English for Academic and Professional Purposes
ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND
PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
Introduction
Reading is a cognitive
process of decoding symbols
to derive meaning from a text.
It is always an interaction
between the text and the reader.
We read to gain and share information and ideas, whether
for academic, personal or reading professional purposes.
EFFECTIVE READING STRATEGIES
1. Previewing
- means looking at the readily visible parts of the text, like
titles and subtitles, and also visual and graphs, pictures,
and charts.
- helps familiarize you with the contents of the selection
and focus on the important information in the text.
a. Identify your purpose for reading.
b. Examines the titles and subtitles of the text.
c. Browse the introduction and the conclusion of
the text.
d. Look at the visual elements of the text.
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English for Academic and Professional Purposes
2. Skimming and Scanning
Skimming
o means you look for the main point of the reading
and identify the ideas that develop it.
o physically moving your eyes rapidly along the page
and tracing your finger along the lines of the text to
speed up your reading.
Scanning
o the reading is looking for specific information.
o involves physically moving your eyes quickly along
the lines of text.
o useful when doing research or taking examinations.
3. Context Clues
- are words, phrases and sentences that surround an
unfamiliar word that can help your recognize the
meaning of the unknown word because the text gives
you information about it.
Common Types of Context Clues:
a. Synonyms – used when the text has words or
phrases that are similar in meaning to the unknown
word. Synonym clues may be signaled by words:
“like” or “as”.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Example:
The narration in the poem was euphoric at his son’s
victory, for he cried out triumphantly when the boy
came home.
b. Antonym – is the word that reveals the opposite
meaning in relation to the unknown word. The words
like “although” , “but” , “despite” , “unlike” ,
“even though” , and “conversely” usually precede
antonyms because they are used to show contrasting
ideas.
Example:
The hero in the poem did not given in trepidation;
rather, he bravely slayed the Jabberwock with his
sword.
c. Examples – specific details in a text that are use to
clarify the meaning of a word.
Example:
There are many eccentric creatures in the forest,
such as mome raths and borogoves.
d. Explanations and Definitions
o Explanations – may be given as clues to
describe the unknown term. When phrases like
because or that is follow a word, these may be
explanations.
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English for Academic and Professional Purposes
o Definitions – may follow an unfamiliar word.
Terms like is, means, is defined as, and refers
to are used with definitions.
Example:
Hearing someone “outgrabe” – which means he is
whistling, bellowing, and sneezing all at once – can
be a funny sight.
e. Situations - helpful in determining the meaning of a
word. The meaning of a word may change depending
on its context, or how and where it is used.
Examples:
o The boy wondered if he should have brought some
back up, in case he could not take on the Jabberwock
by himself. (“case” is part of the idiom “in case”)
o The hero’s conquest of the Jabberwock in an
exemplary case of bravery. (“case” pertains to “an
instance of the occurrence”)
o The hero is lucky that the murder of the Jabberwock
does not merit a case in court. (“case” refers to
“charges raised in court for a crime)
4. Denotation and Connotation
o Denotation – is the basic, precise, literal meaning of
the word that can be found in the dictionary.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes English for Academic and Professional Purposes

o Connotation – is the positive, negative, or neutral

Date: ________________ Score:
feelings, attitudes, ideas, or associations with a word.
QUIZ # 1
Examples: 5
EFFECTIVE READING STRATEGIES
o DOVE
Answer the following questions:
Denotation : a kind of bird
1. Using your own words, define READING
Connotation : hope
________________________________________________
o FATHER _______________________________________________

Denotation : a male parent 2. What is the importance of reading in a person’s life?

Connotation : love and respect

Compare the associations with the words HOUSE, HOME
and SHANTY. All these words denote places where people
live.
 HOUSE (Neutral Connotation) – building in which
someone lives.
 HOME (Positive Connotation) – a place of warmth
and comfort and familiarity.
 SHANTY (Negative Connotation) – associated with
poverty; it is small, crudely built shack.
________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
3. Differentiate the following:
a. SKIMMING and SCANNING
________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
b. DENOTATION and CONNOTATION
________________________________________________
______________________________________________

