23
Academic Writing for Graduate Students Tutorial 6

Fine tuning and editing

  • Upload
    hoeka1

  • View
    81

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Fine tuning and editing

Academic Writing for Graduate Students

Tutorial 6

Page 2: Fine tuning and editing

Structure of this tutorial

- Fine tuning your work

- Editing

- Academic Writing and Culture

Page 3: Fine tuning and editing

Fine-tuning

Academic Language Centre

Page 4: Fine tuning and editing

Fine-tuningThis tutorial concentrates on:-The consistency of your line of argument-The support for your claims-The logic behind your arguments-Improving clarity and flow-Writing more concise sentences

Academic Language Centre

Page 5: Fine tuning and editing

Supporting claimsEvidence that supports your claims should be:ClearAccurateRelevantCredibleSignificant

Page 6: Fine tuning and editing

Critical thinking:Make sure that you clearly distinguish between

- facts and opinions

- certainties and uncertainties

both while you are reading and when you are writing.

Academic Language Centre

Page 7: Fine tuning and editing

Logical fallacies:• Hasty generalisation (jumping to a conclusion, claim

based on too little evidence):• Commercials in favour of unhealthy food should be

forbidden,  because they lead to a consumption-oriented society and subsequently to overweight .

• Oversimplification (linking 2 events as if one caused the other directly, whereas the causes may be more complex):

• Obesity leads to people becoming depressed. • Inappropriate appeal to the reader / inappropriate

tone• Obesity costs an unnecessary amount of valuable

health care time, time  that could be better spent on curing other diseases.

Academic Language Centre

Page 8: Fine tuning and editing

Relative clauses:There are two types of relative clauses:1.Defining relative clauses, in which the information that you give is essential2.Non-defining relative clauses, in which the information that you give is extra.Compare: My sister who lives in London is a musician.My sister, who lives in London, is a musician.

Academic Language Centre

Page 9: Fine tuning and editing

Relative clauses:- Defining:By 4.30, there was only one painting

which /that hadn’t been sold. (essential, no comma)

- Non-defining:The train, which was already an hour

late, broke down again. (extra, commas used)

Academic Language Centre

Page 10: Fine tuning and editing

Being concise:Concise: short and clear, expressing what needs to be said without unnecessary words(Advanced Learners’ Dictionary)

Typical examples of unnecessary words:

• really• quite• basically• totally• completely

Academic Language Centre

Page 11: Fine tuning and editing

Editing

Academic Language Centre

Page 12: Fine tuning and editing

editingFinal check before submitting the paper:-Think of a good title-Argumentation check-Vocabulary check (formal English)-Grammar and spelling check (not everything is picked up by a computer!)-Bibliography-Consistent lay-out

Academic Language Centre

Page 13: Fine tuning and editing

Spelling checkers

- “Can we use a spelling checker?”

- Yes, however……….

Page 14: Fine tuning and editing

Candidate for a Pullet Surpriseby Mark Eckman and Jerrold H. Zar (1992)

(also known as “Ode to a spell checker”)

“I have a spelling checker.It came with my PC.It plane lee marks four my revueMiss steaks aye can knot sea…..

Page 15: Fine tuning and editing

Candidate for a Pullet Surprise (continued)

…….Eye ran this poem threw it,Your sure reel glad two no.Its vary polished inn it's weigh.My checker tolled me sew…….

Page 16: Fine tuning and editing

Candidate for a Pullet Surprise (continued)

…..A checker is a bless sing,It freeze yew lodes of thyme.It helps me right awl stiles two reed,And aides me when eye rime…………….”

Page 17: Fine tuning and editing

Style Sheet (on BB-site)

-Font and font size.-The line spacing-The margins -paragraphing-Use of page numbers-Personal details, name of tutor, word count etc.-Title, footnotes, style of referencing Bibliography.

Page 18: Fine tuning and editing

The title:Titles often contain one or more of the following elements:-a reference to the main topic-a reference to the aim of the author-a reference to the conclusion-the main topic as a question-a general statement which is then refined

Academic Language Centre

Page 19: Fine tuning and editing

nominalisationAcademic writers frequently use the noun forms of verbs; rather than focusing on the action (verb) they focus on the concept (noun).

Water hyacinths are rapidly spreading into drainage systems and are restricting the rate at which the water flows.(=verb)The rapid spread of water hyacinths into drainage systems is causing restrictions in the rate of water flows.(=noun)

Academic Language Centre

Page 20: Fine tuning and editing

Academic Writing and Culture- Paragraph Structure

- Plagiarism in a cultural context

Page 21: Fine tuning and editing

Linguistic differencesLanguages differ in:

• Vocabulary• Syntax• Grammar

These are linguistic criteria

Page 22: Fine tuning and editing

Rhetorical differences

- Sociologists and anthropologists: logic is a cultural phenomenon

- Diversity in culture leads to diversity in logic

- Logic is not a universal phenomenon- Logic is the basis of rhetoric, so

rhetoric is not universal either

Page 23: Fine tuning and editing

Rhetoric and academic writing- English: thought patterns evolved from

Platonic Aristotelian thought (ancient Greece)

- Thought patterns are linear:- Paragraph starts with a topic sentence;- Subdivisions of topic statement;- Each subdivision supported by

examples/illustrations;- Goal: to develop idea in topic statement,

then relate that to rest of essay.