REVIEWER FOR ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

LESSON 1: ACADEMIC TEXT

In this day and age where students are expected to be "globally competitive", excellent communication skills in English for
academic and professional purposes is now an imperative. Putting your thoughts and arguments into writing is a necessary
skill you must possess for whatever field and industry you might be in. However, before writing your own academic papers,
you need to equip yourselves with the necessary knowledge on how to read academic texts. Learning appropriate reading
strategies would facilitate a better understanding of academic texts, which in turn would allow you to construct well-
informed, well-argued, and well-written academic texts.

However, before writing your own academic papers, you need to equip yourselves with the necessary knowledge on how to
read academic texts. Learning appropriate reading strategies would facilitate a better understanding of academic texts, which
in turn would allow you to construct well-informed, well-argued, and well-written academic texts.

DETERMINE THE STRUCTURE OF A SPECIFIC TEXT

Writing is no easy feat. It entails excellent critical reading skills. Whatever your chosen profession might be, you need to
develop critical reading and writing skills. Hence, the lessons in this book are meant to provide you with the essential tools to
effectively communicate with others via writing for the academe or the professions.

FOUR MAJOR TYPES OF ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PAPERS

 Reaction paper - objectively and subjectively reacting and evaluating concepts or phenomena;
 Concept paper - extensively detailing the meaning and aspects of a specific topic;
 Position paper - advocating for a stand regarding an often-divisive issue; and
 Report - narrating technically observed phenomena.

However, before you get acquainted with those four major types of academic and professional papers, this unit shall equip
you with knowledge of appropriate reading strategies for a better understanding of academic texts.

As with any form of expository discourse, academic writing follows a fairly basic structure.

That is, it must have:

 An introduction where the central and the main ideas and arguments are previewed:
 A body where the main ideas are explained and developed; and
 Conclusion where the main ideas are recapped, and the central idea or argument is reiterated.

A SUMMARY OF THE KEY FEATURES OF EACH PARTS IS PRESENTED IN THE TABLE BELOW:

INTRODUCTION BODY CONCLUSION

Introduces the main goal or objective The “meat” of your paper Summarizes the main ideas
of the text.
Usually contains the thesis statement Extensively discusses and develops Reemphasizes the central idea
or claim the writer’s main ideas and arguments
Provides the reader a thorough
Should not include new information
background of the topic
States the significance of the work
For researchers, provides the readers a
literature review and the theoretical
and conceptual frameworks

THE ACADEMIC TEXT

Academic writing usually begins with a question a problem that the researcher needs to answer. The research question will
determine the direction of the paper, its objectives, the method and design, and the subsequent analysis. While researches and
academic writing are usually conducted using either a quantitative or qualitative approach, Sarantakos (2005, pg. 10-11)
listed several types of research that fall under the purview of academic writing:

SEVERAL TYPES OF RESEARCH THAT FALL UNDER THE PURVIEW OF ACADEMIC WRITING

 Basic research is concerned with the production of new knowledge and with the increase of scientific
understanding of the world
 Applied research places a strong emphasis on application and problem solving.
  Descriptive research aims to describe social systems, relations or social events.
 Classification research aims to categorize research units into groups, to demonstrate differences, explain
relationships and clarify social events or relationships.
 Comparative research aims to identify similarities and/or differences between research units.
 Exploratory research aims to establish the most basic criteria of the research topic.
 Explanatory research aims to explain social relations or events.
 Theory-testing research aims to test the validity of a theory.
 Theory-building research is employed to establish and formulate theories.
 Action research is the application of fact finding to practical problem solving in a social situation with a view to
improving the quality of action within it.
 Participatory action research is characterized by the strong involvement and degree of participation of members
of the public in the research process.
 Evaluation research is employed to assess the suitability, relevance, and effectiveness of certain programs.

LANGUAGES USED IN ACADEMIC TEXTS FROM THOSE IN VARIOUS OTHER DISCIPLINES.

An academic text therefore informs, argues, or persuades. To achieve this, one must be familiar with the language used in
academic writing.

GUIDELINES IN USING LANGUAGE IN ACADEMIC WRITING:

1. Use complex sentences and sentence structures

- When writing academic and professional papers, we must use complex and compound sentences and
the use of short, simple sentences must be avoided. Use strategies for combining sentences such as the
use of coordinating conjunctions.

2. Maintain formality
- When writing for the academe and the professions, one must observe a certain level of formality in his
or her writing style. The passive voice is generally preferred, contractions are avoided, and colloquial
words and expressions are avoided. Especially when writing for the sciences, the third person is
employed.