4. Enumerate the common types of context clues.

a. ________________ c. ________________
b. ________________ d. ________________
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
CRITICAL READING STRATEGIES
1. Previewing
Learning about a text before really reading it.
o enables readers to get a sense of what the text is about
and how it is organized before reading it closely.
o includes seeing what you can learn from the headnotes
or other introductory material, skimming to get an
overview of the content and organization, and
identifying the rhetorical situation.
2. Contextualizing
Placing a text in its historical, biographical, and
cultural contexts.
o When you read a text, you read it through the lens of
your own experience.
o To read critically, you need to contextualize, to
recognize the differences between your contemporary
values and attitudes and those represented in the text.
3. Questioning to understand and remember
Asking questions about the content.
o Questions are designed to help you understand a reading
and respond to it more fully, and often this technique
works.
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
o You can write questions any time, but in difficult
academic readings, you will understand the material
better and remember it longer if you write a question for
every paragraph or brief section.
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o Each question should focus on a main idea, not on
illustrations or details, and each should be expressed in
your own words, not just copied from parts of the
paragraph.
4. Reflecting on challenges to your beliefs and values.
Examining your personal responses.
o As you read a text for the first time, mark an X in the
margin at each point where you feel a personal challenge
to your attitudes, beliefs, or status.
o Make a brief note in the margin about what you feel or
about what in the text created the challenge.
5. Outlining and Summarizing
Identifying the main ideas and restating them in your
own words.
o helpful strategies for understanding the content and
structure of a reading selection.
 Outlining - reveals the basic structure of the text.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
 Summarizing - synopsizes a selection's main
argument in brief.
o Outlining may be part of the annotating process, or it
may be done separately.
o The key to both outlining and summarizing is being able
to distinguish between the main ideas and the
supporting ideas and examples.
o Outlining the main ideas helps you to discover this
structure. When you make an outline, don't use the
text's exact words.
o Summarizing begins with outlining, but instead of
merely listing the main ideas, a summary recomposes
them to form a new text.
6. Comparing and contrasting related readings
Exploring likenesses and differences between texts to
understand them better.
o Many of the authors we read are concerned with the
same issues or questions, but approach how to discuss
them in different ways.
o Fitting a text into an ongoing dialectic helps increase
understanding of why an author approached a particular
issue or question in the way he or she did
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Date: ________________ Score:
QUIZ # 2 9
CRITICAL READING STRATEGIES
Answer the following questions:
1. What are the benefits of becoming a critical reader?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
2. Why is it important to have a preview before totally
reading the text?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
3. In summarizing a text, what are the things to be
considered?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
4. What do you mean by CONTEXTUALIZING?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
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5. Which strategy do you think is the best for a better
understanding of a text? Why?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
ACADEMIC TEXT STRUCTURE
2. Chronological - information in the passage is
organized in order of time.
Example:
Jack and Jill ran up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell
down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.

Text structure refers to
how the information
within a written text is
organized.
This strategy helps
students understand that a
text might present a main
idea and details; a cause
and then its effects; and/or different views of a topic.
DIFFERENT TEXT STRUCTURES
1. Cause and Effect - The results of something are
explained.
Example:
The dodo bird used to roam in large flocks across America.
Interestingly, the dodo wasn’t startled by gun shot. Because
of this, frontiersmen would kill entire flocks in one sitting.
Unable to sustain these attacks, the dodo was hunted to
extinction.
3. Compare and Contrast - two or more things are
described. Their similarities and differences are
discussed. 11
Example:
Linux and Windows are both operating systems. Computers
use them to run programs. Linux is totally free and open
source, so users can improve or otherwise modify the source
code. Windows is proprietary, so it costs money to use and
users are prohibited from altering the source code.
4. Order of Importance - information is expressed as a
hierarchy or in priority.
Example:
Here are the three worst things that you can do on a date.
First, you could tell jokes that aren’t funny and laugh really
hard to yourself. This will make you look bad. Worse
though, you could offend your date. One bad “joke” may
cause your date to lash out at you, hence ruining the
engagement. But the worst thing that you can do is to
appear slovenly. By not showering and properly grooming,
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes English for Academic and Professional Purposes

you may repulse your date, and this is the worst thing that
you can do.
5. Problem and Solution - a problem is described and a
response or solution is proposed or explained.
When you walk into my bedroom there is a window facing
you. To the right of that is a dresser and television and on
the other side of the window is my bed.

Example:

Thousands of people die each year in car accidents LANGUAGES OF ACADEMIC TEXTS FROM
involving drugs or alcohol. Lives could be saved if our VARIOUS DISCIPLINES
town adopts a free public taxi service. By providing such a
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service, we could prevent intoxicated drivers from
endangering themselves or others.

6. Sequence / Process Writing - information is organized

in steps or a process is explained in the order in which it
occurs.

Example:

Eating cereal is easy. First, get out your materials. Next,

pour your cereal in the bowl, add milk, and enjoy.
7. Spatial / Descriptive Writing - information is
organized in order of space (top to bottom, left to right).
Example:
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE represents the language
demands of school (academics). Academic language
includes language used in textbooks, in classrooms, on tests,
and in each discipline. It is different in vocabulary and
structure from the everyday spoken English of social
interactions. Each type of communication (both academic
and social) has its purpose, and neither is superior to the
other.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Academic vocabulary is used in all academic
disciplines to teach about the content of the discipline, e.g.,
a water table is different from a periodic elements table.
Before taking chemistry, for example, some students know
the technical words used in chemistry, while others do not.
Pre-teaching of vocabulary and subject-specific terminology
helps to address that need. Teaching academic language can
be challenging because struggling readers and English
learners do not always know the vocabulary used to learn
specific academic terms or key concepts.
THESIS STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC TEXTS
What is Thesis Statement?
o is the central idea of an essay, around which all other
ideas revolve.
o usually appears at the beginning of the introductory
paragraph of a paper, and it offers a concise summary of
the main point or claim of the essay, research paper, etc.
o is usually one sentence that appears at the beginning
though it may occur as more than once.
o is developed, supported, and explained in the course of
the paper by means of examples and evidence.
o helps organize and develop the system of proper writing,
and also serve as a signal to readers about the topic of a
paper.
Formulating a Thesis Statement
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
You may need to ask the following questions to help you
find out a thesis statement:
o What main idea does most of my pre-writing support?
o What are the relationships that exit among my ideas?
o Which aspect of the topic seems to be given the most
detail?
o Where does my stand seem to be the most consistent?
o What is the focus of the most interesting and significant
points of my pre-writing?
o What ideas should I do more research on?
Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement
1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing:
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a. Analytical Paper - breaks down an issue or an idea
into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea,
and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the
audience.
b. Expository Paper - explains something to the
audience.
c. Argumentative Paper - makes a claim about a topic
and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The
claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an
evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an
interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to
convince the audience that the claim is true based on
the evidence provided.
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If you are writing a text that does not fall under these three
categories (e.g., a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere
in the first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader.
2. Your thesis statement should be specific.
It should cover only what you will discuss in your
paper and should be supported with specific evidence.
3. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need
to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what
you have discussed in the paper.
Thesis Statement Examples
Thesis Statement 1:
Financial Compensation for Organ Donors
People who sign up for organ donation freely give their
hearts and other organs, but this free system limits the
number of available donors and makes it difficult for
recipients to access lifesaving transplants. Thus, organ
donors should be financially compensated to produce more
available organs and, at the same time, to decrease
profitable, illegal organ harvesting activities in the black
market.
Thesis Statement 2:
Our School Is Too Dependent on Technology
Our school’s dependence on technology has caused students
to lose the ability to think independently. This dependence
has caused a greater prevalence of mood disorders, memory
loss, and loneliness. Educators should combat these issues
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
by requiring students to participate in regular technology
detoxes.
Thesis Statement 3:
School Officials’ Should Fight Cyber Bullying
Bullying has extended far beyond school and into
cyberspace. Even though these acts of aggression take place
outside of school boundaries, school officials should have
the authority to discipline students who engage in
cyberbullying without fear of reprisal. Doing so will help
improve the online behavior of students and decrease
incidences of cyberbully-related suicide attempts.
Date: ________________ Score:
ACTIVITY # 1
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WRITING THESIS STATEMENTS
Write appropriate thesis statement for each text below.
1. Thesis Statement: _____________________________
________________________________________________
Government surveillance programs do more harm than good
because they invade civil liberties, lead innocent people to suffer
unfair punishments, and ultimately fail to protect the citizens that
they are designed to safeguard. For these reasons, programs such
as PRISM operated by the NSA should be discontinued.
2. Thesis Statement: _____________________________
________________________________________________
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Marijuana has numerous medical applications, such as treating
symptoms of epilepsy, cancer, and glaucoma. Legalizing the use
of marijuana in the U.S. will greatly benefit the medical sector by
giving physicians access to this lifesaving drug.
3. Thesis Statement: _____________________________
________________________________________________
China’s one-child policy was intended to help control population
growth. Instead, it has led to unintended and negative
consequences, such as a diminishing labor force, an aging
population, the neglect of basic human rights, and an unbalanced
gender population. To improve China’s situation, the policy
should be reversed.
TECHNIQUES IN SUMMARIZING
ACADEMIC TEXTS
Summarizing a text, or distilling its essential
concepts into a paragraph or two, is a useful study tool as
well as good writing practice.
A summary has two aims:
1. to reproduce the overarching ideas in a text,
identifying the general concepts that run through the
entire piece.
2. to express these overarching ideas using precise,
specific language.
 Include the title and identify the author in your first
sentence.
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
 The first sentence or two of your summary should
contain the author’s thesis, or central concept, stated in
your own words.
 Unlike student essays, the main idea in a primary
document or an academic article may not be stated in
one location at the beginning. Instead, it may be
gradually developed throughout the piece or it may
become fully apparent only at the end.
 When summarizing a longer article, try to see how the
various stages in the explanation or argument are built
up in groups of related paragraphs.
 Divide the article into sections if it isn’t done in the
published form. Then, write a sentence or two to cover
the key ideas in each section.
 Omit ideas that are not really
19 central to the text. Don’t
feel that you must reproduce the author’s exact
progression of thought. (On the other hand, be careful
not to misrepresent ideas by omitting important aspects
of the author’s discussion).
 In general, omit minor details and specific examples.
(In some texts, an extended example may be a key part
of the argument, so you would want to mention it).
 Avoid writing opinions or personal responses in your
summaries (save these for active reading responses or
tutorial discussions).
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
 Be careful not to plagiarize the author’s words. If you do
use even a few of the author’s words, they must appear
in quotation marks. To avoid plagiarism, try writing
