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Introduction toAcademic Reports

Academic English for Undergraduate StudyLecture 15

Understanding what academic reports are and their elements.

This lecture and its associated materials have been produced by Mr. Kelvin Ng (MBA, Cambridge) of iAcademy for the purposes of lecturing on the above described subject and the material should be viewed in this context. The work does not constitute professional advice and no warranties are made regarding the information presented. The Author and iAcademy do not accept any liability for the consequences of any action taken as a result of the work or any recommendations made or inferred. Permission to use any of these materials must be first granted by iAcademy.

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Funny Cheating around the world

• Note: These cheating videos are for your entertainment purposes only! Play Videos.– How to cheat in exams Part 1– How to cheat in exams Part 2

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Serious Cheating around the world• Real cheating in

examinations is common in many countries. Play Videos.– 62 People Detained in

China for Selling _Gaokao_ Cheating Devices

– In Pakistan, cheating in exams was never this easy

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10132391/Riot-after-Chinese-teachers-try-to-stop-pupils-cheating.html

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10132391/Riot-after-Chinese-teachers-try-to-stop-pupils-cheating.html

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We are here to enable you to succeed, not cheat and fail in

academics and in life.

We must never become like that!

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Agenda• Review of Lecture 14• Week 15 Lecture Coverage– Essential English Skills Review 8 – The Comma, The

Apostrophe, and Quotation Marks.– Writing an Academic Report– General Academic Report Format

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Review of Lecture 14• Provide the Reference of the following book:

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Review of Lecture 14• Provide the Reference of the following website:

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Review of Lecture 14• Reference Section:• Kawasaki, G. (2004) The Art of the Start,

Portfolio Hardcover• Cohen, D. W. (2013) How the Billionaires’

Shadow Government Works [Online], Available: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-20/how-the-billionaires-shadow-government-works.html [Accessed: <date>]

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Any Questions?

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Let’s get started with Lecture 15

Introduction to Academic Reports

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In your university life, you will be writing academic reports…

lots of them.

Reality Check!

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Punctuation and Academic Referencing

• While citing sources in text, directly or indirectly, you may use punctuation such as quotation marks (“…”) and commas (,).

It is essential to use punctuation marks correctly when writing academic reports.

Let’s review the basics…

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Essential English Grammar and Sentence Construction Skills 8

The Comma, The Apostrophe, and Quotation Marks.

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The Comma (,)• The comma is used in 3 ways:• 1) To separate 3 or more items in a series.– E.g. We ordered grilled fish, stir-fried vegetables and

rice for lunch.– E.g. The letters k, j, x, z, and q are the least

frequently used letters of the alphabet.– E.g. Our tasks for the party are blowing up balloons,

setting the table, and planning the music.

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The Comma (,)• The comma is used in 3 ways:• 2) To separate any introductory fragments from

the rest of the sentence.– E.g. After taking a hot shower, Vincent fell asleep on

the sofa.– E.g. When covered with rich chocolate syrup, frozen

yoghurt is not a diet food.– E.g. As the movie credits rolled, we stretched and

headed towards the theatre exits.

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The Comma (,)• The comma is used in 3 ways:• 3) To connect 2 ideas by and, but or so.– E.g. Lee broke his leg in the accident, and his car was

badly damaged.– E.g. The forecast called for rain, but it’s a beautiful

sunny day.– E.g. My glasses broke, so I mended them with duct

tape.

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The Comma (,)• Guidelines regarding the use of the comma:– A comma marks a pause in a sentence. When you

hear a sentence being read, you can hear where the commas are. When you read a sentence aloud, pause slightly at each comma.

In general, use a comma when a comma rule applies or when a comma is needed to

help a sentence read clearly.

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Exercise – The Comma (,)• Add in the necessary comma(s) correctly into

the following sentences.– Before I turn 18 I want to learn to ski to swim to play

basketball and to play cricket.– In the middle of the night I fell out of my bed and

bruised my elbow.– Holding on to the safety bar for dear life I really

enjoyed my first roller coaster ride.– After a very filling meal I fell asleep on the couch.– I screamed “help” but no one heard me.

