Academic Writing

Module 3

Week 3 – Q2

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Definition

A specialized form of academic writing in which a reviewer evaluates the contribution to knowledge of
scholarly works such as academic books and journal articles. This usually ranges from 250-750 words.

A critical assessment, analysis, or evaluation of a work. This involves your skills in critical
thinking and recognizing arguments. Do not equate the word “critique: to cynicism and pessimism.
This is not the same as a book report as book reports focus on describing the plot, characters or idea
of a certain work.

Structure

Introduction (around 5% of the paper)

• Title of the book/article

• Writer’s name
• Writer’s thesis statement
Summary (around 10% of the paper)

• Writer’s objective or purpose

• Methods used (if applicable)
• Major findings or claims
Review/Critique (around 75% of the paper)

• Appropriateness of methodology to support the arguments

• Theoretical soundness
• Soundness of explanation in relation to other available information and experts
• Sufficiency of explanation
• Other perspectives in explaining the concepts and ideas
• Coherence of ideas

Conclusion (around 10% of the paper)

• Overall impression of the work

• Scholarly value of the reviewed article/book
• Benefits to the intended audience
• Suggestion for future directions
Guidelines

1. Read the article or book to be reviewed carefully to get its main concept.
2. Reread it to get the arguments being presented.
3. Relate the content of the article or book to what you already know about the topic.
4. Focus on discussing how the book treats the topic. Start your sentences with phrases such as
“The book presents…” or “The author argues...”
5. Situate your review which means your analysis should be anchored on the theories presented
by the book or article writer.

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 6. Examine whether the findings are adequately supported or not.
7. Analyze the type of analysis the writer used (e.g. quantitative, qualitative, case study) and how
it supports the arguments and claims.
8. Suggest some ways on how the writer can improve his/her reasoning or explanation.
9. Compare the writer’s explanation of the topic to another expert from the same field of study.
10. Point out other conclusions or interpretations that the writer missed out. Present other ideas
that need to be examined.
11. Examine the connections between ideas and how they affect the conclusions and findings.
12. Agree or disagree with the ideas of the writer but support with an explanation.
13. Suggest some alternative methods and processes of reasoning that would result in a more
conclusive interpretation.

Definition

A type of academic writing that provides an overview of a specific topic. It surveys scholarly
work such as academic books (not textbooks), computerized databeses, conference proceedings,
dissertations/theses, empirical studies, government reports, historical records, journal articles,
monographs, and statistical handbooks.

It critically analyzes the relationship among different scholarly works and the current work. It
combines both summary and synthesis (i.e. linking different sources).

Functions

• Justifies a research question, method, or theoretical and conceptual framework

• Establishes the relevance of the topic
• Provides necessary information to better understand a specific topic or study
• Shows reviewers familiarity and mastery of the topic
• Establishes the niche of the study
• Resolves conflict among contradictory studies
Structure

INTRODUCTION

• Purpose for writing the literature review and the importance of the topic being reviewed •
Scope of the review
• Criteria used for selecting the literature
• Organizational pattern of the review
BODY

• Historical background
• Relevant theories
• Relationship between and among studies, and how each study advanced a theory
• Strengths and weaknesses of each paper
CONCLUSION

• Restatement of the main argument or thesis

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 • Main agreements and disagreements in the literature
• If stand-alone paper: conclusions, implications, and direction for future studies
• If part of a thesis or research paper: \linking of the literature review to the research
questions
• Overall perspective on the topic
Guidelines

Writing a literature review is composed of three distinct parts – literature search, evaluation and
analysis of articles, and writing the literature review – all of which are discussed below.

LITERATURE SEARCH

1. Review the documentation style (e.g. APA, MLA, Chicago) that you will adopt and be
familiar with its format in relation to writing a literature review.
2. Choose and focus on a topic that you will explain.
3. Determine the kind and number of sources you will be using.
4. Survey the available online databases (e.g. Proquest, ScienceDirect, JSTOR, or Google
Scholar) relevant to your topic.
5. Use relevant keywords when searching for scholarly documents or articles.
6. Always include landmark studies or papers (i.e. studies which had remarkably changed the
field) related to your topic.
7. Always evaluate the sources for coverage and currency. Include only those articles directly
related to your topic.

