joke."

"No," the waiter who was in a hurry said, rising from pulling down the metal shutters. "I have confidence. I am all confidence."

"You have youth, confidence, and a job," the older waiter said."You have everything."

"And what do you lack?"

"Everything but work."

"You have everything I have."

"No. I have never had confidence and I am not young."

"Come on. Stop talking nonsense and lock up."

"I am of those who like to stay late at the cafe," the older waiter said.

"With all those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night."

"I want to go home and into bed."

"We are of two different kinds," the older waiter said. He was now dressed to go home. "It is not only a question of youth and confidence although those things are very beautiful. Each night I am reluctant to close up because there may be some one who needs the cafe."

"Hombre, there are bodegas open all night long."

"You do not understand. This is a clean and pleasant cafe. It is well lighted. The light is very good and also, now, there are shadows of the leaves."

"Good night," said the younger waiter.

"Good night," the other said. Turning off the electric light he continued the conversation with himself, It was the light of course but it is necessary that the place be clean and pleasant. You do not want music. Certainly you do not want music. Nor can you stand before a bar with dignity although that is all that is provided for these hours. What did he fear? It was not a fear or dread, It was a nothing that he knew too well. It was all anothing and a man was a nothing too. It was only that and light was all it needed and a certain cleanness and order. Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it all was nada y pues nada y nada y pues nada. ['Nothing for nothing and nothing for nothing'--Sir G] Our nada who art in nada, nada be thy name thy kingdom nada thy will be nada in nada as it is in nada. Give us this nada our daily nada and nada us our nada as we nada our nadas and nada us not into nada but deliver us from nada; pues nada. Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee. He smiled and stood before a bar with a shining steam pressure coffee machine.

"What's yours?" asked the barman.

"Nada."

"Otro loco mas," ['Another crazy man'--Sir G] said the barman and turned away.

"A little cup," said the waiter.

The barman poured it for him.

"The light is very bright and pleasant but the bar is unpolished," the waiter said.

The barman looked at him but did not answer. It was too late at night for conversation.

"You want another copita?" the barman asked.

"No, thank you," said the waiter and went out. He disliked bars and bodegas. A clean, well-lighted cafe was a very different thing. Now, without thinking further, he would go home to his room. He would lie in the bed and finally, with daylight, he would go to sleep. After all, he said to himself, it's probably only insomnia. Many must have it.