the first draft of your summary without looking back at
the original text
Date: ________________ Score:
ACTIVITY # 2
SUMMARIZING TEXTS
Summarize the following texts.
1. The Challenger Disaster by Mary Jones By 1984, NASA, the United States
space program, had carried out many successful flights of the space
shuttle. In fact, Americans were beginning to take the whole NASA program
for granted. Then, the president announced that the next shuttle would
carry a school teacher into space. Hundreds of teachers from all parts of
the country applied for the job. They all wanted to be “the first teacher in
space.” During the next year, these adventurous educators were tested and
examined and trained. At last, the choice was announced. A teacher from
New Hampshire, Christa MacAuliffe, would be the first teacher-astronaut.
. 1. Reread the original passage until you understand its full
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
2. Everyone knows what happened on that terrible day in January, 1986.
Early in the morning, the Challenger crew had a good breakfast and
discussed their plans. They made sure they understood all of the work they
would be doing during the flight. Later, they boarded a special van, which
carried them to the shuttle. The weather was rather cold, and some NASA
officials wondered if they should put off the flight. After some discussion,
they decided to go ahead. The Challenger took off over the Atlantic Ocean
in Florida. Minutes later, it exploded in the air. All the crew members died in
the crash.
.
PARAPHRASING ACADEMIC TEXTS
To paraphrase is to include the ideas or information
from an original source in your21 paper by rephrasing those
ideas or information in your own words. The key to
successful paraphrasing is to use as few words as possible
from the original text--be mindful not to change the meaning
that you are trying to convey as you rephrase--and to cite
your paraphrase. Without proper citation, your paraphrase
could be construed as plagiarism.
6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing
meaning.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
2. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a
note card.
3. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind
you later how you envision using this material. At the
top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to
indicate the subject of your paraphrase.
4. Check your rendition with the original to make sure that
your version accurately expresses all the essential
information in a new form.
5. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or
phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.
6. Record the source (including the page) on your note card
so that you can credit it easily if you decide to
incorporate the material into your paper.
Examples to Compare
The original passage:
Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes,
and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research]
paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript
should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you
should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of
source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D.
Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.
A legitimate paraphrase:
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
In research papers students often quote excessively, failing
to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the
problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential
to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).
A plagiarized version:
Students often use too many direct quotations when they
take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final
research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final
copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is
important to limit the amount of source material copied
while taking notes.
Date: ________________ Score:
ACTIVITY # 3
PARAPHRASING TEXTS 23
On a separate sheet of paper, paraphrase the following
texts:
1. By mid-December, 1914, British troops had been
fighting on the Continent for over five months.
Casualties had been shocking, positions had settled into
self-destructive stalemate, and sensitive people now
perceived that the war, far from promising to be “over
by Christmas,” was going to extend itself to hitherto
unimagined reaches of suffering and irony.
From Paul Fussell, The Great War and Modern Memory. London:
Oxford University Press, 1977.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
2. In 1610, Galileo Galilei published a small book
describing astronomical observations that he had made
of the skies above Padua. His homemade telescopes had
less magnifying and resolving power than most
beginners’ telescopes sold today, yet with them he made
astonishing discoveries: that the moon has mountains
and other topographical features; that Jupiter is orbited
by satellites, which he called planets; and that the Milky
Way is made up of individual stars.
From David Owen, “The Dark Side: Making War on Light
Pollution,” The New Yorker (20 August 2007): 28.
OUTLINE
READING WRITING
An outline is a summary that gives the essential
features of a text. It shows how the parts of a text are related
to one another as parts that are of equal importance, or
sections that are subordinate to a main idea.
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
2 Kinds of Outlines:
a. Reading Outline – highly structured. It is used to get
the main ideas of a text that is already written. It helps
you understand the text more critically. (see sample on
page )
b. Writing Outline – skeletal version of your essay. It is
used as a guide to organize your ideas. (see sample on
page )
Sample Reading Outline
Purpose: To inform
Audience: High School Students Aged25 12-17 Years Old
Tone: Light and Educational
Point of View: Third Person Point of View
Thesis Statement: In the old times, the Spanish bore such a great influence
over Philippine languages and Philippine life.
I. The Spanish used Philippine native languages to Christianize the natives.
A. The friars discovered that it was easier to preach the Good News in
the natives’ own languages.
B. It was easier for priests to learn the native language and preach in it,
than for the natives to learn Spanish and learn Spanish and learn
Christianity in it.
II. The Spanish mixed terms from their own language with Philippine
native languages.
A. The Spanish retained certain key concepts in their own language
because these terms did not have equivalents in the native languages.
They also did this so the natives could not equate these terms with
their pagan beliefs.
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1. These concepts include: God, Holy Trinity, Holy Ghost, Virgin 1) Open eyes
Mary, the Pope, grace, sin, cross, hell, Holy Church, Sunday, 2) Encourage activism
and the names of the Sacraments. III. Douglass as Author/Publisher
2. These words can be found in the first book to be published in A. Narrative’s success and effect
Tagalog, named the Doctrina Christiana. This book was
1) Springboard for paper
published in 1593.
B. This was the beginning of the marriage of Spanish and the Philippine B. Goals/hopes for paper
languages that came under the Spanish Christian influence. C. Garrison set-back and significance
C. This allowed the “common people” to start learning Spanish not only D. Significance of Paper
in religion but also at home and in everyday life. IV. Douglass as Politician
III. The Spanish, and a minority of Filipinos, also used the Spanish language A. Key trait for success
in the domains of higher education, government, and law. B. Goal of political activism
A. Very few Filipinos learned Spanish well. C. Efforts for Republican party
1. The University of Santo Tomas only conferred 2, 169 degrees 1) Significance of efforts
from 1634 to 1865.
D. Black soldier enlistment crusade
2. Toward the end of the Spanish regime, only 2.46% of an adult
population of 4.65 million spoke Spanish.
E. Joining of Republican party
B. The few Filipinos who did learn Spanish (referred to as illutrados) 1) Significance of efforts
were the same people who exerted an enduring influence in the V. Conclusion
domains of Philippine education, government and law. A. Summarize arguments and efforts
C. Spanish was an official language of the Philippines until 1986.
Sample Writing Outline CRITICAL READING as REASONING