3. Always be accurate
- When we say accurate, you need to be careful with the words and terms you use. Not because two
words are considered synonymous doesn't mean that they can be used interchangeably. Use jargons, or
terms specific to a particular field, when writing for a specialized, homogenous audience.

4. Remain objective
- Objectivity is important in writing an academic paper. There is a need to give emphasis on the facts and
information presented. You must remember that when writing for the disciplines, you need to know the
language that particular discipline uses.
Whatever your academic paper is about, it should always contain a central idea or a thesis statement a statement that "makes
a definitive point about your topic" (Beebe, Beebe, & Ivy, 2007). Your thesis statement expresses the entire point of your
paper. Speech coach Judith Humphrey says that one should "be able to state that message in a single clear sentence.
Everything else will support that single argument."

Beebe, Beebe, and Ivy (2007) provided a few guidelines to consider when writing your thesis statement:
 It should contain a single topic.
 It should be stated in a complete, declarative sentence.
 It should use direct, specific language.

LESSON 2: THESIS STATEMENT

Writing is an activity that requires organization. Although it sometimes starts as a chaotic process, much preparation is
needed. Therefore, as ideas arise there are two important components to consider the thesis statement and the outline.

The thesis statement is the overall idea or argument of your work. It is a general statement that presents essential points that
leads the reader to the right direction. Your thesis statement makes all parts of your work stick together.

A good thesis statement should be focused and succinct, and must be framed as a declarative sentence. Ideally, the statement
should have at least three ideas that will be developed in succeeding sections of the work.

Consider the ff example:

 The ASEAN region is a dynamic system because it capitalizes on
cultural diversity, rich resources, and a variety of perspectives.

The thesis statement contains the main idea that the ASEAN region is a dynamic system. In order to support this, there are
three points that need elaboration - cultural diversity, resources, and a variety of perspectives. These three points will then be
developed in each paragraph in order to make the main idea a well elaborated one.

THESIS STATEMENT VS TOPIC SENTENCE

A thesis statement is different from a topic sentence in two aspects. First, the thesis statement this means that since an essay
has several paragraphs, the thesis statement covers the main idea of the essay: On the other hand, a topic sentence serves as
the main idea of a paragraph. Second, the thesis statement contains at least two supporting points which are developed in
succeeding paragraphs. A topic sentence usually has just one supporting point.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD THESIS STATEMENT

1. A thesis statement is always framed as a declarative statement.

Poor Example: What is perspectives?
Improved version: Plagiarism can be explained from cultural and socio-political.

2. A good thesis statement is focused, meaning it provides supporting points that strengthen the main claim.
Poor Example: An effective local government unit should have good communication facilities and
efficient resource management programs since these initiatives will be beneficial for its
citizens.
Improved version: Effective dissemination of information and efficient resource management are
indicators of effective local governance.

3. A good thesis statement has clear boundaries. Meaning, it sets limits to what essay intends to explore.
Poor Example: Guitar playing skills can be improved if the player is dedicated and they are
devoted to technique and investments on good equipment must be considered since
these will be influential in performing in front of an audience.
Improved version: Excellent guitar playing requires countless hours of practice, strategic
decisions in purchasing equipment, and tireless dedication.

LESSON 3: OUTLINE
Together with the thesis statement, the outline is a helpful tool for organizing your work. Set as a series of input, the outline
shows the logical arrangement of ideas to be included in your essay.

In preparing your outline, there are two things to remember - outline format and principles. With regard to format, there are
two types: traditional and standard. The traditional uses roman numerals, letters and numbers while the standard system
uses numbers.

CONSIDER THE TABLE:

TRADITIONAL FORMAT STANDARD FORMAT

TITLE OF WORK: UNITS OF A RESEARCH UNIVERSITY
I. COLLEGE OF MEDICINE 1.0 COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
A. Community Medicine 1.2 COMMUNITY MEDICINE
B. Pathology 1.3 PATHOLOGY
II. COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING 2.0 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
A. Industrial Engineering 2.1 INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
B. Chemical Engineering 2.2 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
C. Mechanical Engineering 2.3 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
III. SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS 3.0 SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS
A. Painting 3.1 PAINTING
B. Sculpture 3.2 SCULPTURE
IV. COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS 4.0 COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
A. Political Sciences 4.1 POLITICAL SCIENCES
B. History 4.2 HISTORY
 C. Literature 4.3 LITERATURE

FOR PRINCIPLES IN OUTLINE MAKING:

 PARALLELISM - Entries should observe the same language structure (e.g., words, phrases, sentences)
 COORDINATION - Entries should observe levels of importance. In the example above, note that colleges are
labeled as major ideas because they carry the same level of significance in the research
university.
 SUBORDINATION - Entries should observe differences of importance (which ideas should be classified as
minor or major ideas?) In the same example, the different units under colleges are
labeled as minor ideas since they differ in scope from the colleges.
 DIVISION - Entries should be at least be two to be sure that supporting points of a major idea are adequate.

