THINKING ABOUT ACADEMIC PURPOSES

When we write, it is tantamount to know the purpose by which we write. The purpose for
a piece of writing identifies the reason you write a piece. The purpose of writing answers the
question, WHY?
In academic settings, the reasons for writing fulfill four main purposes:
 To Summarize
 To Analyze
 To Synthesize
 To Evaluate
You will encounter these four as you read anything because reading and writing
work together, your writing skills will improve as you read.
Writing often has many purposes and whenever we write, we usually focus on
one. You start asking yourself if your purpose is to entertain, inform, persuade or
demonstrate my writing ability and you can also start to think of your audience too by
asking these following questions:
1. What do I want my audience to do, think, or feel? How will they benefit from
what I will tell them?
2. What does this writing task ask me to do? Do I need to show that I have
expertise on a specific subject matter or content? Do I have an assignment that
specifically asks me to use a specific strategy or genre to compare two
concepts, perhaps, or to argue a position?
3. What are the best ways to achieve my purpose? What kind of stance should I
take? Should I write in a particular way? Do I have a choice of medium? Does
my text require any special format or design elements?
The purpose for writing will guide you through each part of the paper, helping
you make decisions about content and style. For now, identifying these purposes
by reading paragraphs will prepare you to write individual paragraphs and to build
longer assignments.

GENERAL GUIDELING IN REFERENCING

1. On referencing other people’s work.
2. On finding that your idea has already been examined by another researcher.
a. (see also Ladia, 2002)
3. On using an adapted version of someone else’s work
a. (adapted from Ladia, 2007)
b. based on Ladia, (2017) …,
c. Summarized from Ladia (2017) …
4. On citing for several authors who have published very similar information or ideas.
a. (e.g., see Ladia, 2014; Manzano, 2015; Arador, 2018)
5. On finding exactly what you want to say in the writing of another researcher.
6. On citing a source of long ago.

RESEARCH PAPER STRUCTURE

1. Title
2. Abstract
3. Introduction
4. Materials and Methods
5. Results and Discussion
 Reyes (2017) in her article “Demystifying the Journal Article” states that the result
section contains the meat of the paper.
1. Make sure that your results speak to the theoretical and empirical questions that
your paper raises.
2. Particularly for qualitative papers, organize your results analytically or
thematically.
6. Conclusion
a. Summarizing what you did in the paper, including its main findings.
b. Acknowledging the limitations of your work.
c. Proposing steps for future research that builds on what you have done in the
paper.
7. Acknowledgement
8. References
If you do fieldwork, you may have an additional “Study Site” section between the
“Introduction” and “Materials and Methods” section

SPOKEN TEXT

KEY FEATURES OF A SPOKEN TEXT (Bullock & Goggin, 2013)

1. Spoken texts need to be clearly organized so that your audience can follow what you are
saying.
2. You may need to provide cues to help your listeners follow your texts, especially
transitions that lead them from one point to next.
3. Ensure that your tone suits the occasion.
4. Remember that spoken texts have the added element of sound.
5. Many times, you want or need to use visuals.

CONSIDERING THE RHETORICAL SITUATION

1. What is your primary purpose?
2. Think about whom you will be addressing and how well you know your audience.
3. The genre of your text will affect the way you structure it.
4. Consider the attitude you want to express.

DELIVERING A SPOKEN TEXT

1. Speak clearly.
2. Pause for emphasis.
3. Avoid reading your presentation.
4. Stand up straight and look at your audience.
5. Use gestures for emphasis.
6. Practice, practice, and practice some more.

DO’S AND DON’TS IN DELIVERING A SPOKEN TEXT

DO’S
1. Use the planning time to prepare what you are going to say.
2. If you’re allowed to have a note card, write short forms in point form.
3. Use more formal language.
4. Use short, simple sentences to express your idea clearly.
5. Pause from time to time and do not speak too quickly.
6. Speak clearly and at the right volume.
7. Have your notes ready in case you forget something.
 8. Practice your presentation.
9. Make your opinions very clear.
10. Look at the people who are listening to you.

DON’TS
1. Write out the whole presentation and learn every word by heart.
2. Write out the whole presentation and read it aloud.
3. Use a very informal language.
4. Only look at your note card.
5. Use effective language for presentations.
6. Explain what your presentation is about the beginning.
7. Use expressions to order your ideas.
8. Use expressions to add more ideas from the same point of view.
9. Use words and expressions to introduce the opposite point of view.