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Exercise – The Comma (,)• Add in the necessary comma(s) correctly into

the following sentences.– Before I turn 18, I want to learn to ski, to swim, to

play basketball, and to play cricket.– In the middle of the night, I fell out of my bed, and

bruised my elbow.– Holding on to the safety bar for dear life, I really

enjoyed my first roller coaster ride.– After a very filling meal, I fell asleep on the couch.– I screamed, “help”, but no one heard me.

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Any Questions?

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The Apostrophe (’)• The apostrophe is used in 2 ways:• 1) To replace missing letters in a contraction (a

word formed by combining 2 or more words, leaving some letters out)– E.g. I am sleepy. -> I’m sleepy.– E.g. Hank did not know the answer. ->Hank didn’t

know the answer.– E.g. They would keep the secret. -> They’d keep the

secret.

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The Apostrophe (’)• Other common contractions:

Original Phrase Contractionit + is It’s

does + not doesn’tdo + not don’tshe + will she’ll

he + is he’swe + have we’ve

could + not couldn’twill + not won’t

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The Apostrophe (’)• The apostrophe is used in 2 ways:• 2) To indicate possession of. To show that

something belongs to someone or something.– E.g. the fin of the shark -> the shark’s fin– E.g. the grades of Nina -> Nina’s grades– E.g. the cheering of the crowd -> the crowd’s

cheering

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Exercise - The Apostrophe (’)• Add in the necessary apostrophe(s) correctly

into the following sentences.– E.g. A lobsters claws are used to crush prey and then

tear it apart.– E.g. My havent seen our waitress since she gave us

the menu 20 minutes ago.– E.g. My cousins know the stores owner, a man

named Mr. Lee.– E.g. The mystery books final 10 pages were missing.– E.g. School wont be opening until noon because of

the power failure.

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Exercise - The Apostrophe (’)• Add in the necessary apostrophe(s) correctly

into the following sentences.– E.g. A lobster’s claws are used to crush prey and

then tear it apart.– E.g. My haven’t seen our waitress since she gave us

the menu 20 minutes ago.– E.g. My cousins know the store’s owner, a man

named Mr. Lee.– E.g. The mystery book’s final 10 pages were missing.– E.g. School won’t be opening until noon because of

the power failure.

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Any Questions?

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Quotation Marks (“…”)• Quotation marks are used to cite the exact

words of a speaker or writer.– E.g. The teacher said, “You must all study hard for

the examination next week.”– E.g. “I’m afraid,” the mechanic muttered to Fred,

“that your car is in need of serious repairs.”– E.g. “Our math teacher is unfair.” complained

Wands. “He assigns 5 hours of homework for each class. Does he think we have nothing else to do?”

– E.g. “We cannot solve a problem by hoping that someone else will solve it for us,” wrote psychiatrist M. Scott Peck.

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Quotation Marks (“…”)• In academic reports, quotation marks can be

used as follows:– E.g. Key causes of economic deprivation include low

income or unemployment which are often the result of “poor qualification levels and lack of basic skills” (Thake and Saubach 1993, p.18).

– E.g. “Language is subject to change, and is not caused by unnecessary sloppiness, laziness or ignorance” (Aitchison, 1981, p.67).

Source: https://ilrb.cf.ac.uk/citingreferences/tutorial/quotation2.htmlhttp://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/315/harvard_references/38/citing_quotations_harvard_style_referencing/1

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Quotation Marks (“…”)• If the quotation is more than two lines:– It is separated from the rest of the paragraph by one

free line above and below – It is indented at left and right margins – It may be in a smaller point size – It is preceded by a colon – It does not use quotation marks – The citation includes author, date and page

number(s) that the quotation was taken from.

Source: http://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/315/harvard_references/38/citing_quotations_harvard_style_referencing/1

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Quotation Marks (“…”)

Source: http://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/315/harvard_references/38/citing_quotations_harvard_style_referencing/1

One answer to this is that language has always been subject to change, just as everything else in the world is, and we should not feel that this is a bad thing. As Aitchison (1981, p.16) puts it:

Language, then, like everything else, gradually transforms itself over the centuries. There is nothing surprising in this. In a world where humans grow old, tadpoles change into frogs, and milk turns into cheese, it would be strange if language alone remained unaltered. In spite of this, large numbers of intelligent people condemn and resent language change, regarding alterations as due to unnecessary sloppiness, laziness or ignorance.

Aitchison clearly sees every change in language as neither good nor bad, but inevitable...

