Set A1

Course Title : English for Research Purposes

Course Code : UB00502
Syllabus Designer : Professor Dr. Jason Miin-Hwa Lim
Course Chairperson : Professor Dr. Jason Miin-Hwa Lim
Level : Undergraduate Programme
Course Duration : 14 (weeks) x 3 hours = 42 hours
Semester : Semester 2, Academic Session 2020-2021

1. Course Synopsis

This course focuses on skills required for (1) reading academic texts related to research at
tertiary level, (2) writing research reports in English, and (3) presenting oral reports based on
reviews of texts in learners’ respective disciplines. It aims to help learners attain the effective
operational proficiency (C1) level in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
Emphasis is placed on studying research-related texts such as the abstract, introduction,
method/s, results, discussion and conclusion sections of research reports and academic
journals. Contents of the texts are related to pure, applied and/or social sciences. This course
focuses on vocabulary acquisition, grammar learning, intensive reading, directed writing,
presentation and discussion that familiarize learners with research-related texts. Aspects of
grammar learnt also include skills for analyzing sentence structures in academic texts.
Exercises given in this course are related to comprehension of subject matter presented in
research papers, identification of information elements (stages/kinds of information) and
language resources commonly used in research-related texts. This course incorporates
activities that train learners to write research reports by effectively linking language choices
with their communicative functions. Course evaluation is based on two online graded
exercises, a project paper, and an academic presentation which is followed by an oral
discussion involving active interactions with the audience concerned.

2. Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs):

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:

CLO 1 prepare a research report containing the elements and resources used in academic
texts (including the Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion/Conclusion
sections by analysing kinds of information, organizing paragraphs, presenting
information in tables and/or figures, paraphrasing sentences, constructing
appropriate topic sentences, and supporting them with logically connected details)
(C3, PLO5/LOD5);
CLO 2 present a selected topic using the points extracted from academic texts (by
explaining the points selected in order to generate relevant responses, and
answering questions appropriately in relation to the presentation) (C3,
PLO5/LOD5).

Note (Peringatan):

All students are required to provide On-line Feedback on this course in week 10 of this semester.
(Semua pelajar perlu memberi Maklumbalas Kursus Secara Online pada minggu ke-10 semester ini.)

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 Set A1
3. Assessments
The assessments for this course are based on marks allotted to each of the following
components:

No. Formative/Summative Assessment Percentage

1 Online Graded Exercise 1 (Formative) 18%
2 Online Graded Exercise 2 (Formative) 18%
3 Oral Presentation and Discussion (Formative) 30%
4 Project Paper (Summative) 34%
Total 100%

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 Set A1
4. Course Contents and Schedule
Week Topic/s, Subtopic/s and Activities Sources/
Reading
Materials
1 Ice Breaking Bailey, 2018, p.
55-56;
Lecturer explains the course syllabus to the students taking ERP. Cargill &
O’Connor,
Lecturer explains the requirements for all assessment components including (i) 2009, p. 5, 7;
Online Graded Exercises 1 and 2, (ii) the oral presentation (with ensuing W & B, 2005, p.
discussion involving verbal interactions), and (iii) the project paper. 1-11
(Refer to this set
Lecturer informs students of a schedule of oral presentations. Students should of hand-outs
tell their lecturers the titles of their presentations earlier. The topic selected by containing the
each student has to be related to the field that they major in. course syllabus,
course
requirements,
Abstract: and methods of
(i) An Overview of the Abstract (pp. 184); assessment)
(ii) Information Conventions (pp. 185-190);
(iii) Language Conventions W & B, 2005, p.
- Verb Tenses in the Abstract (pp.192-194); 184-190,
(iv) Follow-up Activity 1 (Optional) 192-194.
(Lecturer helps students identify the kinds of information that can
be found in the abstract/s that they have collected. This is an Edman et al.,
exercise in which students’ answers are not to be included in the 2005, p. 308.
project paper.)
(v) Follow-up Activity 2 (Essential) Swales & Feak,
(Lecturer guides student/s in writing the abstract/s of their project 2009, p. 26
paper/s. This is part of the project paper to be submitted later.
Students may refer to part (e) of the notes concerning the abstract (Note:
of the project paper.) W & B, 2005=
Weissberg &
Buker, 2005)

2. Overall Organization of a Research Report

(i) An Overview of the Research Report (Format of a Research
Report); Bailey, 2018, p.
(ii) Information Conventions; 57;
(iii) An Example of the Experimental Reports; W & B, 2005, p.
(iv) Discussion on (a) the general organization of research report/s or 1-11;
journal articles that students have collected, and (b) some/major Cargill &
kinds of information in the articles/reports. O’Connor,
2009, p. 5, 10
(Note: In week 2, students only have to understand the general organization of
the research report without going into any detail on information and language
conventions. They only have to skim through the report quickly at this stage.)

Lecturer briefly discusses the title and instructions for the project paper.
(Instructions and requirements will be discussed in detail in subsequent weeks.)
3. The Introduction Section: Part 1
(i) An Overview of the Introduction; Bailey, 2018, p.
(ii) Information Conventions (Three suggested stages); 61-62;
(iii) Language Conventions: W&B, p. 20-21,
(a) Generic Noun Phrases; 23
(b) Specific Noun Phrases; Edman et al.,
(c) Differentiating between Generic and 2005, p. 308-310;
Specific Noun Phrases PowerPoint
(d) References and Quotations slides from
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 Set A1
(iv) Checking your literature review knowledge; Swales, 2004, p.
(v) Articles and Complex Prepositional /Noun Phrases 226-234;
(vi) Citation Patterns Feak & Swales,
2009, p. 45-46.

4. The Introduction Section: Part 2

(vii) Follow-up Activity 1 (Essential) Bailey, 2018, p.
(Lecturer helps students identify the kinds of information that can 196-198;
be found in the Introduction section/s that they have collected. W&B, p. 25-33,
This is an exercise in which students’ answers are to be included 50-57;
in the project paper.) Edman et al.,
(viii) Follow-up Activity 2 (Essential) 2005, p. 308-
(Lecturer guides students in writing the Introduction section/s of 310;
their project paper/s. This is part of the project paper to be PowerPoint
submitted later. Students may refer to part (a) of the notes slides from
concerning the Introduction section of the project paper.) Swales, 2004, p.
(ix) Citation Verb Tense and Aspect 226-234;
(x) Academic Vocabulary : Verbs Feak & Swales,
2009, p. 52-55;
Writing Sentences Containing Noun Clauses (Oshima &
(i) That-Clauses (pp. 182) Hogue, 1999, p.
(ii) Subjunctive Noun Clauses (pp. 183) 182 & 183)

5. The Method Section: Part 1

(i) An Overview of the Method Section; Bailey, 2018, p.
(ii) Information Conventions (Six Suggested Stages); 148-149;
(iii) Language Conventions: W&B, p. 90-98
(a) Choosing Verb Tense and Voice in Procedural Description/s; Lim, 2006, p.
(b) Choosing the Appropriate Verb Voice – Active or Passive; 287;
(c) Transformation; Edman et al.,
(d) Using Short Passive Forms to Describe Procedure. 2005, p. 310-
311;
Cargill &
O’Connor,
2009, p. 37-40

6. The Method Section: Part 2

(iv) Follow-up Activity 1 (Optional)
(Lecturer helps students identify the kinds of information that can Bailey, 2018, p.
be found in the Method section/s that they have collected. This is 149;
an exercise in which students’ answers are not to be included in W&B, p. 90-98,
the project paper.) 101-107;
(v) Follow-up Activity 2 (Essential) Edman et al.,
(Lecturer guides students in writing the Method section/s of their 2005, p. 310-
project paper/s. This is part of the project paper to be submitted 311.
later. Students may refer to part (a) of the notes concerning the
Method section of the project paper.)