EVALUATION and ANALYSIS of ARTICLES

Once you’ve identified and obtained the articles for your review, analyze them before writing
your literature review. You may apply the following steps:

1. Skim the articles and read their abstract.

2. Group the articles and other documents according to their categories.
3. Take down notes and focus on the research questions, methodology used, major findings
and their explanations, and conclusion.
4. Summarize the details using a concept map.
5. Write a synthesis of the references you have read before writing the actual literature
review.
6. Create an outline.

WRITING the LITERATURE REVIEW

Once all the materials are ready and you have a clear outline of the ideas you want to
express, you may now start the actual writing process.

1. State clearly your thesis or main argument and be guided by it accordingly.

2. If you say that no studies have been conducted on one aspect of your topic, justify it.
3. Direct the readers to other related literature reviews that cover items which you do not
intend to cover.
4. Never treat a literature review as a series of annotated bibliography (presenting a summary
of a book or article).
5. Use headings and subheadings to classify the parts of your topic. For each topic heading,
analyze the differences among studies and look for gaps.

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 6. Use effective transitions to make your review easier to read and understand.
7. The body of the literature review can be organized thematically, methodologically, or
chronologically.
8. Use direct quotations sparingly.
9. Clarify important definitions.

Definition

This is an expanded paper that presents interpretations and analyses of a phenomenon based
on experiments and previous information so that readers can better understand it.

Parts

1. Title page – contains an informative title that describes the content of the paper, the name of
the author/s, addresses or affiliations, and date of submission
2. Abstract – contains the summary of the research findings and conclusions. It briefly presents
the context of the study, research questions or objectives, methodology, major findings,
conclusions, and sometimes implications. Its length ranges from 100 to 250 words.
3. Introduction – explains the current state of the field and identifies research gaps. It is usually
three to five paragraphs long.
4. Literature review – contains the summary and synthesis of all available sources directly related
to the study. This section ends with a paragraph that synthesizes all of the studies presented.
The length ranges from two to three pages.
Related concepts present some of the fundamental concepts needed by the readers
to better understand the study. Concepts and theories are defined, explained and
described.
Related studies are based on previously conducted studies directly related to the
paper.

5. Methodology – describes how the experiments or tests in the research were conducted. It
presents the context within which the study was conducted, the participants, the instruments
used, data gathering procedure, and the data analysis.
Instruments used – presents the tools in gathering data which may be in the form of a
questionnaire, interview, focus group discussion, survey, and tests among others.
Data gathering – presents the details on how the data were collected Data
analysis. – presents how the data were analyzed, either qualitatively or
quantitatively
The past tense is used in writing the methodology.
6. Results – factually describes the data gathered and the tables and graphs that summarize the
collected data together with the interpretations. It is expected that for each research problem
or objective, corresponding results are presented.
7. Discussion – provides an explanation of all the results in relation to the previous studies
presented in the literature review.

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 8. Conclusion – contains the restatement of the major findings, the limitations of the study, the
recommendations, and the implications.
9. References – contains the different sources used in the study.

Steps

1. Select and narrow down the topic.

2. Conduct a preliminary research by gathering the initial references.
3. Formulate the thesis statement and research questions.
4. Prepare a preliminary outline.
5. Gather additional references. Use the preliminary outline as a guide for this stage.
6. Prepare the prefinal outline.
7. Prepare your instruments, such as your questionnaire.
8. Implement the instrument and gather the data.
9. Analyze the collected data and interpret it through tables and graphs.
10. Write the methodology and results sections.
11. Write the introduction and literature review.
12. Write the discussion. Be sure to link the literature review to the discussion section.
13. Write the conclusion.
14. Prepare the reference list. Be sure to list all the items cited in the body of your paper.
15. Edit and format your paper. Observe proper mechanics.

Guidelines

1. Fifty to seventy-five percent of the paper should be devoted to results and discussion.
2. Be sure to cite all your sources whether they are paraphrased or directly quoted.
3. As with the previous types of written works, use direct quotations sparingly; paraphrase as
much as possible.
4. Strictly follow the required documentation style.
5. Topics should be relevant, interesting, current, and manageable in terms of resources, skills
needed, and time. They should not be too sensitive and too controversial.
6. Research questions should directly address the given topic or thesis statement.

