Academic Writing Skills

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Academic Writing Skills

• RPW 305
• Research Paper Writing

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RPW 305- RESEARCH PAPER WRITING

• COURSE OBJECTIVES
• Students will develop their reading and writing
  skills needed for academic settings,
• advance their competence and confidence in using
  the English language form and function.
• summarize given short and long texts.
• paraphrase sentences and paragraphs.
• evaluate sources for relevance to their research
  topics.
• apply research methods,
• apply referencing rules (APA style documentation)
• Write a documented expository essay.

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RPW 305 Course Requirements

• 2 hours per week / 1 credit
• 6 hours of absence at most
• PORTFOLIO!!!
• Library Research

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RPW 305 - Grading

• MIDTERM 25
• PORTFOLIO 45
• FINAL 25
• TEACHER ASSESSMENT ORAL PERFORMANCE IN CLASS
  10

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RPW 305 - PORTFOLIO

• TASK 1 Making an outline for a research paper
  (expository essay) (5 pts)
• TASK 2 Non-documented expository essay (400-500
  words) (10 pts)
• TASK 3 Referencing, summarizing, and
  paraphrasing library and online database sources
  (at least 4 sources) (10 pts)
• TASK 4 Documented expository essay (a revised
  and integrated version of task 2 and 3) (600-800
  words) (20 pts)

ATTENTION Do not leave gathering your sources to
the last minute, choose your topic and hand in
your sources in the 3rd week.
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RPW 305 - COURSE BOOK

• Academic English Survival Skills II
• Gülcü, M., Gülen, G, Sesen, E., Tokdemir, G.
  (2011). Academic English Survival Skills II (4th
  ed.), Ankara Black Swan.
• ENG 305 Study Pack (available at the photocopy
  room)
• Both materials need to be brought to the class
  each week.

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PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT POLICY

• 1) You are required to submit at least 2 drafts
  for a task.
• 2) Both the first and final draft will be
  evaluated separately, and the total score of the
  two drafts will be divided by two. For example
• 1st draft 4 (out of 5 points)
• Final draft 5 (out of 5 points)
• Your score for the task 9/2 4,5 pts

CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE
COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
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PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT POLICY

• 3) The first drafts need to be written in class.
  If you fail to be in the class on the assigned
  portfolio day without an official written
  excuse(e.g. a health report), you will lose the
  half of the points assigned to the task as well
  and you have to write your first draft in the
  next writing lesson.
• 4) If you fail to be in the class without an
  official written excuse again in the next writing
  lesson, your score for that task will be 0.

CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE
COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
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PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT POLICY

• 5) If you have an official written excuse for
  not being in the classroom in the portfolio
  day, you write your first draft in the classroom
  in the next writing lesson. You will be able to
  continue the process without losing points.

CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE
COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
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PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT POLICY

• 6) You have to type your final drafts on a
  computer with the online document called Student
  Assignment Sheet on top of each. Your final
  draft has to be double spaced and typed in Times
  New Roman 12 point characters.

CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE
COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
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PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT POLICY

• 7) When you finish the final draft for a
  particular portfolio task, you need to submit it
  to your course instructor with the first draft of
  the task attached.
• Otherwise, you will lose the half of the points
  youve got for the first draft and your final
  draft will not be marked.

CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE
COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
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PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT POLICY

• 8) Late submission is possible only within 7 days
  but you should know that half of the points
  assigned that task is extracted from your grade.

CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE
COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
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RESEARCH

• Sources can only be obtained from printed
  library materials or online databases.
• Online databases can be accessed from Çankaya
  University Librarys website
• http//library.cankaya.edu.tr/onlinevtabani.html

CANKAYA UNIVERSITY - OFFICE OF BASIC AND ELECTIVE
COURSES- ENGLISH UNIT
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TURNITIN MEMBERSHIP
- All students need to get a turnitin membership
to upload their final tasks (TASK 4) Go to
www.turnitin.com And get a student account.
Its easy when you follow the instructions! ?
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RESEARCH TOPICS

• Engineering Departments and MCS
• Contributions of 3 Great Mathematicians to Modern
  Mathematics (3 or more)
• Sustainable (Renewable) Energy Sources
• How Technology Fosters Education
• Advances in Communication Technology

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• PSIR and ECON
• US Influence on Third World Countries
• Ways to control Inflation
• Globalization and Economy
• The Dangers-Restrictions / Benefits EU Would
  Bring Along
•  

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• MAN IE INTT
• International Economical Unions of which Turkey
  is a member
• Restrictions on International Trade
• Competition

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• Specialist Topics for IE
• Production Planning and Control Techniques for
  Performance Improvement
• Benefits of Total Quality Management
• Major Roles of Industrial Engineers in Production
  Process

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Specialist Topics for INAR

• Design Concepts
• Basic Principles of Interior Design
• The Influence of Ottoman Architecture on Turkish
  Architecture (Some masterpieces)
• Criteria for Designing Small Spaces
• Examples of Green Architecture
  / Benefits of Green Architecture

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CHECK OUR WEBSITE REGULARLY!

