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Communication for Academic Purposes According to Bloom (1995), as cited in Uychoco and
Santos (2018), "middle level is somewhat less personal than
A. Characteristics of Academic Writing (Uychoco & Santos, 2018) the informal level, and while it allows the use of personal
1. Specific and Clear Language pronouns like "I" and "you", the authors personality and
Highfalutin words are not a requirement in academic personal reactions are more subdued."
writing. As the saying goes, "Pompous language obscures The writer's personality and reactions are more subdued
meaning." In order to achieve the tone and feel of an in an academic paper to allow the reader to focus on the
academic paper, one should write in the register and style of subject of the paper. In addition, emotive punctuation marks
academic writing. like exclamation points, whether single (!), or multiple (!!!), and
dramatic ellipses (…) and emoticons or emojis have no place
How can we achieve a specific and clear language in writing? in academic writing.
a. Use formal or standard English in writing. Contractions or Uychoco and Santos (2018) gave a few sets of examples
conversational shortcuts should be avoided. to analyze the correct usage of voice and balance in academic
b. Technical or specialized terms that are specific to a writing:
professional discourse community should be avoided or
used with care. Cluttered writing Tighter writing
c. Abbreviations and acronyms should be defined at first I found the Dulaang UP play The Dulaang UP play
mention. Haring Lear (King Lear) to Haring Lear (King Lear) was
d. Words or phrases that discriminate a particular group in be not just entertaining but not just entertaining but
terms of race, gender, age, social class, or disability also insightful because I felt insightful because the
should not be used in the paper. that the Tagalog translation Tagalog translation
effectively and humorously effectively and humorously
Note: For additional information about conversational conveyed the spirit of conveyed the spirit of
shortcuts and gender-sensitive language, you may refer Shakespeare's original Shakespeare's original
to "Language Register" on Pages 1-2 of 04 Handout 1 dysfunctional family. To a dysfunctional family to a
and "United Nations Development Programme's Six contemporary Filipino Filipino culture.
Principles of Gender Sensitive Communications" on audience.
Pages 3-5 of 03 Handout 1. Writer-focused Subject-focused
Our group conducted a A survey was conducted on
2. Balanced and Credible Voice survey on 100 University of 100 University of the
The writer's voice should not disappear entirely, but this the Philippines (UP) Philippines (UP) freshmen
voice should sound credible and, therefore, balanced, freshmen to find out their to find out their opinions on
objective, and not overly emotional. Many students believe opinions on the new the new academic calendar.
that using "I" in the paper is wrong, but this is not true for all academic calendar.
types of academic papers. In some disciplines, one has the
choice of writing either in using the third person point of view Table 1. Voice and Balance in Academic Writing
or in "middle level" of language.
An academic paper must be unbiased, scholarly, and
supported by evidence. In addition, the American
Psychological Association (APA) (2010), states that
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"arguments should be presented in a noncombative manner."
According to Walden University Writing Center (n.d.), there
are several things to avoid in writing an academic paper:
• Avoid making broad generalizations (e.g. always,
never).
• Avoid using over-sweeping adjectives (e.g.
outstanding, obvious).
• Avoid using adverbs (e.g. really, clearly).
• Avoid qualifiers (e.g. a little, definitely).
• Avoid emotional language (e.g. It is heartbreaking
that so many are starving).
Disclaimer: Not all academic papers should avoid
emotional language as there are studies that needs
to present the researcher's/author's experiences and
reactions.
• Avoid inflammatory language (e.g. Smith's study was
terrible, sickening, and sad).
3. Social and Cultural Relevance
In order to have an enjoyable writing experience, it is
highly encouraged that the writer chooses a topic that is
interesting and relevant for him/her. Since the academic
papers are read primarily by the members of the academic
community and secondly by some members of the local
community, topics and research areas that have social and
cultural significance should also be considered in writing.
4. Adherence to Principles of Documentation
There are different documentation formats created for
different disciplines. The American Psychological Association
(APA) emphasizes the author and the date of a piece of work,
Chicago Manual of Style is widely used for history and
economics, Vancouver style is used in medicine and science,
and Modern Language Association (MLA) is most often
applied by the arts and humanities. Writers do not have to
memorize all of these formats as there are many guides and
templates available online. Instead, what they have to grasp
is the knowledge of the basic principles of documentation to
avoid plagiarism.
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B. Different Types of Information Source
1. Academic Journals
A journal is a collection of articles usually written by
scholars in an academic or professional field. An editorial
board reviews articles to decide whether they should be
accepted. Articles in journals can cover very specific topics or
narrow fields of research (University of Fort Hare, n.d.).
2. Books
Books cover virtually any topic, fact or fiction. For
research purposes, you will probably be looking for books that
synthesize all the information on one topic to support a
particular argument or thesis. Libraries organize and store
their book collections on shelves called "stacks" (University of
Fort Hare, n.d.).
3. Electronic Resources
Electronic resources or "e-resources" refers to materials
in digital format that can be accessed through the use of the
computer. E-books, e-journals, and online databases in varied
digital formats are few examples of electronic resources.
(University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2015).
4. General Reference Materials
Reference materials are those resources that we refer to
for a definition or a fact about a topic. Dictionaries,
encyclopedias, atlas, handbooks, whether in print or
electronic format, are examples of reference materials (Edith
Cowan University, 2018).
5. Government Documents