Definition

This is a highly persuasive and informative document that aims to address a particular
problem or issue. It is a bid or offer to initiate a project for an individual or a group. It usually ranges
from 1,000 to 2,500 words depending on the complexity of the project being proposed.

A good project proposal specifies the following:

• Goals and objectives that the project wants to accomplish;

• Project plan that details how the set goals and objectives will be accomplished;
• Financial, human (e.g. experts, consultants), and technical (e.g. equipment and
facilities) resources useful in implementing the project; and
• Budget that specifies how much money is needed and for what purpose it will be
spent.

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Types

There are four types of project proposal which vary depending on the context of the problem
and the receiver and sender of proposals.

1. Solicited internal – The target reader is within the organization and responds to a specific
request within the organization. The problem has been identified and the decision to solve
it has been made.
2. Unsolicited internal – the target reader is within the organization but is a self-initiated
proposal that no one asked for. The problem has not been identified so no decision to
solve it has been made.
3. Solicited external – the target reader is not within the organization but responds to a
specific request from someone who is not within the company. The problem has been
identified and the decision to solve it has been made.
4. Unsolicited external – the target reader is not within the organization and is a self-initiated
proposal that no one has asked for. The problem has not been identified so no decision to
solve it has been made.

Parts

There are many parts of a project proposal, but we will focus on the simplest format.

1. Project Background
This gives an overview of what the project is about. You need to give the rationale of
the project, the reason for conducting it and the existing scenarios and realities that
justify the conduct of the project. This part of the project should convince the funding
agency that your project is worth pursuing and funding it is not a waste of money.
2. Project Objectives/Outcomes
You need to state explicitly what the project aims to achieve. The objectives should be
specific, measurable, attainable and time bound.
3. Project Methodology
Indicate in detail how you will go about the project. it includes work breakdown
or staffing, task time estimates and project deliverables. a. The Project
Approach Summary
Indicate how the project team will be organized, what development and
collaboration tools will be used, and how the plan will be updated along the way.
b. Work Breakdown and Task Time Estimates
Make a list of tasks that will be performed for this project. You may want to
include a milestone chart in this section.
c. Project Deliverables
Make a list of project “deliverables” (products, information, reports, etc) that will
be delivered to the client at the end and throughout the duration of the project. 4. Budgetary
Requirements
This is where you will indicate the financial requirement of the project.

Other parts are: Cover letter, title page, abstract, context of the proposal, personnel involved,
monitoring and evaluation, references, risk management plan, and attachments.

Guidelines in Preparing for a Project Proposal

1. Decide what the problem is and prepare a rough idea on how this problem can be addressed.

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 2. Develop or select a framework that will help you organize your ideas systematically.
3. Identify your specific activities, outputs, resources, and methodologies.
4. Build your project proposal team and appoint a project leader who is responsible for
coordinating activities and communicating with the funding agency.
5. Identify the organization (government agencies, NGO or non-governmental organizations,
private companies and foundations, and international funding agencies) that will probably fund
your project.
6. Hold an initial meeting with your team to discuss the plans in preparing the project proposal.
7. Allot sufficient time for planning.
8. Involve all the team members by assigning specific responsibilities to them.
9. Be realistic with your project proposal. Make sure that your objectives and activities are within
the given time and resources.
10. Contact the funding agency if some items and requirements are not clear to you.
11. Always put yourself in the shoes of the receiver of the project proposal.

Guidelines in Writing a Project Proposal

1. The title page must be unnumbered, but it is considered as page I; the back page of the title
page is unnumbered as well; but it is considered page ii. The abstract, which follows after the
title page, is considered page 1 and must already be numbered.
2. Do not use abbreviations in the title page.
3. Attach the curriculum vitae of the personnel who are part of the team.
4. In the project implementation section, use a Gantt chart for presenting the timeframe.
5. Write the abstract only after you have completed the report.
6. Study other successful proposals that are similar to yours.
7. Be factual but use technical terms sparingly.
8. Choose a reader-friendly format.
9. Use action words to make your proposal more dynamic.