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Quotation Marks (“…”)• Guidelines on the use of quotation marks with

other punctuation marks.– Quoted material is separated from the rest of the

sentence by a comma.– Include the punctuation marks of what is being

quoted within the quotation marks.– A quoted sentence begins with a capital letter.

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Quotation Marks (“…”)• Guidelines on the use of quotation marks with

other punctuation marks.

Incorrect Correct“Watching golf”, complained Rosie, “is like watching grass grow”.

“Watching golf,” complained Rosie, “is like watching grass grow.”

“Aren’t you ready yet”? Dad yelled. “Hurry up, or we’re leaving without you”!

“Aren’t you ready yet?” Dad yelled. “Hurry up, or we’re leaving without you!”

The diner asked suspiciously, “is this fish fresh?”

The diner asked suspiciously, “Is this fish fresh?”

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Exercise – Punctuation Marks• Add the necessary punctuation marks:– My mother said Take some vitamin C for your cold– That movie my friend complained is full of nonstop

violence– The childrens voices sang Row row row your boat

gently down the stream– My computer screen is frozen I said to the instructor– A sign on the desk said Success is 99% perspiration– Take a lot of notes my friend warned if you want to

do well on examinations

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Exercise – Punctuation Marks• Add the necessary punctuation marks:– My mother said, “Take some vitamin C for your cold.”– “That movie,” my friend complained, “is full of

nonstop violence.”– The children’s voices sang, “Row row row your boat,

gently down the stream.”– “My computer screen is frozen.” I said to the

instructor.– A sign on the desk said, “Success is 99% perspiration.”– “Take a lot of notes,” my friend warned, “if you want

to do well on examinations.”

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Any Questions?

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You will be asked to write an academic report and will have

to apply all the English skills you have learnt so far.

Assignment 3

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Academic Writing• Academic writing, whether a report or essay, is

different from general writing:– It presents information, not an argument.– It uses formal language.– It uses chapters, numbered headings and sub-

headings so readers can quickly find what they are looking for.

– It uses short, concise paragraphs and dot-points where applicable.

– It uses facts, numbers, tables, graphs, diagrams, and pictures from credible sources.

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General Academic Report Format• A report has the following format.– 1) Title Page / Cover Page– 2) Acknowledgements– 3) Table of Contents– 4) List of Abbreviations / Glossary [Optional]– 5) Executive Summary / Abstract– 6) Introduction, Body, Conclusion– 7) References / Bibliography– 8) Appendices

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General Academic Report Format

Note: Always read the instructions in any coursework carefully. Individual module leaders may

have their own preferred format.

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1) Title Page / Cover Page• This must contain:– 1) Report Title and its purpose• E.g. Google and its impact on society• Assignment 3

– 2) Who the report is prepared for, with details• E.g. Module Title, Center Name• E.g. Academic English for Undergraduate Study, UFC01,

Merryland College Biratnagar

– 3) Who the report was prepared by, with details• E.g. Group Name, Student Names, Student IDs

– 4) Date of the submission of the report• E.g. 31 Dec 2013

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1) Title Page / Cover Page

Note: The information on the cover page must be correct and comprehensive so that your external

markers would be able to correctly identify you and award you a mark based on the work you submitted.

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2) Acknowledgements• This must contain:– Paragraphs describing anyone or any organization

that you would like to thank and how they have helped you in completing the academic report.

• Note:– Acknowledgements are part of the report and

hence, formal language and writing must be used.– Avoid writing anything that is too personal.

Note: Acknowledgements need not be many long paragraphs. A simple short paragraph will do.

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2) Acknowledgements• DO NOT WRITE THIS:– I like to thank my mother for her delicious cooking

and food that enabled me to stay up all night typing this report.

– I like to offer my love and thanks to my girlfriend for her undying encouragement and support. Xoxoxoxo.

– I like to thank my best friend for allowing me to copy some of his work for this report!

This will get you a 0 immediately!

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2) Acknowledgements• WRITE THIS:– I would like to express great appreciation to …– I would like to offer special thanks to …– Advice given by … has been a great help in …– I am grateful for the assistance given by …– Assistance provided by … was greatly appreciated.– I wish to acknowledge the help provided by … – Dr … provided me with very valuable …– I would like to thank the following companies for

their assistance with …Source: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/FYP/html/ack.htm

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2) Acknowledgements• Example:

I wish to thank various people for their contribution to this project; Mr. *** and Ms ***, for their valuable technical support on this project; Mr. *** and Ms ***, staff of *** Government Office, for their help in collecting the plant data and all the technicians who helped me in handling the instruments.