These refer to papers issued or published by a
government body. Research data from Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA), Department of Health (DOH) and other
government department or agency, press statements from
Office of the Press Secretary, health and reports, court
rulings, and legislation, are few examples of this type of
document.
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6. Periodicals
Periodicals refer to publications that are published at
regular intervals. Examples of these are daily newspapers,
weekly or monthly magazines, and quarterly journals. Many
periodicals are written for a general audience whose readers
are not expected to have specialized knowledge or training.
We usually call these periodicals magazines.
C. Paraphrasing vs. Direct Quoting using APA Style 6th Edition
After gathering information from printed or electronic
materials, the next step is synthesizing the said information. In
order to produce a credible academic paper, a writer should have
sufficient knowledge in paraphrasing and direct quotation.
According to Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary (2018),
paraphrasing is the act of "stating something written or spoken in
different words, especially in a shorter and simpler form to make
the meaning clearer." On the other hand, Nordquist (2018) defined
direct quotation as a "report of the exact words of an author or
speaker and is placed inside quotation marks in a written work."
1. Paraphrased materials
For paraphrased materials, make reference to the
author and year of publication. APA guidelines encourage
you to also provide the page number although it is not
required.
Original:
Failure can often drive you to focus on what you can’t do
instead of focusing on what you can. That can then make
you less likely to perform at your best, which will make
you even more focused on your shortcomings, and on the
cycle goes.
From: 7 ways to practice emotional first aid by Guy
Winch, 2015, page 21
Example:
According to Winch (2015), failure blocks one's ability to
do his/her best because it drives our mind to focus on our
powerlessness instead of our capabilities (p. 21).
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2. Short quotations
For short direct quotations, make reference to the
author, year of publication, and page number for the
reference preceded by "p."
Example:
Winch (2015) found out that, "the best way to disrupt
unhealthy rumination is to distract yourself by engaging in
a task that requires concentration" (p. 50).
3. Long quotations
For long quotations (40 words or longer), place the
quoted material in a free-standing block of typewritten
lines and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a
new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin. Type the
entire quotation on the new margin, and indent the first
line of any subsequent paragraph within the quotation 1/2
inch from the new margin. Maintain double-spacing
throughout. The parenthetical citation should come after
the closing punctuation mark.
Example:
Winch's (2015) study found the following:
Failure can often drive you to focus on what you can’t
do instead of focusing on what you can. That can then
make you less likely to perform at your best, which
will make you even more focused on your
shortcomings, and on the cycle goes (p. 21).
When should we paraphrase or directly quote?
Paraphrasing is done when the wording of the source
is less important than the meaning of the source. It helps
to maintain the continuity of style in the paper and shows
the writer's mastery of source material. On the other hand,
direct quoting is done for the sake of accuracy,
conciseness, authority, and historical flavor of the
material. It should be kept in mind that quotations must be
used carefully and sparingly (University of Houston
Victoria, 2005).
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D. The APA and MLA Citation Styles As Kaimowitz, Mertens, As Kaimowitz et al.,
According to Purdue University, the APA style is most Wunder, and Pacheco report in Hamburger
commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences (e.g. (2004) report in Connection Fuels
psychology, linguistics, sociology, and criminology), business, Hamburger Connection Amazon Destruction,
and nursing. On the other hand, the MLA style is typically reserved Fuels Amazon there are three factors
for writers and students preparing manuscripts in various Destruction, there are behind the growing
humanities disciplines such as local and foreign language and three factors behind the demand for Brazilian
literature, literary criticism, comparative literature, cultural studies, growing demand for beef and the resulting
and the likes. Brazilian beef and the burning of the Amazon
resulting burning of the rain forest for pasture
Amazon rain forest for land (3).
What is an in-text citation?
pasture land.
An in-text citation is a formal reference, that is written within
the body of a work, to a published or unpublished source that the Six (6) or As Barbre et al. (1989) As Barbre et al. have
writer consulted and obtained information from while writing the more have argued, using argued, using personal
paper (University of Southern Carolina, n.d.). For every in-text authors personal narratives narratives enables
citation in your paper, there must be a corresponding entry in your enables researchers to researchers to connect
reference list. connect the individual the individual and the
and the social aspects of social aspects of the
In-text Citation Styles the study. study (287).
Citations APA MLA
Author According to Dela Cruz Dela Cruz stated that, Unknown We see so many global We see so many global
named in (2018), "Students often "Students often had author warming hotspots in warming hotspots in
the had difficulty using APA difficulty using APA style, North America likely North America likely
sentence style, especially when it especially when it was because this region has because this region has
was their first time" (p. their first time" (99). "more readily accessible "more readily accessible
99). climatic data and more climatic data and more
comprehensive comprehensive
Author "Students often had "Students often had programs to monitor and programs to monitor and
named in difficulty using APA style, difficulty using APA style, study environmental study environmental
parentheses especially when it was especially when it was change . . ." ("Impact of change . . ." ("Impact of
their first time" (Dela their first time" (Dela Global Warming," 2010, Global Warming").
Cruz, 2018, p. 99). Cruz 99). p. 11).

