Unit 5 General Introduction to Academic Writing

UnitFiveGeneralIntroductiontoAcademicWritingI.Definition•Whatisascientificpaper?•(p.44)II.Format•A.Writinginthehumanitiesandthesocialsciences•1.TheconventionalstructureofanRP(researchpaper)inthehumanities•Introduction•Makesthepurposeclear•Reviewspertinentliterature•Presentsthethesisstatement•Body•Presentsevidencetosupporttheresearchquestion(quotesfromprimarysourcessuchasliterarytexts;factsdrawnfromsecondarysourcessuchasbiographiesofauthors)•Conclusion•Summarizesresearch•Pointstoimplicationsofresearch•2.Anempirically-basedRPinsocialsciences•Introduction•Makesthepurposeclear•Reviewspertinentliteratureratherextensively•Presentstheresearchquestionorproblem•Methods•Explainsresearchproceduresandresearchtoolsused(suchassurveys,statisticaltests,etc.)•ResultsandDiscussion•Presentsresults•Explainstheresultsoftheresearch•Conclusion•Summarizesresearch•Pointstoimplicationsofresearch•B.Writinginthenaturalsciencesandengineering•1.Researchreportsbasedonlogicalargumentation:Aninvertedpyramidstructure•i.e.Generaltospecific•2.Researchreportsofexperimentalstudies:AnIMRDstructure•Introduction•Methods•Results•DiscussionIII.Requirements•A.Basicrequirements•1.clearandsimpleinorganization•2.appropriateinlanguage•B.Importantfactors•1.audience;(Practice2,page46)•2.organization;(tobecovered)•(1)General-specific•(2)problem-solution•3.Style;(formality,whichhasbeencovered)•4.flow(语气,衔接连贯是否流畅)(Practice28,29,30,31,32)•5.presentation;(外观;字体;排版)(omitted)C.organization;(frompage46)•1.General-specifictext•(1)usedfor:•a.ananswertoanexaminationquestion,•b.anopeningparagraphofanassignment,•c.abackground(scene-setting)paragraphtoananalysisordiscussion.(introductionofRP)•(2)usualbeginnings:•a.ashortdefinition,•b.anextendeddefinition,•c.acontrastivedefinition,•d.acomparativedefinition,•e.ageneralization(概述)orpurposestatement.•(3)StructureofaGStext:•Generalstatement(总)↓specificdetails(分)↓Broaderstatement(总)•(4)Practice4,step1•2.Problem-solutiontext•(1)Descriptionofasituation•(2)Identificationofaproblem•(3)Descriptionofasolution•(4)Evaluationofthesolution•Eg.Practice22onp.57D.Howtowriteshortdefinitions（frompage47）1.informaldefinition•Eg.Thesamplecontainedcretaceous(chalk-like)rock.•Aphotometricanalyzer(aninstrumentusedtoanalyzelightintensity)usesamercury-vaporlampasasource.2.Formaldefinition/sentencedefinition•Aformaldefinitioniswrittenasoneortwocompletesentencesandconsistsofthreeparts:(1)thewordtobedefined,(term)•(2)ageneralclasstowhichthewordbelongs,•(3)thecharacteristicsofthewordbeingdefinedthatdistinguishthatwordfromothermembersofthegeneralclass.•Eg.1.Asoleproprietorshipisabusinesswhichisownedandoperatedbyoneindividualforpersonalprofit.•Eg.2.Astarisacelestialbodythatshinesbyitselfandwhosesourceofenergyisnuclearfusionoccurringinitscore.•Eg.3.Annealingisametalworkingprocessinwhichamaterialissubjecttoelevatedtemperaturesforaperiodoftimetocausestructuralorelectricalchangesinitsproperties.•3.Thegrammarofdefinitions•(1)usecorrectarticles,•(2)makenecessarydeletions,(尽量使用非谓语动词而不是从句)•(3)useappropriateprepositions.Practice5,6,7onp.48-49•4.Fiveguidelinesforwritingadefinition:•(1)findtheprecisewordorphrasefortheclass:•Eg.“Amicroscopeisanobject”….islessprecisethan“Amicroscopeisaninstrument”.•(2)bemoreformal•Eg.•a.Asolarcellissomethingthatchangessunlightintoelectricity.•Asolarcellisadevicethatconvertstheenergyofsunlightintoelectricenergy.•b.Afoundationisabaseastructurecanbebuilton.•Afoundationisabaseonwhichastructurecanbebuilt.•(3)Avoidusinganyformofyourterminyourdefinition.•Eg.Erosionisaprocessduringwhichthesurfaceoftheeartherodes.•Erosionisaprocessduringwhichthesurfaceoftheearthisdegradedbytheeffectsoftheatmosphere,weather,andhumanactivity.•(4)Trytoavoidusingwhenandwhereindefinitions.•Eg.a.Pollutioniswhentheenvironmentbecomescontaminatedasaresultofhumanactivity.→•Pollutionisaformofenvironmentalcontaminationresultingfromhumanactivity.•b.Afaultiswherethereisafractureintheearth’scrustandtherockononesideofthefracturemovesinrelationtotherockontheotherside.→•Afaultisafractureintheearth’scrustinwhichtherockononesideofthefracturemovesinrelationtotherockontheotherside.•(5)Sometechnicaltermshavemorethanonemeaning.Forexample,acylinder(汽缸;滚筒印刷机)meanssomethingdifferenttoanengineerthanitdoestoanewspaperperson.Aqualifyingstatement,therefore,isincludedinadefinitionwrittenforonespecificpurpose.•Eg.Acylinderasusedinthisreportisachamberinwhichforceisexertedonthepistonofareciprocatingengine.E.Extendeddefinitions=definition+additionaldetails•Typesoftheadditionaldetails:•(1)ananalysisofcomponents.•Eg.Amicroscopeisanopticalinstrumentwithwhichtheapparentsizeofanobjectcanbeenhanced.Asimplemicroscopeconsistsofadoubleconvexlensandamagnifyingglass.Acompoundmicroscope,ontheotherhand,willcontainmorethanoneofeachoftheselenses,whicharesituatedattheendsofacylinder.•(2)examples•Pollutionisaformofenvironmentalcontaminationresultingfromhumanactivity.Somecommonformsofpollutionarewastesfromtheburningoffossilfuelsandsewagerunningintorivers.Evenlitterandexcessivenoisecanbeconsideredformsofpollution