7. The Results Section: Part 1 Bailey, 2018, p.

(i) An Overview of the Results Section; 139-140;
(ii) Information Conventions (Four Suggested Stages); W&B, p. 136-
(iii) Language Conventions: 143, 145-152;
(a) Choosing Verb Tense for Results; Edman et al.,
(b) Presenting Different Types of Findings. 2005, p. 311-
313;
Cargill &
O’Connor,
2009, p. 32

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 Set A1
8. The Results Section: Part 2
(iv) Follow-up Activity 1 (Optional) Bailey, 2018, p.
(Lecturer helps students identify the kinds of information that can 141-142,
be found in the Results section/s that they have collected. This is W&B, p. 136-
an exercise in which students’ answers are not to be included in 141, 144, 147-
the project paper.) 152;
(v) Follow-up Activity 2 (Essential) Edman et al.,
(Lecturer guides students in writing the Results section/s of their 2005, p. 311-
project paper/s. This is the part of the project paper to be 313;
submitted later. Students may refer to part (c) of the notes (Oshima &
concerning the Results section of the project paper.) Hogue, 1999, p.
196-200)
Writing Sentences with Adverbial Clauses
(i) Time Clauses (pp. 196-197);
(ii) Place Clauses (pp. 197-198);
(iii) Manner, Distance, and Frequency Clauses (pp. 198-199);
(iv) Reason Clauses (pp. 199-200)

(Online Graded Exercise 1:

Students will be assessed on the topics and skills covered in
Weeks 1-7. The assessment will take only one hour and fifty
minutes.)
9. The Discussion Section: Part 1
(i) An Overview of the Discussion Section; Bailey, 2018, p.
(ii) Information Conventions (11 Suggested Stages); 170;
(iii) Language Conventions: W&B, p. 160-
(a) Complex Structure in Discussion Statements; 164, 168-176;
(b) Verb Tenses in Discussion Statements; Edman et al.,
(c) Expressions Indicating the Researcher’s Position; 2005, p. 313-
(d) Time Markers 315;
(Oshima &
Writing Sentences with Adverbial Clauses Hogue, 1999, p.
(v) Result Clauses (pp. 199-200); 200-204)
(vi) Purpose Clauses (pp. 201-202);
(vii) Concession/Concessive Clauses (pp. 202-203);
(viii) Contrast Adverbial Clauses (pp. 203-204).
10. The Discussion Section: Part 2
(iii) Follow-up Activity 1 (Optional)
(Lecturer helps students identify the kinds of information that can Bailey, 2018, p.
be found in the Discussion section/s that they have collected. This 171-172;
is an exercise in which students’ answers are not to be included in W&B, p. 169-
the project paper.) 176.
(iv) Follow-up Activity 2 (Essential)
(Lecturer guides students in writing the Discussion section/s of Edman et al.,
their project paper/s. This is part of the project paper to be 2005, p. 313-
submitted later. Students may refer to part (d) of the notes 315.
concerning the Discussion section of the project paper.)

Writing Sentences Containing Relative Clauses Oshima &

(i) Relative Clauses with Phrases of Quantity and Quality (pp. 222- Hogue, 1999, p.
223); 222-225
(ii) Adverbial Relative Clauses (pp. 223-225).

11. Preparing for an Oral Presentation

(i) Types of Presentation; Zanders &
(ii) Written Versus Oral Discourse; MacLeod, 2010,
(iii) Preparing a Presentation: p. xi, 1-3, 6-11,
(a) Analysing the Context; 18-37, 42-43,
(b) Deciding on the Content; 50-51.
(c) Organizing the Text;
(d) Selecting the Appropriate Style;
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 Set A1
(e) Designing the Visuals and/or Hand-outs;
(iv) Making the Presentation:
(a) Rehearsal;
(b) Vocalization;
(c) Eye Contact;
(d) Body Language
(e) Visuals.

Lecturer continues to discuss problems/mistakes in students’ drafts (of

their project papers), and suggests ways of (or strategies for) improving on
their papers in terms of (i) the content (subject matter and kinds of information)
and organization, (ii) sentence structures, grammaticality, and word choice,
and (iii) tables/figures, citations, and referencing format/s.

12. Writing Sentences Containing Participial Phrases

(i) Participial Phrases – Active Voice (pp. 233-234) Oshima &
(ii) Participial Phrases – Passive Voice (pp. 234) Hogue, 1999, p.
(iii) Participial Phrases – The Perfect Forms (pp. 236) 233-238.
(iv) Participial Phrases – Mixed Forms (pp. 236-238)

(Online Graded Exercise 2:

Students will be assessed on the topics and skills covered in Weeks 8-12. The
assessment will take only one hour and fifty minutes.)

13. Oral Presentation and Discussion: Part 1

Lecturer guides students in individual oral presentations and discussion. Zanders &
MacLeod, 2010,
[Students submit drafts of their project papers (for comments). p. xi, 1-3, 6-11,
Lecturer discusses problems/mistakes in students’ drafts (of their project 18-37, 42-43,
papers), and suggests ways of (or strategies for) improving on their papers in 50-51
terms of (i) the content (subject matter and kinds of information) and
organization, (ii) sentence structures, grammaticality, and word choice, and (iii)
tables/figures, citations, and referencing format/s.]

14. Revising the Project Paper and ‘Presentation with Discussion: Part 2’

Revising the Project Paper:

(i) Some students are asked to resubmit their project papers (for final Zanders &
evaluation). MacLeod, 2010,
(ii) Revision: Lecturer continues to discuss problems/mistakes in students’ p. xi, 1-3, 6-11,
drafts (of their project papers), and suggests ways of (or strategies for) 18-37, 42-43,
improving on their papers in terms of (i) the content (subject matter 50-51
and kinds of information) and organization, (ii) sentence structures,
grammaticality, and word choice, and (iii) tables/figures, citations, and
referencing format/s.

Presentation and Discussion: Part 2

Lecturer guides students in individual oral presentations and discussion.