Title: Frederick Douglass Identifying Assertions

Thesis Statement: Frederick Douglass played a crucial role in 27
securing the abolition of slavery and equality of African-American Assertions are declarative sentences that claim
rights through his actions, ideas, and efforts as a lecturer,
something else.
author/publisher, and politician.

I. Introduction Types of Assertions

A. Thesis
B. Roles/Arguments 1. Fact – is a statement that can be proven objectively by
II. Douglass as Lecturer direct experience, testimonies of witnesses, verified
A. History as slave and acquisition of education observations, or the results of research.
1) He “experienced slavery”
2) Literacy allowed expression
B. Early lectures, including initial speech before Garrison Example: The sampaguita’s roots are used for medicinal
1) Success of initial speech purposes, such as an anesthetic and a sedative.
2) Goals for future speeches
C. Effect of lectures on society
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
(This statement is fact because it can be directly verified
by experience or reliable research reports.)
Sources of Factual Information:
a. Magazine – a collection of articles and images about
diverse topics of popular interest and current events.
b. Journal – a collection of articles usually written by
scholars in an academic or professional field.
c. Database – contains citations of articles in
magazines, journals, and newspapers.
d. Newspaper – is a collection of articles about current
events usually published daily.
e. Library Catalog – an organized and searchable
collection of records of every item in a library and
can be found on the library home page.
f. 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.
g. Encyclopedias – collections of short, factual entries
often written by different contributors who are
knowledgeable about the topic.  attempt to draw a reasonable conclusion from factual
h. Web – allows you to access most types of
information on the Internet through a browser.
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
2. Convention – is a way in which something is done,
similar to traditions and norms. It depends on historical
precedent, laws, rules, usage, and customs. It may sound
factual due to their being derived from customs.
Example: The sampaguita belongs to the genus
Jasminum of the family Oleaceae.
(This statement is convention because it is based on
classification system made up by scientists and is
acceptable to the scientific community.)
3. Opinion – based on facts, but are difficult objectively
verify because of producing satisfactory proofs of
soundness.
Example: The popularity of sampaguita flowers is most
evident in places of worship.
(This statement is an opinion because it is based on an
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observation that needs to be proven by studies or
repeated observation.)
Forming Opinions Based On Facts
An opinion is a judgment based on facts, an honest
evidence.
Example:
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
o We know that millions of people go without proper
medical care, and so you form the opinion that the
country should institute national health insurance even
though it would cost billions of dollars.
4. Preference – based on personal choice; therefore, they
are subjective and cannot be objectively proven or
logically attacked.
Example: Sampaguitas are the most beautiful and the
most fragrant of all flowers.
(This statement is preference because it says a lot about
the type of flowers that the writer likes, instead of
objectively comparing the qualities of sampaguitas to
that of other flowers.)
Date: ________________ Score:
QUIZ # 3
IDENTIFYING ASSERTIONS
Identify the type of the following assertions. Write C if
convention, F if fact, O if opinion or P if preference.
_____ 1. Social media is defined as the internet and mobile-
based tools and devices that facilitate the integration of
technology, telecommunications, and social interaction.
_____ 2. Facebook is a cooler social media platform than
Twitter.
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
_____ 3. In 2012, there were 1.4 billion users of social
media worldwide.
_____ 4. Teachers should use social media in their lessons
to get more students interested.
_____ 5. Another name for social media is “Web 2.0”
because both terms emphasize the social aspects of the
Internet as avenues for communication, collaboration, and
creative expression.
_____ 6. Many teenagers’ present obsession with taking
selfies shows they are the most narcissistic generation.
_____ 7. Social networks are the most distracting websites
on the Internet.
_____8. In the first quarter of 2014, nearly 300 million
smartphone units were sold all over the world.
_____ 9. Parents ought to enforce stricter guidelines in
social media to safeguard their children’s privacy.
_____ 10. Children are learning how to operate mobile
devices at increasingly younger ages; many of them have an
idea on how to use a touchscreen tablet before they are two.
WRITING THE REACTION PAPER
A reaction or response paper requires the writer to
analyze a text, then develop commentary related to it. It is a
popular academic assignment 31 because it requires thoughtful
reading, research, and writing.
How to Write a Reaction Paper?
A. Prewriting and Actively Reading
1. Understand the purpose of a reaction paper.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
i. Evaluate the text's strengths and weaknesses,
along with if and how well the text accomplishes its
objective.
j. Have a close reading of the text that goes beyond
the surface meaning.
2. Figure out what the assignment is asking.
 Figure out exactly what your teacher or professor is
looking for. Some teachers want you to react by
analyzing or evaluating the reading. Other teachers want
a personal response.
3. Read the text you are assigned right after it is
assigned.
 Give yourself time to do the readings, but more
importantly, to digest what you've read so you can put
the ideas together.
4. Write down your initial reactions.
 Jot down your initial reactions to the text. Do the same
thing on any subsequent readings.
 Try completing some of the following sentences after
you read: I think that..., I see that..., I feel that..., It
seems that..., or In my opinion...
5. Annotate the text as you read.
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
 Annotating in the margins of the text allows you to
easily locate quotations, plot lines, character
development, or reactions to the text. If you fail to
annotate thoroughly, it will be more difficult to create a
cohesive reaction paper.
6. Question as you read.
 Start questioning the text. This is where your evaluation
of the material and your reaction begins.
B. Drafting Your Essay
1. Free write
 Put into words what you think the author is trying to do
and whether you agree or disagree.
2. Decide on your angle.
 Decide what your angle is. Keep asking yourself the
same questions as you craft a coherent reaction.
 Think about why the author has written the article or
story as they have. Why did he structure things in this
particular way? How does this relate to the outside
world?
33
3. Determine your thesis.
 Start to state why what you said is interesting and
important. This is the core of your reaction paper.
 Take all your points, opinions, and observations, and
combine them into one claim that you will prove.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
 Your thesis will be one statement that explains what you
will analyze, criticize, or try to prove about the text. It
will force your reaction paper to remain focused.
4. Organize your paper.
 It needs an introduction, body paragraphs, and a
conclusion.
 Each body paragraph should directly support your thesis.
 Organize your reactions together into a few common
topics so you can write them into paragraphs.
5. Gather quotations
 Find quotations that will support your points.
 Back up your claims with evidence from the text.
 Look at your annotations for quotations that support
your thesis.
6. Structure your paragraphs.
 Your paragraphs should always start with a topic
sentence.
 Decide how to structure your paragraph. You can start
with what the author says and follow that with your
reaction. Or you can start with the author and then
follow with how your reaction contrasts.
C. Writing Your Final Draft
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
1. Write your introduction.
 Make sure your introductory paragraph states the name
of the text, the author, and the focus of your paper.
 You may also want to include the year of publication
and the publication it was taken from if relevant.
 It is also good to include the topic of the text and the
author's purpose.
2. Reread your reaction paragraphs to ensure you make
a stance.
 Although most reaction papers don't ask specifically for
your personal opinion, you should be critiquing,
analyzing, and evaluating the text, rather than just
sticking to the facts.
3. Explain the greater implications of the text for the
class, author, audience, or yourself.
 Connect the text to other 35
ideas you've discussed in the
class. How does this text compare to other texts, authors,
themes, or time periods?
4. Edit for clarity and length.
 Since reaction papers are usually short, you don't want
them to be long. They can range from 500 words to 5
pages.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
 Make sure to read your assignment carefully to make
sure you follow directions.
5. Proof and spell check your document.
 Proof by reading for grammar errors. Look for run ons,
fragments, verb tense issues, and punctuation errors.
Check for spelling
6. Ask yourself if you responded to the assignment
adequately.
 Double check your assignment guidelines.
 Make sure you have followed your teacher's directions.
Sample Reaction Paper
MARRIAGE MATERIAL
A Film Reaction Paper
The film “Marriage Material,” is a look inside the relationship of two
people, Andrew and Emily, who because of a simple gesture of friendship are
forced to take a serious look at their relationship. In this case, it’s the unexpected
consequences that come about when Andrew and Emily offer to babysit their
friends’ seven-month-old son for the day. At first babysitting is a novelty for
both of them, actually more for Emily than for Andrew. Andrew seems
ambivalent about their babysitting adventure. Emily is curious about the cost of
having and caring for a baby, and when her friend divulges that “babies don’t
cost that much,” it intrigues her. However, Andrew seems more interested in just
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
getting through the day and handing the child back to the parents. For Emily, it
is the time she spends with the baby that she discovers her maternal, nurturing
instinct has been awakened and feels her biological clock has begun to tick. It is
this new revelation that has her contemplating the idea of marriage and starting a
family—with her boyfriend, Andrew. On the other hand, the vibe from Andrew
is he sees the child as nothing more than a distraction to his everyday routine, the
reason that is keeping him away from his computer and his writing. Andrew is a
man self-absorbed in his work. He is happy with the status quo, but Emily is
now longing for something more. It is their different reactions to the experiences
of the day that causes them to question their life together and the possibility that
neither one of them might be “marriage material.” This short film does a fairly
good job of showing how social devaluation, dominant cultural values and even
self-concept play a role in our daily interactions, as well as the choices we make.
In the beginning of the film it seemed as if Emily had a positive self-
concept; however this changed throughout the film. The first glimpse of this was
when she confided to her friend about the “tug of her uterus.” Emily wants to
have a baby, but she’s afraid to voice her desire to Andrew for fear of rejection.
This is further explored in the scene from the bedroom, where Emily finally
expresses her desire for marriage. It is during this tension filled conversation
that Andrew, feeling cornered about expressing his own feelings, snaps at Emily.
In a demoralizing rant, he goes off on how Emily never stops talking, she never
allows him to talk. He continues on further, saying that no one can talk when
she’s around and even though he has publicly chastised her about this, she still
has not stopped. This might explain why Emily has a poor self-concept. Maybe
Andrew thinks if he can make her mad enough, she’ll drop the subject of
marriage—but she doesn’t. Andrew’s answer of not wanting to get married
hurts Emily, it is not what she was expecting and is clearly a blow to her ego.
You can just feel her hurt and rejection as she asks him, why he doesn’t want to
37her fault that Andrew doesn’t want to
marry her. She’s got to be feeling that it’s
marry her. The sense of sadness that Emily feels as turns over to go to sleep is
very evident. The next scene cuts to where Emily is working out on the floor. It
poses the question, “is she working out because she likes to work out?” or “is
she working out because she has body-image issues?” We know she has a trust
issue by the way she says that since Andrew travels all the time, it would make
her feel better if he had a ring on his finger. However, do these trust issues stem
from her childhood or has Andrew done something to break that trust?
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes English for Academic and Professional Purposes