Like thesis statements and outlines, writing essays requires preparatory steps. An essay is similar to research in that it
requires planning and execution.

Presented are some steps for planning an essay.

1. Determining the topic, purpose, role and audience for the work. To help you in understanding these three
aspects, you must constantly ask these questions:
a) What am I writing about? How long will the piece be?
b) Why am I doing this piece? Is it to inform? Persuade? Or argue a position?
c) Who am I writing this for? is there a specific type of knowledge my readers need to understand the
piece?
d) What role am I taking in writing this piece? As an expert? A friend? A member of the community?

2. Expanding subtopic. This requires determining the scope of the work.

3. Collecting sources and making notes. In this part of the process, selection of source materials and identification of
important excerpts are crucial.
4. Brainstorming, forming the thesis statement, and outlining. In this part of the process, you need to create a plan. This
means jotting down important ideas and organizing them into an outline and thesis statement.
5. Drafting. In this step, parts of the outline are written. With the use of notes the ideas in your thesis statement are elaborated
on.
6. Peer evaluation and revision. In keeping with the notion that writing is a social process, seeking another reader’s feedback
is essential.

LESSON 4: NOTE-TAKING TECHNIQUES

Preparing notes will help you expand the points in your essay. As these notes are taken from different resourceAyou will
need a way to account for them. In a previous lesson, you were taught note-taking techniques such as summarizing,
paraphrasing, and using direct quotations as well as citations to address plagiarism. Accounting for resources is an important
aspect of academic essays or papers.

The system of the American Psychological Association (APA) is used in preparing a list of references. The following
are guidelines for organizing your reference list.

1. Entries should be arranged alphabetically with the surname of the authors as points of reference. In cases
Where there is no author, the title of the work becomes the first part of the entry.
2. The hanging indent format should be observed when writing entries. This means that the first line of the first
entry is not indented while the succeeding lines are indented
 The following are guidelines for organizing your reference list.
Single Authored Books Martinez, A. (2008). Creating memories. Quezon City: Maxwell Publishers.
Books with two authors Pulido. D., & Mirador, J. (1998) Academic writing
for college students. Tokyo: Lindell Inc.
Books with an editor Mata, E. (Ed.). (2015). Workplace ethics: An introduction. Kuala Lumpur: UPM
Press
Books with no author Cycling primer for beginners. (1989). Ohio: West and West Publishing.
PERIODICALS (JOURNALS, NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES)
Surname of author/s, Initials (year of publication). Title of the article. Title of t
General Format
the periodical, volume (issue numbers), page numbers.
Journal articles Valdez, G. (2010). Philippine perspectives on environmental politics. Journal of New
World Politics. 8(7), 25-32
Magazines Moore, B. (2001, August). Fashion for the new decade. Fashion Manila, 35 (2), 77.

Severino, P. (2013, Oct. 23). Creating possibilities for Muslim Mindanao. The Metro
Newspapers
Manila, p. A17.

ONLINE SOURCES
Author, Initials or Institiution. (date of retrieval). Title of work. Retrieved from
GENERAL FORMAT
www.greenworks/methods.html.
Greenworks. (May 4, 2014) Methods of extraction of minerals. Retrieved from
www.greenworks/methods.html.

LESSON 5: THE REACTION PAPER

Understanding the nature of a reaction paper and its basic format.

When one writes a reaction paper, the content may range from impressions, gut reactions, expressions of emotion to a more
impersonal critical analysis. Despite the content though, there should always be an attempt to communicate a sound critical
judgment and a fair and balanced assessment of the issue, thing, and/or event that one is reacting to.

THE MOST COMMON PURPOSES OF WRITING A REACTION PAPER IN AN ACADEMIC SETTING ARE:
 Reacting to or commenting on a particular event
 Reviewing a cultural event
 Reviewing a book or other scholarly publication
 Critiquing a literary piece

Depending on the purpose of a reaction paper, it can take the form of any of the following: (1) reflection, (2) appeal, (3)
protest, (4) tribute or denunciation, and (5) speculation. Given these forms, a writer may choose between two points of
view or orientation, which can either be subjective-personal (impressionistic) or objective impersonal. In taking a more
objective-impersonal stance, the writer applies a set of criteria for evaluation or some specific conceptual or critical frame of
reference (Dadufalza, 2008).