Special thanks should be given to Dr. ***, my research project supervisor for her professional guidance and valuable support and to Dr. *** for his useful and constructive recommendations on this project.

Source: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/FYP/html/ack.htm

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3) Table of Contents• This must contain:– Chapter and Sub-Chapter headings and the page

numbers they refer to.

Note: Always make sure that the chapter and sub-chapter headings correspond to those in the report.

Make sure that the page numbers are correct, especially after you made changes to the report.

Try using the Table of Contents feature in MS Word. Technology helps!

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4) List of Abbreviations / Glossary• An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word

or a phrase.• Example:– Dr: Doctor– US: The United States of America– UK: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and

Northern Ireland– IBAN: International Bank Account Number– BCP: Business Continuity Plan– CXR: Chest X-Ray

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4) List of Abbreviations / Glossary• We use abbreviations to avoid repeating long

phrases, names of people and organizations or technical and scientific terms over and over again in the report. Makes the report easier to read and less lengthy.

• This part of the academic report is optional. Only include it if you use many different abbreviations throughout your report.

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4) List of Abbreviations / Glossary• E.g. Use of abbreviations in the following

paragraph.The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and various programmes run by the United Nations (UN) that try to make the world a better place for the less fortunate.

UNICEF was created by the UN to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path. The programme believes that nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstones of human progress and that everyone working together can advance the cause of humanity.

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5) Executive Summary / Abstract• An abstract is an overview of the entire report.– Also known as a synopsis– Most research articles and academic reports have

an abstract that provides all the key information within the report.

– Should contain at least 1 key sentence about each key chapter / section of the report.

– Usually 1 paragraph long between 250 to 500 words.– It should be written last, after the key chapters of

the report are completed.

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5) Executive Summary / Abstract• An executive summary is an overview of the

entire report.– Most non-academic articles and reports have an

executive summary that provides all the key information within the report.

– Should contain at least 1 key sentence about each key chapter / section of the report.

– Usually 1 page in length, but can be longer.– It should be written last, after the key chapters of

the report are completed.

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E.g. Abstract: Hospitality and travel marketingThe accelerating push for partnership between hotels, airlines, restaurants, travel agents, and others is the central focus of this book. It has been carefully organized into five parts in line with the hospitality and travel marketing system model. Part one clearly explains marketing and its evolution in the tourism industry. It highlights the important differences between marketing services and marketing products. Part two provides a detailed description of the research and analysis techniques that are an essential first step in planning the marketing effort. Part three looks at the alternative marketing approaches available to hospitality and travel organizations. Detailed coverage of market segmentation is included, as well as an extensive review of consumer and industry trends. The concept of positioning also receives in-depth treatment. Part four discusses how each element of a marketing plan is developed and implemented. Chapters are devoted to the product services and service quality, packaging, programming, distribution channels, communications, advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, public relations and publicity, and pricing. Part five discusses the final steps in marketing planning and implementation, marketing management, control and evaluation.

Source: http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19961802902.html;jsessionid=59C32739917FFD099AEE41E695E92916

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E.g. Abstract: Marketing Report

The purpose of this report is to examine why the sales volume of Choice Chocolate has dropped over the past two years since its peak in 1998 and to recommend ways of increasing the volume.

The research draws attention to the fact that in 1998, the market share of Choice Chocolate was 37%. The shares of their key competitors such as Venus and Bradbury were 22% and 18% respectively. The size of the chocolate market then was $36 million. Over the next two years, although Choice Chocolate retained its market share the volume of sales in the whole market decreased to $29 million. Further investigations reveal that this market shrinkage coincided with an increase in health awareness amongst consumers who regard the milk and sugar ingredients in chocolate as negative; moreover, since the second half of 1999, an increasing number of rival ‘health candies’ had appeared on the market. These claimed to offer the consumers a healthy alternative. These factors appear to be the major causes of the decreased sales volume of Choice Chocolate.

