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Academic Writing

How much do you know

about academic writing?

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Academic WritingHow much do you know about academic writing?

● The main difference between academic writing and normal writing is that academic writing:

(a) uses longer words

(b) tries to be precise and unbiased

(c) is harder to understand



● An introduction usually goes:

(a) before the conclusion

(b) before the main body

(c) before the references



● The purpose of an introduction is:

(a) to give your aims and methods

(b) to excite the reader

(c) to summarise your ideas



● An in-text citation looks like:

(a) (Manton, 2008)

(b) (Richard Manton, 2008)

(c) (Manton, R. 2008)



● Plagiarism is:

(a) a dangerous disease

(b) an academic offence

(c) an academic website



● Paragraphs always contain:

(a) six or more sentences

(b) an example

(c) a topic sentence


Academic WritingParagraph Structure

● A paragraph is a group of related sentences that discuss one main idea.

● It should be long enough to develop the idea clearly.

● It can stand by itself or it can be a part of a longer piece of writing.

● The first word is usually indented about a half inch (five spaces on a computer) from the left margin.



● What is the topic of the paragraph?● What two main points does the writer make

about the topic?● In which two sentences does the writer say

that there are two main ponts?● What examples does the writer use to support

each point?



Read the text below and divide it into a suitable number of paragraphs.

1In the light of modern journalism, the lecture “Anyone here survived the wave, speak English and got a mobile? The media and reporting disasters since the tsunami” by Glenda Cooper is of significant interest and importance. 2The problems raised and discussed in her article reflect the real state of affairs in modern journalism and the extent of the media’s self-engagement in their coverage of disasters. 3The author studies a new type of journalism, if we can call it that, citizen journalism or user-generated content (another name by which it is also known) and its interrelation with aid agencies involved.



● A paragraph ususally has a topic sentence, suporting sentences, and it may have a concluding sentence (a stand-alone paragraph).

● The topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph.



● Supporting sentences develop the topic sentence.

● The concluding sentence draws our attention to the most important points to remember and signals the end of the paragraph.

● Not all paragraphs have a concluding sentence.



Topic Sentence● The topic sentence tells us what the

paragraph is going to discuss.● It is useful to both the writer and the reader.● It is always a complete sentence with at least

a subject and a verb.● It contains both the topic and the controlling

idea.



● The controlling idea is the part of the sentence that announces the specific area which is going to be discussed.

e.g. Gold, a precious metal, is prized for

two important characteristics.



● Define the topic and the controlling idea in the following topic sentence.

● Driving on freeways requires skill and alertness.


Topic Controlling Idea


● Define the topic and the controlling idea in the following topic sentence.

The rise of the Roman empire is due

to several factors.


Topic

Controlling Idea


● Read the sentences in each group and decide which sentence is the best topic sentence.




● The controlling idea of the topic sentence should not be too ambiguous or with too many unrelated ideas.

e.g. Independent films are characterized by low production costs and provocative themes.



● It is better to break the topic sentence into two, and write two separate paragraphs.

e.g. Independent films are characterized by low production costs.

They are also characterized by provocative themes.



● Three things to remember when writing a topic sentence:

● A topic sentence is always a complete sentence with a subject and a verb.

● It should be neither too general nor too specific.

● It should not contain unrelated controlling ideas.

Academic WritingBooks to use


● Writing Academic English (4th edition) by Alice Oshima & Ann Hogue

● Successful Academic Writing by Andy Gillett, Angela Hammond, & Mary Martala

● First Steps in Academic Writing by Ann Hogue

Academic WritingHome assignment


● Writing Academic English (4th edition) by Alice Oshima & Ann Hogue

Practice 2 p.9

Practice 3 p.10● Find two paragraphs of your own choice (a

piece of a literary text and a piece of a biological text), define the topic sentence, and state the topic and the controlling idea.

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