The point of view utilized by the writer dictates the style of writing employed in the text. William Strunk perfectly puts how
style is in itself a reaction when he said that "All writers, by the way they use the language, reveal something of their
spirits, their habits, their capacities, and their biases... All writing is communication...it is the Self escaping into the
open." (Strunk & White, 2000)
 FOR CULTURAL AFFAIRS, PEOPLE, WORK, OR
FOR HUMAN SITUATION
PERFORMANCES
1. A brief description of the situation 1. The central purpose of the event
2. People involved, their roles and contributions 2. The means, devices, strategies employed to achieve
3. Other driving forces, in the open or hidden and the purpose
unsuspected 3. An evaluation of the achievement: success or failure
4. Implications and consequences 4. The significance beyond mere entertainment
5. Assessment
6. Some offered solution

LESSON 6: WRITING A REACTION PAPER

When we give a reaction, we make assertions or claims. These assertions are judged by the readers according to the quality of
evidence we provide. Remember that we can use the following assertions in writing: convention, fact, opinion, and
preference.

As a review, the table below provides the definition and some examples of the listed assertions (Dadufalza, 2008):

ASSERTION DEFINITION SAMPLE

Convention statements that depend for their truth This certifies that the bearer is a
upon the following: beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang
 Rules Pilipino Program of DSWD, and is
 Traditions such entitled to Php 800.00 subsidy per
 Dictionaries month.
 regularities of usage
 Certificates
 linguistic custom
 contracts
Fact statements whose truth or falsity can The National Anti-Poverty Commission
readily and finally be determined by of the Philippines says that poverty
reference to experience
needs redefinition in order to find
solution at the grassroots level.
Opinion reflect the writer's uncertainty about the Many people are poor because they are
possibility of producing satisfactory made to believe that the poor has a
proofs of soundness and his recognition
that disagreement is more likely than special place in heaven.
not.

The uncertainty stems from any of the

following:

 difficulty of the procedures

necessary for testing validity
 ambiguity of terms
 connotative effect of the terms in
the statements
Preference  highly subjective because it is a The government's focus on drug war
question of 'taste' must shift towards a war against
 assumes agreement among people
of "right" perception or indicates poverty because poverty is the root of
that no agreement is expected and drug dependence and drug trade.
that the statements are really about
the conditions of the speaker
rather than about the content
 statement of taste ("I like it"
statements)
 ethical statements ("It is good"
statements)
 statement of obligation ("You
 should do it" statements)

Opinions and preferences must always be well-supported by conventions and facts. As writers, we need to react to the things
around us according to the context provided, as established by conventions and facts, which are highly verifiable. The
verification process entails research leading to documentation, which is important because using other people's ideas without
giving them due credit is plagiarism, a crime.

Remember to use either the American Psychological Association (APA) or the Modern Language Association (MLA)
format. They are constantly updated and Google search will lead you to the current style edition with Purdue Online Writing
Lab at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl as one of the most commonly used in the academe.

Another consideration in writing a reaction paper is ensuring the use of strong assertions. But how do we judge the quality of
the assertions we make? Aside from testing its logic and validity through conventions and facts, we also assess the kinds of
assumptions and implications the reader can make out of the assertions we write.

For example, in the assertion:

There will be no rebellion in a society where there is social equity.

one can generate this assumption: Rebellion is triggered by social injustice; a

and this implication: Social equity is necessary in achieving peace.

Now, how do we use this knowledge in writing a reaction paper?

Below are helpful tips:

1. In your introduction, make an assertion that can also serve as the topic sentence of your paragraph.
2. Explain your assertion by providing its context. Include necessary background information for the readers to
have a clear perspective of why you wrote what you wrote. Another way of providing the context is by
explaining the theoretical framework used as basis in your reaction. Remember that theories help us explain,
predict and understand certain phenomena. Among the commonly used theories in academic writing include
formalism, Marxism, and feminism.
3. Provide your evidences based on the context you have set in order to prove your point or to justify your
assertion. Statements of facts and conventions make valid evidences. For smooth transition of thoughts, make
sure to use the appropriate transitional devices in the forms of conjunctions and other appropriate parts of
speech.

End of Reviewer