Anhui University of Technology

Academic Writing

Assignment 2
MD YOUSUF ALI

ID:179065022

*Shaping Your Topic*

The main difference between academic research and other types is the conditions under which it is
carried out. Research undertaken in a class will probably emphasize the process itself. You will have to
select and limit a topic, you probably will be asking to report on your progress along the way, and you
will produce a formal document at the end of the process.

Conducting Your Research: In conducting research, as the second syllable of the word implies, you
search for information. As the first syllable implies, searching calls for repeated effort. But looking for
material is only part of your task; you also analyze, interpret, evaluate, organize, and write the result of
your search. Preparing a research paper is not as systematic as the word process suggests, but in general
you follow these steps:

1. You begin with a broad subject area and a general idea, a provisional conjecture about that
subject (a hypothesis).

2. As you read and think about your subject and consider your purpose and prospective audience,
you narrow the subject to a topic.

3. As you determine what you hope to accomplish in your paper, you reduce your original
hypothesis into a definite idea about your topic-a thesis.

4. You investigate your topic by reading books and articles and by exploring other sources of
information in search of material to support your thesis and then recording it on note cards or in
some other easily retrievable form.

5. You Organize your notes in a sensible plan.

6. You write the result of your research in an organized essay, documenting the sources of all
borrowed facts and opinions.
Making Preliminary Decisions: As you begin your research, considering some basic question about the
nature of your paper include report or argument, your purpose include to explain, analyze, persuade
and your audience may help you find a workable topic.

Narrowing Your Subject: The term subject designates a broad area of knowledge: cancer, Istanbul,
insects, football; topic denotes an aspect of a subject: melanoma, the Blue Mosque, Japanese beetles,
paying college athletes. A subject to a narrowed to a specific part of the topic; a thesis designates an
approach to the subject.

Evaluating possible topics:

1. It should be narrow enough to be developed fully

2. It should require research

3. It should be a topic that you can consider objectively

4. It should be a topic that you are curious about but not overly familiar with.

5. It should be within your scope.

Formulating A Thesis: Your Thesis is your conclusion concerning your topic, the point you want to make
about it, what you want your reader to believe about it. Your thesis determine what kind of material you
look for. Like your topic, it is subject to revision. You may discover evidence that change your original
idea, so you should regard your thesis as tentative, at least until you have completed your rough draft.

Writing a Prospectus: When you have chosen a topic and a thesis and done some exploratory reading.
Your Instructor may require that you submit a prospectus. A paragraph or two that identifies your topic,
your thesis, the kind of sources you plan to consult, the problems you anticipate, and any special aspects
of your Subject. Even if a prospectus is not required, it can be a helpful way of ensuring that you chart a
sensible course and follow it. Include a copy of your prospectus in your research log. It will help you
determine what kind of notes to take and what main ideas to use as the framework of your outline.

Considering Main Points: After you narrow your topic and formulate thesis, your brainstorming can
become more purposeful. Exploring a subject, narrowing it to a topic, formulating a viable thesis,
compiling a file of sources, and listing possible main points are not separate procedures to be completed
in sequence. Most or all of them are under way simultaneously during the early stage of the research
process.