… continuedSource: http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/report/4bi1.html

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E.g. Abstract: Marketing Report

Slim Choice is the latest chocolate range put forward by the R & D Department of Choice Chocolate. The report evaluates this range and concludes that it would be an ideal candidate to meet the challenge presented by the market and could satisfy the new consumer demand since it uses significantly reduced milk and sugar ingredients and is endorsed by renowned health experts. According to 97% of the 2000 subjects tested recently, it also retains the same flavour as the original range.

It is recommended:• that Choice Chocolate take immediate measures to launch and promote Slim

Choice alongside its existing product range;• that Slim Choice adopt a fresh and healthy image;• that part of the launch campaign contains product endorsement statements

by renowned health experts;• that Slim Choice be available in health food shops as well as in traditional

chocolate retail outlets

Source: http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/report/4bi1.html

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6) Introduction/Body/Conclusion• The key chapters or sections of the report.• Different reports with different purposes will

have slightly different chapters.

Note: In writing the various chapters in a report, apply all your skills in paragraph structures and

writing.

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6) Introduction/Body/Conclusion• Key Generic Academic Report Chapters– Chapter 1: Introduction– Chapter 2: Literature Review– Chapter 3: Methodology– Chapter 4: Findings– Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations

Note: Always read the instructions in any coursework carefully. Individual module leaders may

have their own preferred format.

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6) Introduction/Body/Conclusion• Key Generic Academic Report Chapters• Chapter 1: Introduction– 1) Background• The purpose of this report is to…• This report has been written because ....

– 2) Objectives• This report aims to…• The objectives of this report are to ....

– 3) Scope• This report will only deal with / investigate…• This report examines ... It does not examine ...

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6) Introduction/Body/Conclusion• Key Generic Academic Report Chapters• Chapter 2: Literature Review– A summary of all existing theory and knowledge

relevant and useful to the report topic.– Using existing theory and knowledge, the purpose of

the academic report should be justified and made clear.

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6) Introduction/Body/Conclusion• Key Generic Academic Report Chapters• Chapter 3: Methodology– Description of how the topic will be investigated.– The research and data gathering methods, tools and

sources chosen and justified. – The analytical techniques and tools that would be

used to gain insight into the data found and/or collected.

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6) Introduction/Body/Conclusion• Key Generic Academic Report Chapters• Chapter 4: Findings– A summary of the data obtained and the outcomes

of the analysis of the data.– Compare the results of investigating the report topic

with the literature review. Was it expected? Unexpected? Did the results meet purpose of the report?

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6) Introduction/Body/Conclusion• Key Generic Academic Report Chapters• Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations– A summary of the interpretations of the results

obtained and what they mean.– Identify any gaps or problems regarding the report

topic and provide detailed recommendations.– Recommendations should be detailed and can be:• Regarding the report topic and how the gap/problem

could be reduced or solved.• Regarding the methodology used in data collection and

analysis and how it could be improved.• Any thing about the report that could be improved.

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7) References / Bibliography• All sources cited or quoted in the report are

listed here in alphabetical order (according to the 1st Author’s surname) using an accepted referencing system.

Note: Unless instructed otherwise, always used the Harvard referencing system.

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8) Appendices• This section should contain all the relevant

materials that you have used in writing your report and materials that are too detailed to be included into the body of the report.

• Example:– Software source code– Sample survey forms– Transcript of interviews conducted– Results of statistical analysis of data

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Any Questions?

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Summary: Week 15 Lecture• Using the common punctuation marks: The

Comma, The Apostrophe, and Quotation Marks.• General Academic Report Format– 1) Title Page / Cover Page– 2) Acknowledgements– 3) Table of Contents– 4) List of Abbreviations / Glossary [Optional]– 5) Executive Summary / Abstract– 6) Introduction, Body, Conclusion– 7) References / Bibliography– 8) Appendices

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Summary: Week 15 Lecture• Introduction, Body, Conclusion Chapters in a

General Academic Report – Chapter 1: Introduction– Chapter 2: Literature Review– Chapter 3: Methodology– Chapter 4: Findings– Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations

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What to Expect: Week 15 Tutorial• Briefing on Assignment 3• Students will work in groups to research a given

academic topic and must find at least 10 academic resources linked to their topic online and reference them accordingly.

• Student will use the previously conducted academic research to write an essay, allowing them to put into practice their various academic writing skills.

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