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 Set A1
5. References
The parts which should be covered for the project paper, online graded exercises,
and ‘presentation and discussion’ are given as follows:

Book/Article Pages to be
covered/remark(s)
Zanders, E., & MacLeod, L. (2010). Presentation Skills for Scientists: A (xi, 1-3, 6-11, 18-37, 42-43,
Practical Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 50-51)

Bailey, S. (2018). Academic Writing: A Handbook for International 55-57, 61-62, 139-142,148-
Students (5th ed.) New York: Routledge. 149, 170-172, 196-198

Cargill, M., & O’Connor, P. (2009). Writing Scientific Research Articles: 5-7, 10, 37-40
Strategy and Steps. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Oshima, A., & Hogue, A. (1999). Writing Academic English. New York: (178-183, 194-204, 209-210,
Addison Wesley Longman. 222-226, and 230-238)
Edman, J.L., Yates A., Aruguete, M.S., & DeBord, K.A. (2005). 308-317 (This is a sample
Negative emotion and disordered eating among obese college students’. article containing the four
Eating Behaviors, 6(4), 308-317. sections to be studied.)
Swales, John M. (2004). Research Genres: Exploration and 226-234
Applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Weissberg, R., & Buker, S. (2005). Writing up Research: Experimental (See the course schedule.)
Research Report Writing for Students of English. Selangor: Prentice Hall
Regents.
Bovee, C.L., & Thill, J.V. (2014). Business Communication Today (12th (additional reference)
ed.). Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education.

Crichton, G.E., Elias, M.F., & Alkerwi, A. (2016). Chocolate intake is (additional reference)
associated with better cognitive function: The Maine-Syracuse
Longitudinal Study. Appetite, 100, 126-132.

Yang, M., & Gabrielsson, P. (2017). Entrepreneurial marketing of (additional reference)

international high-tech business-to-business new ventures: A decision-
making process perspective. Industrial Marketing Management, 64, 1-
14.

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6. List of Vocabulary Items for ERP
You need not learn the technical items (technical words/phrases) found in the
teaching/learning materials. These technical items are used only in certain disciplines
or fields, and you will not be tested on them in the online graded exercises 1 and 2.

In the online graded exercises, you may be asked to state or give the meanings of
words and phrases which are frequently used in academic texts, regardless of
disciplines. Apart from nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions and
conjunctions which are commonly used in academic texts, you are required to learn
the phrases (including tenses and verb forms) or combinations of words found in the
teaching materials.

Questions on (1) synonyms, (2) meanings of words/phrases, and (3) the use of
correct forms may also be asked (as objective questions). (The use of tenses and
verb forms will be included but the rules concerned are not listed in the following
table.) The words, phrases and combinations of words that should be learnt in this
semester are listed as follows:

Page/s Examples of words/phrases to focus on

Weissberg Intermediate, assumption, designated, remaining, demographic,

& Buker, orientation, consecutive, treatment groups, have been in place, so forth,
2005, pp. segment, in-service, developed, yielded, established, worth, variance,
5-10 null hypothesis, post hoc, homogeneity, varied, somewhat, constant,
ranged from…to, isolate, occurred, utilized, confounding, etc,
Weissberg Integration, available, innumerable, purchased, phenomenal, drill,
& Buker, simulation, superior, ascertain, variety, investment, agricultural, etc.
2005, pp.
21-22
Weissberg Require, rapid, pertinent, attempt, misleading, delivery, relevant, display,
& Buker, variety, strategies, patterns, novice, offensive, portions, terminal, phase,
2005, p. existence, prior to, etc.
23
Weissberg Expenditure, efficient, manufacture, preliminary, indicates, distortion,
& Buker, etc.
2005, p.
33
Weissberg Comprised, selected, accept, threshold, insured, on the basis of,
& Buker, criterion, employed, version, permits, assessment, spontaneous,
2005, p. demonstrated, significant, subsequent, administered, response,
91 corresponded to, differences, etc.
Weissberg Began, ended, community, captured, immobilized, were located,
& Buker, emitted, were determined, could not be administered, independent, etc.
2005, p.
93
Weissberg Displays, performed, significantly, in terms of, attained, amount,
& Buker, exposure, effect, appears, intensity, approximately, results in,
2005, p. substantial, etc.
137
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 Set A1
Weissberg Had been administered, immediate, delayed, in comparison with, was
& Buker, associated with, inactive, entirely, etc.
2005, p.
139
Weissberg Were examined, were isolated, tolerate, adverse, environmental changes,
& Buker, might be expected, etc.
2005, pp.
140-141
Weissberg Infer, compared with, go against, demands, entirely, interpretations,
& Buker, approach, construct, etc.
2005, p.
161
Weissberg Satisfaction, implementation, lend support for, reliance, beneficial,
& Buker, intervention, favourable, reinforcement, aid, acceptance, etc.
2005, p.
163
Weissberg Especially, was largely attributed to, aggressiveness, arrogance, features,
& Buker, was dealing with, regardless of, are influenced by shortcomings, etc.
2005, p.
169
Weissberg Recognized, displayed, advanced, reliable, determine, imperfect,
& Buker, composing, participants, isolated, consecutive, limited, unlimited,
2005, p. indicated, basis, etc.
185
Weissberg understandability, was calculated, were found, equitable, is to be
& Buker, maintained, disparity, etc.
2005, p.
188
Edman et Examined, discomfort, correlated with, numerous,
al., 2005,
pp. 308- obesity, well adjusted, seeking, obese, are more likely to, depression,
317 adolescence, are often associated with, overate, employ, strategies,

dissatisfied with, concerning, perceived, overweight, underweight, has been

linked to, previous studies, are at a higher risk for,

especially, states, longitudinal, neutral, hostility, impact, conflicting, in

response to, anxiety,

consumption, socialization, suppress, displacement, have difficulty identifying

and expressing, was observed, traits, impulsive temperaments, tendency,
tended to, tended to avoid,

association between ... and, loathing, symptoms,

were selected, based on, volunteered, participate in, received extra credit for,
approximately, anonymous,

administered to, correlate with, were combined,

consisted of, slender, resemble, were computed, based on, discrepancy, has
been found to be, appropriate,
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 Set A1

subset, preoccupation with, pathological,

open ended question, concerning, addressed,

was supported, were conducted,

simultaneous, determine, predictor variable, accounted for, significant

predictors,

reported higher…frequency than, nearly all, almost, were categorized as, are
consistent with, at higher risk of,

a negative association between…and, suggests,

scored higher than, have a negative perception of, the best predictor of, may be
an indicator of, has been found to be associated with, taps into, internal
constructs, performs up to…expectation,

were highly influenced by, may not be the result of, do support the suggestion
of, therapy, reduce,

in contrast to, may be more important risk factors of, while, dieting, so normal
… that,

limitations to, data are based on, accurate, may not generalize to, additional
research, cross-sectional, overtime,

as demonstrated by, the only variable to predict, important variables in

explaining, etc.

7. Please take note that even though the contents of some texts are related to a particular
discipline in pure, applied or social sciences, the language and information
conventions are generally relevant to many academic disciplines, and it is important
to know them in order to widen your knowledge and develop your skills in the
language. Please be aware that the English language used for research purposes may be
commonly used in business contexts and daily life as well.