Definition

This is a type of academic writing that presents one’s stand or viewpoint on a particular issue.
The main objective of writing a position paper is to take part in a larger debate by stating your
arguments and proposed course of action.

Parts

1. Introduction
• Uses a lead that grabs the attention of readers
• Defines the issue and provide a thorough background
• Provides a general statement of your position through a thesis statement
2. Body
• States your main arguments and provide sufficient evidence (e.g. statistics, interviews
with experts, and testimonies) for each argument.
• Provides counterarguments against possible weaknesses of your arguments

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 3. Conclusion
• Restates your position and main arguments
• Suggests a course of action
• Explains why your position is better than any other position
• Ends with a powerful closing statement (e.g. a quotation, a challenge, or a question)
Choosing an Issue

1. The issue should be debatable. You cannot take any position if the topic is not debatable.
2. The issue should be current and relevant.
3. The issue should be written in a question form and answerable by yes or no.
4. The issue should be specific and manageable.

Guidelines in Writing a Position Paper

1. Begin the writing process with an in-depth research about the issue at hand.
2. Be aware of the various positions about the issue and explain and analyze them objectively
3. Reflect on your position and identify its weaknesses.
4. Establish your credibility by citing reliable sources.
5. Present a unique way of approaching the issue.
6. Limit your position paper to two pages.
7. Analyze your target readers and align your arguments to their beliefs, needs, interests, and
motivations.
8. Summarize the other side’s counterarguments and refute them with evidence.
9. Define unfamiliar terms at first mention.
10. User an active voice as much as possible. This will make your tone dynamic and firm.
11. Arrange your evidence logically using an inductive or deductive approach.
12. Check your paper for fallacies and revise them accordingly.
13. Use ethical, logical, and emotional appeals. Ethical appeals relate to your credibility and
competence as a writer; logical appeal refers to the rational approach in developing an
argument; emotional appeals pertain to feelings evoked during arguments. Make sure to check
your appeals to ensure that they are not fallacious.

ASSESSMENT

A. Write T if the statement is true and F if it is false. Encircle the word that makes the statement
false. (10 points)
_____ 1. Direct quotation should be used as frequently as possible in a literature review.
_____ 2. The name of the author and the title of the reviewed article is placed at the end of the article
critique.
_____ 3. Survey instruments should be aligned to research questions.
_____ 4. An issue is debatable if it cannot be answered by yes or no.
_____ 5. There is only one format for a project proposal.

B. Encircle the letter of the correct answer.

1. When starting your literature review, what is the first step?

a. Identify your question. c. Review other literature reviews.
b. Find articles on your topic. d. Ask your teacher

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2. Where should you go to find the literature on your topic?
a. Google c. JSTOR
b. Google Scholar d. Library subject databases

3. How can you organize your literature review?

a. By theme or concept c. Chronologically
b. By methodology d. All of the above

4. The lit review fits into the larger research process by:
a. Demonstrating your knowledge.
b. Helping you understand a topic.
c. Allowing you to develop your own ideas.
d. All of the above.

5. Published scholarly research may include everything except:

a. Dissertations or theses c. Books
b. Journal articles d. Blogs

6. Choose the best working thesis for anorexia nervosa.

a. There are many causes of anorexia nervosa.
b. Anorexia nervosa has both emotional and social causes which work hand-in-hand.
c. Anorexia nervosa occurs most often in young women aged 13-22.
d. d. All of the above.

7. Choose the best working thesis for whole language approach.

a. The “Whole language” approach has been effective in raising the reading skills of
elementary school children and in helping the children understand the relevance of
reading to all fields of study in school.
b. The “whole language” approach has substantially helped elementary school children to
read.
c. More public schools should implement the “whole language” approach since it has
substantially helped elementary school children to read.
d. All of the above.

8. David spent two weeks researching his topic school violence and finding evidence to
support his position. Now, he is ready to report on his position that school violence should
be avoided at all costs. What type of report is he writing?
b. a. Literary Paper c. Descriptive Paper
c. Position Paper d. Argumentative Paper

9. The implementation plan for the project contains estimates of the:

a. Cost and time c. Both A and B
b. Material used d. Quality

10. A book or Article critique contains the following except:

a. Introduction c. Summary
b. Critique d. Abstract