Marriage Material allowed the viewer to look at the complexities of a  To be printed in a short bond paper
relationship through the lives of two young people. We could see how things as
dominant cultural values, social devaluation and a person’s own self-concept can  Font Style: Times New Roman
lead to a breakdown in how we communicate. To me, I felt the film was like a
three-part play with each act allowing us to look a little deeper into their  Font Size: 12
relationship. Each act connecting to the other to show how one little event can
snowball into a much larger event. In the case of Andrew and Emily, it was
something as little as a seven-month old baby that caused Emily to stop
suppressing her desire to have a baby. For Andrew, the caring of the baby only
proved to be a distraction in his writing. From watching the interaction and
dialog between the two of them throughout the film, it became apparent they did
not place the same emphasis on society’s institution of marriage. In the last few
scenes of the film, we see both of them outside doing yard work. They are still
together, but somehow there is a great divide between them. Something has
changed for both of them. There is a sense of defeat in Emily, a kind of sadness.
She knows that Andrew is not “marriage material,” so where does she fit into his
life. Andrew must also re-evaluate his feelings for Emily. Can he change his
values to fit hers, does he even want to? Initially, I thought based on the
description of the film, “a couple agrees to watch a friends’ baby,” that it might
have some light-hearted moments…two inexperienced twenty-something’s
trying to care for a baby. Instead it was the complete opposite. It was a great film
to watch from a sociological standpoint. It was just sad to watch the breakdown
and deterioration of a relationship.