8. Other Requirements
Students are reminded that their attendance and participation are very important.
Students who miss (or do not have marks for) any of the four components (i.e. Online
Graded Exercise 1, Online Graded Exercise 2, Presentation and Discussion, and Project
Paper) will not be allowed to pass this course.

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 Set A1
9. Additional/Optional References (for the Project Paper)
Location PE1128 . A2S94 2004 (Included in Set A)
Author Swales, J.M. (2004).
Title, etc. Research Genres: Exploration and Applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Location https://login.ezproxy.ums.edu.my/login
Author Lim, J.M.H. (2019)
Lim, J.M.H. (2019). Explicit and implicit justifications of experimental procedures in language
Title, etc. education: Pedagogical implications of studying expert writers’ communicative resources.
Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 37, 34-51.

Location https://login.ezproxy.ums.edu.my/login
Author Lim, Jason Miin-Hwa (2012)
How do writers establish research niches? A genre-based investigation into management
Title, etc. researchers’ rhetorical steps and linguistic mechanisms [in Journal of English for Academic
Purposes (UK/Elsevier), 11(3), 229-245.

Location https://login.ezproxy.ums.edu.my/login
Author Moghaddasi, S., & Graves (2017)
“Since Hadwiger’s conjection…is still open”: Establishing a niche for research in discrete
Title, etc.
mathematics research article introductions. English for Specific Purposes, 45, 69–85.

Location https://login.ezproxy.ums.edu.my/login
Author Lim, Jason Miin-Hwa (2014)
Formulating research questions in experimental doctoral dissertations on Applied Linguistics.
Title, etc.
English for Specific Purposes, 35, 66-88.

http://www.esptodayjournal.org/pdf/december_2020/2_Jason_Miin-
Location
Hwa_Lim_&_Xianqing_Luo.pdf
Author Lim, Jason Miin-Hwa, & Luo, Xianqing. (2020).
Writing research questions and hypotheses: A genre-based investigation into writers’
linguistic resources in social sciences. ESP Today: Journal of English for Specific
Title, etc.
Purposes at Tertiary Level (University of Belgrade), 8(2), 206-226 (e-ISSN: 2334-
9050).

https://www.esptodayjournal.org/pdf/december_2019/1_Renu_Joseph_&_Jason_Miin-
Location
Hwa_Lim_full_text.pdf
Author Joseph, R., & Lim, J.M.H. (2019).
Directions for the future: A genre-based investigation into recommendations for further
Title, etc. research and practical applications in Forestry. ESP Today: Journal of English for Specific
Purposes at Tertiary Level (University of Belgrade), 7(2), 124-147.

Location https://login.ezproxy.ums.edu.my/login
Author Samraj, Betty (2005)
An exploration of genre set: Research article abstracts and introductions in two disciplines.
Title, etc. English for Specific Purposes, 24, 141-156. [in English for Specific Purposes (USA) available
on-line through Science Direct]

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 Set A1
Location https://login.ezproxy.ums.edu.my/login
Author Lim, J.M.H., Loi, C.K., Hashim, A., & Liu, M.S.M. (2015)
Purpose statements in experimental doctoral dissertations submitted to U.S. universities: An
Title, etc. inquiry into doctoral students' communicative resources in language education. Journal of
English for Academic Purposes, 20, 69-89.

Location https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244016652925
Author Loi, C. K., Evans, M.S., Lim, J. M. H., & Akkakoson, S. (2016).
A comparison between Malay and English research article discussions: A move analysis. SAGE
Title, etc.
Open, 6(2), 1-11.

Location https://login.ezproxy.ums.edu.my/login
Author Lim, Jason Miin-Hwa (2010)
Commenting on research results in applied linguistics and education: A comparative genre-
Title, etc. based investigation [in Journal of English for Academic Purposes (UK/Elsevier), 9(4), 280-
294, also available on-line through ScienceDirect]

Location Use the link in Google Scholar to download the PDF file (as the website address is too long).
Author Lim, Jason Miin-Hwa
Lim, J.M.H. (2008). Analysing recommendations for future research: An investigation into a
hybrid sub-genre. In Wilkinson, R. & Zegers, V. (Eds.) Realizing Content and Language
Title, etc.
Integration in Higher Education (Electronic Book) (pp. 131-154). Maastricht: Maastricht
University.

Location https://login.ezproxy.ums.edu.my/login
Author Lim, J.M.H. (2017)
Writing descriptions of experimental procedures in language education: Implications for the
Title, etc. teaching of English for academic purposes.
[In English for Specific Purposes (Elsevier), 47, 61-80.]

Location LB2369 . C54 2003

Author Clines, Raymond H.
Title, etc. Research writing simplified : a documentation guide / Raymond H. Clines, Elizabeth R. Cobb

Location https://login.ezproxy.ums.edu.my/login
Author Yang, Ruiying & Allison, Desmond (2003)
Research articles in applied linguistics: Moving from results to conclusions.
Title, etc.
[in English for Specific Purposes, available on-line through Science Direct]

Location https://login.ezproxy.ums.edu.my/login
Author Lim, Jason Miin-Hwa (2006)
Method sections of management research papers: A pedagogically motivated qualitative study
Title, etc. [in English for Specific Purposes (USA/Elsevier), 25(3), 282-309, also available on-line
through ScienceDirect]

Location http://www.aelfe.org/?s=revista
Author Lim, Jason Miin-Hwa (2011)
Delineating sampling procedures: Pedagogical significance of analysing sampling descriptions
Title, etc. and their justifications in TESL experimental research reports [in Iberica: Journal of the
European Association of Languages for Specific Purposes, 21, 71-92].

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 Set A1
Location https://login.ezproxy.ums.edu.my/login
Author Stoller, Fredricka L. & Robinson, Marin S.
Chemistry journal articles: An interdisciplinary approach to move analysis with pedagogical
Title, etc.
aims [in English for Specific Purposes (USA) available on-line through Science Direct]

Location http://dis.sagepub.com/content/13/6/725
Author Lim, Jason Miin-Hwa (2011)
‘Paving the way for research findings’: Writers’ rhetorical choices in education and applied
Title, etc. linguistics. ([In Discourse Studies. 13(6), 725-749. (ISSN: 1461-4456) United Kingdom:
Elsevier.]

Location http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/omd/
Author The Centre for Cancer Education, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Title, etc. Online Medical Dictionary (for medic students)

Location http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Author Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
Title, etc. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia

Location http://www.12manage.com/management_dictionary.html
Author (Copyright 2008 12manage - E-learning community on management. V10.0)
Title, etc. Management Dictionary (for business management students)

Location http://www.aelfe.org/documents/06_27_Lim.pdf
Author Lim, Jason Miin-Hwa et al. (2014)
Postulating hypotheses in experimental doctoral dissertations on Applied Linguistics: A
Title, etc. qualitative investigation into rhetorical shifts and linguistic mechanisms. [In Iberica: Journal of
the European Association of Languages for Specific Purposes, 27, 121-142.]

Location http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/

Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C.
Author
Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)

Title, etc. Glossary of Linguistics Terms (for language majors or applied linguistics students)

Location LB2369 P3532007

Author Paltridge, B. (2007)
Title, etc. Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language: A Handbook in a Second Language.