Two (2) to Best and Marcus (2010),
five (5) argue that one should
authors read a text for what it
says on its surface,
rather than looking for
some hidden meaning.
Best and Marcus argue Note: If there is no
that one should read a author, a shortened title
text for what it says on its of the work should be
surface, rather than used in the in-text
looking for some hidden citation.
meaning (9). Table 2. In-text citations in APA and MLA
Source:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/resources.html

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Reference List vs. Works Cited add three (3) ellipses, place of the subsequent
The "References" title is used for the source list when using then the final author. authors' names. (Note
APA style and "Works Cited" pages are generally used when that there is a period
listing sources in an MLA paper (Fleming, 2018). after "al" in "et al." Also,
note that there is never a
Citation Styles period after the "et" in "et
APA (References) MLA (Works Cited) al.").
Basic Book One Author
Format Last Name, F. M. (Year Last Name, First Name, Article in a Last Name, F. (Year, Last Name, First Name.
of publication). Title of Title of Book. City of Newspaper Month). Title of the "Title of the newspaper
work: Capital letter also Publication, Publisher, article. Title of article." Title of the
for subtitle. Location: Publication Date. newspaper, section and newspaper, Day, Month
Publisher. page no(s). Year, page no.
* The City of Publication
* For "Location," list the should only be used if Example: Example:
city and the state using the book was published Krugman, A. (2007, Krugman, Andrew. "Fear
the two-letter postal before 1900, if the May). Fear of eating. of Eating." New York
abbreviation without publisher has offices in New York Times, A1. Times, late ed., 21 May
periods (e.g. New York, more than one country, 2007, p. 1.
NY). or if the publisher is
unknown outside North Article in a Last Name, F. (Year, Author(s). "Title of
Example: America. Magazine Month). Title of the Article." Title of
Ramos, J. Q. (2018). article. Title of the Periodical, Day Month
Purposive Example: magazine, Vol. no. Year, pages.
communication. Manila: Ramos, Jeremiah, (Issue no.) Page nos.
Ilao Publishing House, Purposive Example:
Inc. Communication. Manila, Example: Poniewozik, James. "TV
Ilao Publishing House, Poniewozik, J. (2000, Makes a Too-Close
Inc., 2018. November 20). TV Call." Time, 20 Nov.
Two (2) or more authors makes a too-close call. 2000, pp. 70-71.
Last Name, F. M., Last Last Name, First Name, Time, 12(1), 70-71.
Name, F. M., & Last and First Name Last
Name, F. M. (Year of Name. Title of Book. City Government Government agency. Name of the national
publication). Title of of Publication, Publisher, document (Year). Title of the government, Name of
work: Capital letter also Publication Date. government document. the government agency
for subtitle. Location: City of publication: that serves as the
Publisher. * If there are three or Publisher. organizational author.
more authors, list only Title of the Publication.
* For eight (8) authors the first author followed Example: Publisher, Year of
and up, list the first six, by the phrase et al. Senate Committee on Publication. Number of
(Latin for "and others") in Energy and Natural Congress, Number of
Resources. (2007).