Date: ________________ Score:

WRITING THE REVIEW PAPER
ACTIVITY # 4
What is Review Paper? 39
WRITING REACTION PAPER
o A review paper synthesizes the results from several
Write a reaction paper about the movie “Every Child Is primary literature papers to produce a coherent argument
Special” by Aahmir Khan. Be sure to include your about a topic or focused description of a field.
o The emphasis of a review paper is interpreting the
feelings as you watch it. Follow the format below. primary literature on the subject. You need to read
several original research articles on the same topic and
 Minimum of 5 paragraphs
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
make your own conclusions about the meanings of those
papers.
How to Write A Review Paper?
A. Preparing to Write Your Review
1. Read the book and take notes.
2. Think about the book's genre and/or field of study.
3. Determine the major themes of the book.
4. Consider the author's writing style.
5. Make note of the book's format, if relevant.
6. Consider any literary devices in the book.
7. Think about how unique the book is.
8. Assess how successful the book is.
B. Creating a First Draft of the Review
1. Begin with a heading.
2. Write an introduction.
 Ensure your introduction contains relevant details like
the author's background, and if applicable, their
previous work in the genre.
3. Write a summary of the book.
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
 Move into a summary of the book's themes and main
points.
 Keep the summary short, to the point, and informative.
4. Evaluate and critique the book.
 Shift into your critical analysis. This the heart of your
review, so be as direct and clear as you can.
 Address how well the book has achieved its goal, how to
book compares to other books on the subject, specific
points that were not convincing or lacked development,
and what personal experiences.
5. Wrap up the review.
 Examine the strengths and weaknesses of the book, and
discuss whether or not you would recommend the book
to others.
C. Polishing the Review
1. Reread and revise your review.
2. Get feedback.
3. Always submit your best work.
Sample Review Paper
THE SCARLET LETTER
A Book 41
Review
The Scarlet Letter, a romantic work of fiction in a historical
setting is considered Nathaniel Hawthorne's magnum opus. Set in
17th-century Puritan Boston during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells
the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an
adulterous affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes English for Academic and Professional Purposes

dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of
legalism, sin, and guilt.... The book's immediate and lasting success
are due to the way it addresses spiritual and moral issues from a
uniquely American standpoint. In 1850, adultery was an extremely
risque subject, but because Hawthorne had the support of the New
England literary establishment, it passed easily into the realm of
appropriate reading. It has been said that this work represents the
height of Hawthorne's literary genius; dense with terse descriptions.
It remains relevant for its philosophical and psychological depth, and
continues to be read as a classic tale on a universal theme.
The style of Hawthorne is purity itself. His tone is singularly
effective—wild, plaintive, thoughtful, and in full accordance with his
themes... We look upon him as one of the few men of indisputable
genius to whom our country has as yet given birth.
It is beautiful, admirable, extraordinary; it has in the highest
degree that merit which I have spoken of as the mark of Hawthorne's
best things--an indefinable purity and lightness of conception...One
can often return to it; it supports familiarity and has the inexhaustible
charm and mystery of great works of art
If we have a national heroine of our version of the Protestant
will in America, then it must be Hester Prynne, Hawthorne's triumph.
impressions. Follow the suggestions below to learn to write
a thorough and impressive article critique.
A. Becoming an Active Reader
1. Read through the article once to get the main idea.
2. Form a vague opinion.
3. Make a preliminary list of possible places to search
for evidence.
B. Gathering Evidence
1. Question whether the writer's overall message is
logical.
2. Examine the author's introduction and conclusion to
make sure they match up as supporting elements.
3. Search the article for any bias demonstrated on behalf
of the author.
4. Consider the author's interpretation of other scholarly
texts.
5. Remember that a critique doesn't have to be entirely
positive or entirely negative.