Location http://www.bentham.org/open/toalj/openaccess2.htm
Author Lim, Jason Miin-Hwa (2009)
Rhetorical categories and linguistic mechanisms in describing research conditions: A
Title, etc. comparative genre-based investigation into researchers’ choices in Education and Applied
Linguistics

Location LB2369 . C69 2002

Author Coyle, William.
Title, etc. Research papers / William Coyle, Joe Law.

13
 Set A1
Location LB2369 . C73 2005
Author Craswell, Gail.
Title, etc. Writing for academic success : a postgraduate guide / Gail

Location LB2369 . D44 2003

Author Dees, Robert.
Title, etc. Writing the modern research paper / Robert Dees.

Location LB2369 . H47 2004

Author Heppner, P. Paul.
Title, etc. Writing and publishing your thesis, dissertation, and …

Location LB2369 . H843 2005

Author Hunt, Andy.
Title, etc. Your research project : how to manage it / Andy Hunt

Location LB2369 . H85 2001

Author Hult, Christine A.
Title, etc. Researching and writing across the curriculum / Chritine A.

Location LB2369 . L393 2001

Author Lester, James D., 1935-
Title, etc. Principles of writing research papers / James D. Lester,

Location LB2369 . L47 2002

Author Lester, James D., 1935-
Title, etc. The essential guide : research writing across the…

Location LB2369 . L478 2002

Author Lester, James D.
Title, etc. Writing research papers : a complete guide / James D.

Location LB2369 . M38 2003

Author Lester, James D.
Title, etc. Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation

Location LB2369 . O45 2004

Author Oliver, Paul.
Title, etc. Writing your thesis / Paul Oliver.

Location LB2369 . P425 2002

Author Perrin, Robert, 1950-
Title, etc. Handbook for college research / Robert Perrin

Location LB2369 . R63 2000

Author Rodrigues, Dawn.
Title, etc. The research paper and the world wide web / Dawn Rodrigues,

14
 Set A1

Location LB2369 . R86 2004

Author Rumsey, Sally.
Title, etc. How to find information : a guide for researchers / Sally

Location LB2369 . R88 2003

Author Ruszkiewicz, John J., 1950-
Title, etc. Bookmarks : a guide to research and writing / John

Location LB2369 . S55 2000

Author Silverman, Jay.
Title, etc. Rules of thumb for research / Jay Silverman, Elaine Hughes,

Location LB2369 . S87 2004

Author Suzan Burton, Peter…
Title, etc. Surviving your thesis / edited by Suzan Burton, Peter…

Location LB2369 . V43 2004

Author Veit, Richard.
Title, etc. Research : the student's guide to writing research papers /

Location LB2369 . W26 2001

Author Walliman, Nicholas S. R.
Title, etc. Your research project : a step-by-step guide for the

Location LB2369 . W355 2004

Author Walliman, Nicholas S. R.
Title, etc. Your undergraduate dissertation : the essential guide for …

(Note: The references listed above are only examples of references that students can consider
using. Students are encouraged to read and cite other relevant texts. The locations indicated
may refer to either website addresses or call numbers in our University Library. During a
period when the physical library is not accessible, students are encouraged to use online
resources.)

15
 Set A1
Assessments 1 and 2 (Online Graded Exercises 1 and 2)

The structure and contents of Assessments 1 and 2 are described briefly as follows:

(1) In Assessment 1 (Online Graded Exercise 1), students are assessed on skills,
information elements, grammar items and vocabulary items covered in Weeks 1
through 7.

The assessment consists of 40-60 multiple choice items on:

(i) the use of grammar in research writing (e.g., active and passive voice,
articles, clause elements, clause structures, tenses, noun clauses, adverbial
clauses, relative clauses, and/or participial phrases).
(ii) the identification of information elements in the abstracts, introduction
sections and methods sections of research reports;
(iii) the specification of the meanings of vocabulary items in the abstracts,
introduction sections and methods sections of research reports;
(iv) the comprehension of contents presented in short extracts taken from the
abstracts, introduction sections and methods sections of research reports;.

(2) In Assessment 2 (Online Graded Exercise 2), students are assessed on skills,
information elements, grammar items and vocabulary items covered in Weeks 8
through 12.

The assessment consists of 40-50 multiple choice items on:

(i) the use of grammar in research writing (e.g., active and passive voice,
articles, clause elements, clause structures, tenses, noun clauses, adverbial
clauses, relative clauses, and/or participial phrases).
(ii) the identification of information elements in the Results and
Discussion/Conclusion sections of research reports;
(iii) the specification of the meanings of vocabulary items in the Results and
Discussion/Conclusion sections of research reports;
(iv) the comprehension of contents presented in short extracts taken from the
Results and Discussion/Conclusion sections of research reports.

16
 Set A1
Assessment 3: Presentation and Discussion
(1) You have to do a group presentation about a selected topic (e.g., ‘The
Biotechnological Development in the 21st Century’, ‘Genetic Engineering and its
Impact on Malaysia’, ‘The Recovery of the Malaysian Economy’, ‘A Study on the
Attitudes of Malaysian Factory Workers’, etc.). These are only examples of titles, and
you are required to present a topic related to your major or your teammate’s major
in Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Each team should have two members and each
member should speak for four to seven minutes. (A team with three members can be
formed only if you have obtained a special permission from the instructor.)

(2) You are expected to do some library research (review research) and select a relevant
topic based on your review of at least three published research-based texts (e.g.,
journal articles or books) related to your major. You are required to extract only
interesting and relevant information, organize the points, rephrase the sentences
and present the topic effectively in class. All the texts should have been published in
the last five years, and at least one of the texts should have been published in the last
two years. Apart from being interesting, the points that you present should be
sufficiently technical, thus making it possible for you to demonstrate your ability in
providing explanations and illustrations in your presentation.

(3) You may suggest ways in which a problem/issue may be resolved/tackled and present
views on the implications of the study concerned.

(4) Your instructor will remind you that reading and writing skills should be fully utilized
in preparing the script (written text) for the presentation. You should also be aware
that speaking skills (especially those related to voice control, pronunciation,
articulation, stress, rhythm and intonation) will help you deliver your speech
effectively.

(5) You must hand in your script/text (on the day of your presentation) so that your
lecturer can (a) ensure that you have done enough preparation for the presentation,
and (b) understand the content of your presentation in case you are not able to
pronounce some (or most) of the words correctly and audibly, (c) help you correct
your pronunciation of words, and (d) improve the organization and content of your
presentation (if/where necessary).

(6) You are encouraged to remember the main points of your script. Hence, do
rehearse your presentation before you present it in class. A student who is able to
remember his or her script and present it effectively will be given higher scores.
There will be no prejudice against a student’s ability to memorize a script that he or
she understands well. The use of visual aids is encouraged. Do not submit your
Powerpoint slides as part of the script. Show your Powerpoint slides only during your
oral presentation.