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 GE1711

Hearing on the Session, Report Publisher/Museum/Gall that houses the work of

geopolitics of oil. Number. ery. art.
Washington, DC: U.S.
Government Printing Example:
Office. United States, Congress, Example: Example:
Senate, Committee on Goya, F. (1800). The Goya, Francisco. The
Energy and Natural family of Charles IV. Family of Charles IV.
Resources. Hearing on Museo del Prado: 1800, Museo del Prado,
the Geopolitics of Oil. Madrid. Madrid.
Government Printing
Office, 2007. 110th Map or Author. (Year of Last Name, First Name.
Congress, 1st session, chart Publication). Title of the Title of Map/Chart
Senate Report 111-8. map/chart [Format]. [Format]. Place of
City of publication: publication: Publisher.
Film, DVD, Last Name, F. Title of the Film. Name of Publisher. Year of Publication.
videotape (Writer/s), Last Name, the director(s), Name of
F. (Director), & Last the performer(s), Film Example: Example:
Name, F. (Producer). studio/distributor, release Alexander, F. (1960). Alexander, Ferdinand.
(Year). Title of the film, year. Colonial Virginia [Map]. Colonial Virginia [Map].
DVD, or videotape. Chapel Hill, VA: Virginia Chapel Hill, VA: Virginia
[Medium]. Country of Example: Historical Society. Historical Society, 1960.
distribution: Distributor. Speed Racer. Directed
by Lana Wachowski and Article in an Last Name, F. (Year, Last Name, First Name.
Example: Larry Wachowski, online Month Day) Title of the "Title of the Article." Title
Wachowski, A. & performances by Emile newspaper article. Title of the of the online newspaper,
Wachowski, L. Hirsch, Nicholas Elia, online newspaper. Publication Date, <URL>
(Writers), Wachowski, Susan Sarandon, Ariel Retrieved from
A. & Wachowski, L. Winter, and John <Uniform Resource Example:
(Directors). Silver, J., Goodman, Warner Locator (URL)> Roldan, Clarissa.
Hill, G., Wachowski, A. Brothers, 2008. "Mariah throws 'I don't
& Wachowski, L. Example: know her' bomb at Demi,
(Producers). (2008). Roldan, C. (2016, Ariana." Manila Bulletin,
Speed Racer. [Motion December 20). Mariah 20 December 2016,
Picture]. United States: throws 'I don't know her' https://entertainment.mb.
Warner Bros. Pictures. bomb at Demi, Ariana. com.ph.
Manila Bulletin.
Image, Last Name, F. (Year). Last Name, First Name. Retrieved from
photograph, Title of the image, Title of the image, https://entertainment.m
work of art photograph, or work of photograph, work of art. b.com.ph
art [Type]. City of Year of composition.
publication: Name of the institution

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 GE1711

Article in an Last Name, F. (Year, Last Name, First Name. Juan, A. (2016, June 6). Juan, Arnold. "10
online Month Day). Title of the "Title of the Article." Title 10 smartphones put to Smartphones put to the
magazine article. Title of the of the online magazine, the test [Video file]. Test." YouTube, uploade
online magazine, Vol. Publication Date, URL. Retrieved from d by Unknown Patriot, 6
no. (Issue no.). Accessed Day Month https://www.youtube.co June 2016,
Retrieved from <URL> Year. m/watch?v=WXlpjSEtE www.youtube.com/watch
Ls. ?v=WXlpjSEtELs.