• rpw305.cankaya.edu.tr
• You can find all course related materials and
  announcements from ppt presentations to syllabus
  on this website.
• BECOME A REGULAR VISITOR?

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LETS START WITH THE COURSE...

• (AESS II, p. 311)

CHARACTERISTICS of FORMAL WRITING
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• Whether youre a student, teacher, or
  businessperson, academic writing skills are
  necessary in todays world.
• Essays, reports, presentations and research
  papers are just some examples of documents
  written in the academic style.

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What is academic writing?

• In brief, academic writing is 'structured
  research' written by 'scholars' for other
  scholars (with all university writers being
  'scholars' in this context).
• Academic writing is
• factual,
• objective,
• and most importantly,
• FORMAL.

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What are the characteristics of formal writing
and informal writing?

• Formal English is used mainly in
• - academic writing, and
• - business communications
• Whereas informal English is
• -casual, and
• -appropriate when communicating with friends
  and family.

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Characteristics of Formal Writing
Formal Writing Informal Writing
Distant Language -Personal pronouns are usually avoided. -Passive voice is often preferred. Personal Language -Personal Pronouns are common. -Personal feelings and views are expressed. -Active voice is often preferred.
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Characteristics of Formal Writing

• Formal Writing is ACCURATE
• -Precise evidence is presented.
• -Facts are distinguished from opinions and
  feelings.
• -Sources are carefully used and acknowledged.
• -Sentences are clear and constructed carefully.
• -Punctuation marks are accurately used.

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Characteristics of Formal Writing

• Structure and vocabulary are formal
• -Full forms are used (What have, cannot...)
• -More formal, abstract words with Latin or Greek
  origins are often preferred.

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Yet informal writing is...

• OFTEN IMPRECISE
• -A personal viewpoint is expressed.
• -Statements are not necessarily accurate.
• -Facts and opinions are not necessarily distinct.
• -Sources are used rarely and carelessly.
• -Sentences are shorter, and not so carefully
  constructed.
• -Dramatic punctuation marks (?, !, ...) are
  common.

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Characteristics of Formal Writing

• Formal writing is TENTATIVE
• -There are few definite statements.
• -Quick conclusions are avoided.

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Yet in informal writing

• Structure and vocabulary are informal
• -Short forms and contractions (Ive, hes,
  cant...) are often used.
• -Shorter, less formal language is preferred (e.g.
  phrasal verbs, compound words, idioms, slang and
  colloquial language).

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However, informal writing is ASSERTIVE

• -There are often definite statements and
  generalizations.
• -Conclusions may be drawn from insufficient
  evidence.

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Formal Writing vs. Informal Writing
Formal Writing Informal Writing
DISTANT LANGUAGE PERSONAL LANGUAGE
ACCURATE OFTEN IMPRECISE
FORMAL STRUCTURE and VOCABULARY INFORMAL STRUCTURE and VOCABULARY
TENTATIVE ASSERTIVE
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The First Draft (Study Pack p. 3-4)

• The Short Research Paper
• In an academic context, students are required to
  write essays including references to other
  sources to support their thesis statements and
  main ideas.

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The First Draft (Study Pack p. 3-4)

• To support their ideas, they need to research
  what authorities have to say about their topics
  and include relevant support from outside sources
  by
• - summarizing,
• - quoting,
• - or paraphrasing it.

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The First Draft (Study Pack p. 3-4)

• However, you should always keep in mind that no
  one elses words are as important as yours!!!
• As a writer, you use summaries, quotes, or
  paraphrases from others only to strenghten your
  own points.

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• Your instructor wants to see that you have
  researched authorities ideas and findings, and
  that you have integrated those with your own
  writing well.

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Doing Research (Study Pack p. 1-2)

• CONCRETE SUPPORT
• What is concrete support?
• It is information from outside sources, such as
• Books,
• Articles
• and Websites
• that you insert into your essay to add weight to
  your arguments and make them more convincing.

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Doing Research (Study Pack p. 1-2)

• Guidelines for Choosing a Piece of Concrete
  Support
• Carefully consider the source use well known
  newspapers and magazines you can also use
  online versions of the well known ones.

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For Websites Be extra critical and skeptical
about the credibility of documents on the Web.

• Ask yourself these questions
• What is the source? If you cannot find it, do not
  use the site.
• If you can find the source, is it trustworthy?
• i. University publications are usually
  trustwothy.
• ii. Government documents may or may not be.
• iii. Blogs, which are often free, written
  discussions of various topics, are not always
  reliable. Make sure the author is an expert in
  the field before using his or her opinions.

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• 2. In general, do not use information that is
  older than five years.
• 3. Choose a passage that directly supports your
  point.
• 4. Do not take a passage out of context.
• 5. Do not use more than two pieces of concrete
  support in one paragraph. Most of the paragragh
  should be your own words.
• 6. Do not choose a passage that is too technical
  or field specific for your reader to understand
  (Above all, you need to understand it well in the
  firt place).