(7) In the presentation script (to be sent/emailed to your instructor on the day of your
presentation), please ensure that it consists of (i) a cover (including the title of the
presentation, names and matric numbers of all team remembers, semester and
academic session, section number, and date of completion of your script), (ii) the
content (main text) of your script in paragraphs, (iii) your reference list in the APA
style, and (iv) an appendix of at least three papers with the extracted
17
 Set A1
points/sentences highlighted (in yellow) or underlined. This is intended to minimize
the likelihood of plagiarism. (During the pandemic period, please combine all the
four parts into one PDF file/document, and send it as an attachment to your email.

(8) (i) To motivate you to speak after a presentation, we would like to let you know that
marks are given for your verbal interactions. After you have completed your
presentation, your classmates will ask you question/s. More marks will be given if you
are able to answer the question/s well (i.e. clearly, informatively, effectively, and/or
convincingly). Each presenter has to answer at least one question. Hence, be happy
and confident when/if your classmates want to ask you more questions (within the
time allotted/devoted to your short session). They are actually giving you a chance to
get more marks (if you can answer the question/s).

(ii) When your classmates have completed their presentations, do raise your hand,
mention your name, and pose your question(s) to the presenter. More marks will be
given/added if you are able to ask a sensible question related to the topic covered in
your classmate’s presentation (which is based on some library research).

Make sure that you ask your questions in grammatically correct English. Ask your
instructor often to learn some ways of asking common questions in
seminars/conferences/workshop or presentation sessions. More marks will be given if
you ask relevant and meaningful wh-questions (beginning with ‘who’, ‘what’,
‘where’, ‘when’, ‘why’, or ‘how’, etc.) which are closely connected with the topic
presented. You may also ask ‘yes/no’ questions (questions requiring merely a ‘yes/no’
response) or give some comments if they are of much interest in some contexts. You
may write down your question/s on a piece of paper (before you say it/them clearly
and loudly in the class). Each student needs to ask at least one question.

18
 Set A1
Assessment 4: Project Paper
(1) The title of your project paper is ‘Gap Indications, Research Questions, and
Recommendations for Practical Applications in Discipline A and Discipline B’
‘Discipline A’ and ‘Discipline B’ refer to two academic disciplines, one of which must be
an applied science and the other one is a social science. The two disciplines may be selected
from a range of disciplines, such as Education, Communication, Sociology, TESL,
International Relations, Political Science, Food Science, Cardiology, Epidemiology,
Biotechnology, Forestry, Environmental Science Civil Engineering, Mechanical
Engineering, Business Management, Economics, Psychology, or any other field/subfield of
study in UMS. (Note: When you type the title of your assignment, remember to replace the
phrases ‘Discipline A’ and ‘Discipline B’ with the names of the disciplines concerned.)

(2) In this project, you need to work in groups of two. Select 12 journal articles published
in or after 2020 (known as Set S in this project paper), and write a research report to
discuss the three information elements (i.e., ‘rhetorical stages’, ‘moves/steps’, or ‘kinds of
information’) found in six articles from Discipline A (an applied science) and another six
articles from Discipline B (a social science). (Note: A ‘journal’ has many ‘articles’,
‘papers’ or ‘reports’. An ‘article’ means a ‘journal paper’ in this context. Notice that a
journal may have just one volume in a year, and one volume may have several issues. Each
issue has several ‘articles’ or ‘papers’.)

Two journals in Set S should be chosen from each discipline, and this means that four
different journals need be chosen from the two disciplines. In other words, three articles
have to be selected from each of the four journals [i.e., 2 disciplines, 4 journals, 12 articles].

Journal S Articles 1, 2 and 3

Discipline A
Journal T Articles 4, 5 and 6

Journal U Articles 7, 8 and 9

Discipline B
Journal V Articles 10, 11 and 12

(3) In this project paper, you need to select only the 12 articles (for Set S) which have the
Introduction-Methods-Results-Discussion/Conclusion (IMRD/C) structure or the
Introduction-Methods-Results and Discussion-Conclusion (IMRaDC). However, you need
to look for only the three kinds of information in the (i) ‘Introduction’ (in a broad sense
all sections before the Methods section), (ii) ‘Results and Discussion’, and (iii) ‘Discussion’
and/or ‘Conclusion’ sections in this project paper. This means that you focus only on the
sections under the headings such as ‘Introduction’, ‘Literature Review’, ‘Research
Objectives’, ‘Research Questions’, ‘Results and Discussion’, ‘Discussion’, ‘Conclusion(s)’,
and ‘Implications’. Do develop your patience and interest in searching for the right articles
because ‘surveying academic texts’ is part of the objectives of this course. (Note: Medic
students are allowed to choose two sub-disciplines in Medicine.)

(a) In your own Introduction section (not the 12 introduction sections in Set S that you
have collected), make sure that you collect at least six more articles/texts for literature
review. These six articles to be used for literature review (known as Set L in this project
paper) should help you review related information about what past researchers have found
out about the three kinds of information concerned. Take note of the points as follows:
19
 Set A1
(i) Write several paragraphs to establish a research territory for your research.
This means that you need to read and review some articles to report what
previous researchers have stated about the three kinds of information (i.e., about
‘indicating a gap’, ‘presenting a research question’, and ‘recommending a
practical application’). When you establish a research territory, do write in such
a way that your readers are able to (1) understand the research domain and
subject matter to which your paper is related, and (2) the importance of doing
this research.
(ii) Make sure that you organize the sentences in such a way that ‘general
information’ is presented first before ‘more specific information’ is included
in your paper. You need to quote at least six journal articles related to
research/report writing from related journals (e.g., English for Specific Purposes,
Journal of English for Academic Purposes, ESP Today, Ibérica) which can be
downloaded via https://login.ezproxy.ums.edu.my/login, or from the websites of
ESP Today and Ibérica. Such information helps the reader to understand what
other writers or previous researchers have stated or reported about your research
focus, which concerns (i) research reports in general, and (ii) the three kinds of
information specified above. In your Introduction section, do not cite any part of
the 12 articles in Set S (on the applied science and the social science) that you
have collected for analysis. Cite only the six (or more) articles (from Set L) that
you have decided to use for literature review about the three kinds of
information. In your literature review, you only need to discuss what other
researchers have reported about research reports and the three information
elements mentioned above, focusing on definitions and the percentages of texts
containing each of the three kinds of information. (See the part on
‘Additional/Optional References’ in Set A1.).
(iii) In other paragraph(s), write at least several sentences to explain why there is a
need for more research (which is your current study). Is there a gap in previous
research related to your focus? Is there an area in which past researchers have
not conducted any previous study/studies related to your research focus? Is there
a need to widen the existing knowledge about the three rhetorical stages? You
need to include some previous researchers’ findings about the three kinds of
information.
(iv) Write several sentences to state the two objectives of your own project paper
(i.e., to identify the frequency/prevalence of the three kinds of information, and
to explore the language resources needed in the three kinds of information). In
your introduction, do not state the objectives of the 12 research papers in Set S
(about the applied science and the social science) in your introduction. They are
the objectives of other writers’ research papers (and not of your own project
paper). The objective(s) of your paper are those related to this English
assignment/project.
(v) Write two research questions in the form of interrogative sentences to inform
the reader of what answers you are seeking in this study.
(vi) You may want to write several paragraphs to state the value or justification of
your assignment/project. State why it is important and helpful to conduct this
study. How does it help writers/researchers to understand and write research
articles/reports in your field? For instance, is it possible to find out some
similarities and differences between the articles in your field and those
explained/reported by Swales (2004), Samraj (2002), Weissberg and Buker
(2005), Lim (2014), or other genre analysts? In what ways can your findings

20
 Set A1
possibly help researchers to present the three information elements concerned?
(vii) You may also want to write several paragraphs to outline the structure of your
project paper (research report).