Table 3.Format of Entries in Reference and Works Cited

Example: Example: Source:
Bernstein, M. (2009, Bernstein, Mark. "10 https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/resources.html
May 4). 10 tips on Tips on Writing the
writing the living web. A Living Web." A List Citing Primary and Secondary Information
list apart: for people Apart: For People Who Primary Information
who make websites, Make Websites, 16 Aug. An information is considered primary if it contains the author's
10(3). Retrieved from 2002, own case study findings, experiment results, interview materials,
https://www.alistapart.c alistapart.com/article/writ or clinical observations (Walden University, n.d.).
om/article/writeliving. eliving. Accessed 4 May A primary source is cited in this manner:
2009. According to Culver (2006), learning APA "can be tough, but
like any skill, it just takes practice."
Electronic Last Name, F. (Year). Last Name, First Name.
version of a Title of the book. Title of Book. Edition, Note: It should be noted that whenever someone cites primary
print book (Edition) Retrieved from Year of Publication.
information in his/her paper, that will automatically be viewed as
<URL> Website Name. URL.
secondary information in his paper.
Accessed Day Month
Example: Year.
Mill, J. (1869). On Secondary Information
Liberty. (4th ed.). Example: In contrast, information is secondary if the author presents
Retrieved from Mill, John. On Liberty. other scholars' research, such as in a literature review. A clue for
http://www.books. 4th edition. Google finding secondary information are the phrases "according to…”
Google.com/books/onli Books. www.books. and "as cited in…"
berty4th Google.com/books/onlib A writer should only use a secondary source if he/she is
erty4th. Accessed 20 unable to find or retrieve the original source of information
May 2010. (Walden University, n.d.).
Secondary information could be cited in this manner:
Online video Last Name, F. (Year, "Title of the online According to Culver (as cited in Jones, 2009), learning APA
Month Date). Title of video." Name of website, "can be tough, but like any skill, it just takes practice" (p. 23).
the online video [Video uploaded by uploader's In addition, the mastery of APA increases an author's chance of
file]. Retrieved from username, Day Month scoring well on an assignment (Culver, as cited in Jones, 2009).
<URL> Year, URL.
Note: If secondary information are used in your paper, your paper
Example: Example: will become a tertiary source for that information.
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References: https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/apa/citations/s
Edith Cowan University. (2018, November 13). Education library econdarysources.
guide: Reference materials. Retrieved from Walden University Writing Center (n.d.). Scholarly voice: tone.
https://ecu.au.libguides.com/c.php?g=410543&p=2796758 Retrieved from
Fleming, G. (2018, June 13). Bibliography, reference list or works https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/scholarlyvoice
cited? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/bibliography- /tone.
reference-list-or-works-cited-3974528
Nordquist, R. (2018, October 1). Definition and examples of direct
quotations. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/direct-
quotation-composition-1690461
Paraphrase. (n.d.). In Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary online.
Retrieved from
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/paraphrase
?q=paraphrasing
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (n.d.). APA formatting and style
guide. Retrieved from
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_
formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_the_basics.html
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (n.d.). MLA formatting and style
guide. Retrieved from
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_
formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.ht
ml
University of Alaska Fairbanks (2015, August 19). What is a
periodical? Retrieved from https://library.uaf.edu/ls101-
periodicals.
University of Fort Hare (n.d.). Information literacy guide: types of
information sources. Retrieved from
http://ufh.za.libguides.com/c.php?g=91523&p=590868.
University of Houston Victoria (2005). Decide when to quote,
paraphrase, and summarize. Retrieved from
https://unialc.uni.edu/sites/default/files/quoteparaphrasesumm.pd
f.
University of South Carolina (n.d.). Citing sources. Retrieved from
http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/citingsources
Uychoco, M. A. & Santos, M. (2018). Communication for society:
purposive communication. Manila: Rex Book Store.
Walden University Writing Center (n.d.). Basics of secondary sources.
Retrieved from

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