When you write your Introduction section, learn from other more experienced writers
(by reading their research papers or reports which have been published in journals).

(b) In your Method(s) section, do not describe the research methods in the 12 articles
from Set L (about the applied science and the social science) that you have collected.
Please write a brief Method section for your own research project (i.e., for this project
paper). As you are writing this section, you need to familiarize yourself with a range of
vocabulary items, expressions, and grammatical structures generally used in describing
research methods.

(i) First, you need to include at least one paragraph on the data collection
procedure/s used in your own study. How many articles were collected for
analysis (in Set S)? Were they chosen purposively (purposefully) or randomly
for some reasons? You may refer to some books/journals regarding sampling
procedures (if necessary). (Do not give a detailed account of the content of each
paper in Set S.) Where (from which journals) did you obtain the articles (for
Set S)? Why were the articles in a particular journal chosen? (Justify your
selection of the articles based on the impact factors/values or CiteScores of the
journals concerned.) Why were articles in the two disciplines (Set S) selected?
State clearly that you looked for only the three information elements concerned.
(Note: You need not answer all the questions given above, but your Methods
section should include sufficient relevant information.)
(ii) Second, you need to write at least a paragraph to describe the data analysis
procedure/s for this project. How did you analyze the data (in Set S)? How did
you compare the articles in the two disciplines? What were the aspects in which
you compared the articles? Were frequencies of the three information elements
in two disciplines compared? Were the percentages of texts (articles) containing
each of the three information elements (indicating the prevalence) counted and
studied in your comparison? Why is it important to identify the
proportion/percentage of texts/articles containing a certain information element
in each of the two disciplines concerned? How did you study the language
features (or language resources) of each information element? Why is it
important to compare the frequencies of different information elements in your
field? Why is it important to give some examples (from Set S) for each
information element in your analysis?
(iii) In this project paper, you need not mention anything about ‘material/s’ in your
Method section, but most of other information elements related to this project
are relevant, and they include ‘overview’, ‘sample’, ‘sampling restrictions’,
‘procedure’ (or ‘data collection procedure’) and ‘data analysis procedure/s’ (or
‘statistical treatment’). The word ‘sample/s’ in this project does not refer to (1)
human subjects or respondents in social science research, or (2) animals or
plants in pure/applied science studies. It refers to two small corpora/datasets of
articles (collectively referred to as Set S) from the two selected disciplines. As it
is not possible to study all the articles in a discipline, you are only required to
study two small datasets thoroughly in this project.

21
 Set A1
(c) In your Results and Discussion section, you should include at least two tables. The
first table shows the number of articles (in Set S) containing each of the three information
elements and the number of occurrences (frequency) of each information element in each
introduction. The second table shows at least two examples for each information element in
each of the two disciplines. You will be penalized if you merely present tables without
including enough descriptions and explanations in your discussion. Do not describe the
Results and/or Discussion sections in the 12 articles in Set L (about the social science and
the applied science) that you have collected. You only have to concentrate on the three
information elements of the articles (in Set S). You might have to use your knowledge of
the language conventions of research articles when you identify the three stages. (While
you are writing this section, you need to familiarize yourself with a range of vocabulary
items, expressions, and grammatical structures generally used in reporting and explaining
results.)

In your ‘Results and Discussion’ section, Table 1 should show the three kinds of
information that can be found in each of the 12 research articles (from Set S) as exemplified
below:

Table 1: Frequencies and percentages of texts containing gap indications, research questions, and
recommendations for practical applications in the articles on Business Management and
Environmental Science

Frequency/Percentage Indicating a gap Presenting research question(s) Recommending a practical

application
Business Management
RA 1 1 4 1
RA 2 1 3 2
RA 3 2 3 0
RA 4 1 2 3
RA 5 1 4 1
RA 6 3 6 1
Total frequency (RAs 1-6) 9 22 8
Mean frequency 1.50 3.67 1.33
No. of articles 6 6 5
Percentage of articles (%) 100.00 100.00 83.33

Environmental Science
RA 7 1 0 1
RA 8 1 2 0
RA 9 0 0 0
RA 10 1 3 1
RA 11 1 1 2
RA 12 1 0 0
Total frequency (RAs 7-12) 5 6 4
Mean frequency 0.83 1.00 0.67
No. of articles 5 3 3
Percentage of articles (%) 83.33 50.00 50.00

(The table above is only an example.)

22
 Set A1
You need to write several paragraphs to compare the information elements in the two
academic disciplines. To be specific, you can seek answers for the following questions:
(i) What information elements appear in all or most of the articles in each
discipline? Give a possible reason to explain its/their importance.
(ii) What information element(s) are rarely used (or not used) in the research articles
in each discipline? Why are these information elements rarely included or
completely absent? Give a possible reason as part of your comment(s).
(iii) How many percent of the articles include the information element concerned in
each discipline?
(iv) Why do some papers/articles have a high or low frequency of the information
element concerned? Give a possible reason (or some reasons).
(v) Why is the percentage of texts containing a particular information element very
high or very low? Give a possible reason (or some reasons).
(vi) What are the similarities between the two disciplines in terms of the frequencies
and/or degrees of prevalence of the information elements concerned? Give some
possible reasons.
(vii) What are the differences across the two disciplines in terms of the frequencies
and/or degrees of prevalence of the information elements concerned? Give some
possible reasons.
(For instance, if a certain information element is frequently found in the articles
in one field but is rarely included or completely absent in the articles in the other
field, give some possible reasons. Notice that giving possible reasons should
form a large part of your comments on the findings.)

(Note: The questions given above are only intended to guide you in getting ideas for writing
your ‘Results and Discussion’ section. You need to answer most of the questions and may
discuss other aspects if they are relevant to the focus of this study.)

In your ‘Results and Discussion’ section, include another table (i.e. Table 2) that shows at
least two examples for each of the information elements in each discipline that can be found
in the sample of research articles. You choose at least two examples (from each discipline)
which you are very sure of in this simple project. Each example may consist of one sentence
or several sentences from a particular part of an article as shown below:

23
 Set A1
Table 2: Examples of information elements in the research articles related to Business
Management and Environmental Science
Information Discipline Instance
Element/
Stage
Indicating a gap Business Anderson (2012) found that the highest level of personal goals was set under the piece-
Management rate, followed by salary plus goal attainment bonus and hourly flat rate. However, Locke
et al. (2015) found that goal attainment bonus subjects have higher personal goals than
piece-rate subjects that conflicts with Wright’s (2012) findings…(RA3: 261)
Absence researchers have taken scant notice of this inconsistency in the way absence data
have been handled. Recent meta-analytic findings (Wackett, 2009) showing that the
outcomes of absence studies vary as a function of the length of the studies’ cumulation
periods have also failed to spark debate on this issue. (RA5: 1618)
Environmental However, there is still a lack of detailed data on the levels and risk of organic
Science contaminants in textile dyeing sludge to guide its treatment and disposal. (RA8: 113)
Only two studies have examined possible effects of early life PFOA exposure on adult
adiposity. (RA11: 63)
Presenting a Business How specifically does Employment Insurance (EI) program membership affect the work
research Management attitudes of employees who learn they will soon be permanently laid off? (RA 1: 34)
question Do minority and female workers have lower pay rates than white male workers, and is this
difference larger for older workers? (RA 2: 399)
Environmental Are there differences in water quality between groundwater and surface water on
Science campus? (RA9: 45)
What are the direct and indirect benefits and costs of installing campus electric commuter
vehicle charging stations? (RA11: 226)
Recommending Business Finally, the practical importance of our findings is underscored by the fact that hybrid
a practical Management entrepreneurship has experienced a recent explosion in growth (Grant, 2011). A key driver
application of this trend has been advances in technology, which have reduced the cost and time
commitments necessary when starting a business. For example, instead of opening a brick-
and-mortar location, hybrid entrepreneurs can use online marketplaces such as eBay
(coincidentally, started by a hybrid entrepreneur) in their spare time. Likewise,
advancements in social media marketing tools offer low-cost and efficient ways to reach
target consumers. (RA3: 957)
Our findings also have implications for states, cities, and legislators. In our supplemental
study, we found that only 27% of participants from New York City were aware that their
city had unemployment status antidiscrimination legislation. This lack of awareness
suggests that hiring personnel must better embrace their professional responsibility to
stay up to date on their knowledge of employment law and points to an opportunity for
government officials to improve the timing, content, and delivery of communications about
employment-related legislation...Even though awareness of the legislation in New York
City was likely far from universal at the time our data were collected, our study provides
stakeholders with useful information about their legislative environments that can help
guide future policy and outreach efforts. (RA5: 371)
Environmental However, given the global scope of timber harvest, a 50-80% increase in Hg
Science bioaccumulation of top predators in stream food webs due to clear cutting, as observed in
our study, could substantially increase ecological risk to Hg exposure in areas with
higher pre-harvest Hg concentrations, areas that are more prone to Hg methylation, or are
more sensitive to changes in food web structure. Thus, our findings that different harvest
operation techniques (i.e. riparian buffers versus clear-cuts) may mitigate potential
increases in Hg bioaccumulation associated with harvest offer potential avenues for
management consideration and modifying best management practices. (RA10: 643)
The consequences of the remaining oil residues in the ecosystem will affect more than the
emergent plant biomass to include bacteria, crabs, mussels, and perhaps fish, for example.
A point of understanding these oil spill impacts, therefore, is to appreciate the nuanced set
of interactions within ecosystems and to value decisions necessary for quick containment,
effective damage evaluation and appropriate mitigation. A repeat of the DWH oil spill
is undesirable, as the various courts have stipulated in criminal and civil judgments.
Improved operations and better containment should be a mandate to avoid all oil spills
of any size in petroleum recovery and production activities. (RA8: 1375)

(The table above is only an example. You may give more examples for each step but ensure
that the entire table is presented on one page.)

If some information elements are completely absent (not included) in all the 12 articles
(in Set S), do not include them in the table, but merely state in your main text that they are
absent, and give a possible reason.

24
 Set A1
Do not merely present Table 2 in your ‘Results and Discussion’ section. Explain why you
consider a text segment as one that can be labeled as a particular information element by
discussing the language used. You may discuss the language choices (e.g. the simple
past, simple present, present perfect, nouns/adjectives, noun phrases and verb phrases,
integral citations, non-integral citations, etc.) in this assignment. Focus on the text segments
and describe/explain briefly what is mentioned in each of the information elements/text
segments. (You have to be aware of the language choices in the process of identifying the
different stages. You may also describe and explain the language choices in this project if
necessary.)

(d) In your ‘Conclusion and Implications’ section, you may include relevant kinds of
information as explained below:
(i) Reiterate briefly the purpose of your research project. What is the objective of
your research? Did you achieve the objective?
(ii) Briefly summarize the major findings of this study? What are the important
information elements found in the articles in the two disciplines? What
information elements are generally absent?
(iii) Give a brief explanation of your findings. Is there any difference between your
findings and those reported by previous researchers? Why?
(iv) Do your findings differ or resemble those reported for other disciplines (in
previous studies)? In what ways are your findings similar to or different from
those reported in previous studies?
(v) What are the limitations of your research? Is the sample of several articles too
small? Are they related to only one particular subfield only? Have you
encountered any difficulty in distinguishing certain information elements which
are too closely related or which resemble each other very much in some ways?
(vi) What are your recommendations for practical applications? How can your
findings help students understand research articles in your field better? In what
ways can students or young researchers learn (to write better) using the findings
or examples of the information elements obtained in your study?
(vii) What are your recommendations for future research? What are the areas in
which further research is needed? Should a larger sample (e.g. 20 articles) be
used? Why? Should articles related to certain subfields be included? Why?

As you are writing this section, you need to familiarize yourself with a range of vocabulary
items, expressions, and grammatical structures generally used in reporting and explaining
results as well.

(e) Additional Instructions

(i) The main text of your paper must be double-spaced and presented in font size 12.
Tables, however, should be single-spaced and presented in font size 8-10.
(ii) The font type should be Times New Roman.
(iii) The total length of your paper should be within a range from 16 to 25 pages.
(iv) Do remember to attach a copy of Set S in your appendix. In the appendix,
remember to (i) annotate (i.e., write the functional labels for the three information
elements concerned) the texts using keywords (e.g., ‘Gap’, ‘RQ’ and ‘PA’) on the
right-hand side of the text segment concerned, and (ii) underline or highlight (in
yellow) the parts that you have chosen to be included as instances in Table 2.
(v) Do not include a table of content because this is a relatively short project paper.
(vi) When you submit your project paper, please ensure that it consists of (i) a cover

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 Set A1
(including the title of your project paper, names and matric numbers of all team
remembers, semester and academic session, your section number, and the date of
completion of your project paper), (ii) the content of your paper in at least four
major sections, (iii) your reference list in the APA style, and (iv) an appendix that
includes the 12 papers analyzed (12 PDF files/documents) with the annotations
indicated in text boxes, and keywords in the three kinds of information highlighted
(in yellow) or underlined. This is intended to minimize the likelihood of plagiarism.
(During the pandemic period, please combine all the four parts into one PDF
File/document, and email it as an attachment to your instructor.)

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