WRITING THE CRITIQUE PAPER

C. Formatting Your Critique
Critique Paper is the analysis of a literary or
scientific article with emphasis on whether or not the author 1. Begin with an introduction that outlines your
43
supported his main points with reasonable and applicable argument.
arguments based on facts. 2. Provide evidence for your argument in the body
paragraphs of your critique.
A good critique demonstrates your impressions of 3. Present your arguments in a well-reasoned, objective
the article, while providing ample evidence to back up your tone.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
HOW TO WRITE AN ART CRITIQUE?
1. Describe what you see. This is the objective portion of
the art critique. It involves a technical description-
nothing more.
2. Analyze the artwork. Evolve the art criticism from a
technical description to an in-depth examination of how
the technical elements were utilized by the artist to
create the overall impression conveyed by the artwork.
3. Interpret the artwork. This part of an art critique is
more subjective than the others, as you are expected to
use your analysis of the technical aspects of the piece of
art to apply your own supposition to the artist's intended
purpose for the artwork.
4. Evaluate the artwork. This is a summation of the art
criticism process leading up to this point. Use your
analysis and interpretation to draw conclusions and
reach judgments about the artwork.
5. Say how the art piece comes across to you:
 What do you think could be done better?
 Why didn't the artist do it that way?
 How is this picture unique in its composition?
 What have you gained through examining this
picture?
TYPES OF CRITICAL APPROACHES
1. Formalist Criticism
o All the elements necessary for understanding the
work are contained within the work itself.
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
o The particular interest to the formalist critic are the
elements of form—style, structure, tone, imagery,
etc.—that are found within the text or work.
o A primary goal for formalist critics is to determine
how such elements work together with the text’s
content to shape its effects upon readers.
2. Biographical Criticism
o This is about an understanding of an author’s life.
o A biographical critic must be careful not to take the
biographical facts of a writer’s life too far in
criticizing the works of that writer.
3. Historical Criticism
o This is done by investigating the social, cultural,
and intellectual context that produced it.
o A key goal for historical critics is to understand the
effect of a literary work upon its original readers.
4. Gender Criticism
o This approach “examines how sexual identity
influences the creation and reception of literary
works or art works.”
o Feminist criticism attempts to correct the
imbalance by analyzing and combating such
attitudes—by questioning, for example, why none
of the characters in Shakespeare’s play Othello ever
challenge the right of a husband to murder a wife
45
accused of adultery.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
o Feminist critics include “analyzing how sexual
identity influences the reader of a text” and
“examining how the images of men and women in
imaginative literature reflect or reject the social
forces that have historically kept the sexes from
achieving total equality.”
5. Psychological Criticism
o Fundamental figures in psychological criticism
include Sigmund Freud, whose “psychoanalytic
theories changed our notions of human behavior by
exploring new or controversial areas like wish-
fulfillment, sexuality, the unconscious, and
repression”
6. Sociological Criticism
o It explores the relationships between the artist and
society.
o One influential type of sociological criticism is
Marxist criticism, which focuses on the economic
and political elements of art, often emphasizing the
ideological content of literature.
Sample Art Critique Paper
George Seurat
AN AFTERNOON AT
LA GRANDE JETTE
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Describe:
The painting shows a group of people standing around a beach
or lake. The clothes that the people are wearing are an older style. The
skirts the women are wearing are large, and some of the men are
wearing top hats. A man is sitting on the front left side wearing a
baseball hat and a sleeveless shirt.There is a woman and a man on the
rightside, who are standing in the shade, with some animals around
them, including a dog. There are a number of people sitting around and
looking at the water. Some of the women have umbrellas, although it is
not raining. Some of the people are in the shade.
Analyze:
The painting shows a contrast of light and dark colors. The
artist creates space by having the beach and people go back in the
painting. There are no real lines in the painting because it is painted in a
pointilist style. The artist shows texture in the dresses and on the grass
The artist uses different color values for the clothes and on the grass to
show the difference between the shaded area and sunny area. the
painting shows a realistic scene.
Interpret:
I think that the painting is about people gathering around
outside on a nice day and looking at the water. Maybe they are all there
on a weekend day. There are lots of people in the picture, some are
sitting down and maybe having a picnic. There are some boats in the
distance on the water and maybe they are watching a boat race.
Judgement:
I think that this is a good painting because the artist uses a
different style to create the image and uses a lot of different colors. The
contrast between the shaded area and the light area shows that it is a
sunny day. The artist uses different colors and values, and creates a
unique texture through his style of painting.
Sample Art Critique
47
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes English for Academic and Professional Purposes

CRITICAL APPROACHES
Complete the table
by writing the different critical approaches. Have a
RICHARD MCKINLEY short definition in each approach.

The overall appearance of the painting is good. I especially like

the sensitive color harmony. Fall can be a tough time of year with its CRITICAL APPROACHES
discordant warm and cool colors. You have harmonized them well. The
overall value mass balance looks good also. Two of the most important
factors for a successful painting!  ______________________________
1. _____________ _________________________________
I am a little concerned about the straightness of the shoreline. If
it had a bit of irregularity, without compromising the linear perspective,
it would work better. Everything has a beautiful nature textural quality  ______________________________
except the edge of the shore. If you broke it up (slightly) the viewer's 2. _____________ _________________________________
eye would be better able to travel across the water/shore edge into the
forest waiting on the other side. Compositionally, it is always tough to
have a uniform shape across the foreground. It creates a visual wall.
 ______________________________
Another consideration is the value of some of the closer tree 3. _____________ _________________________________
foliage. With the diffused lighting of the scene, some of the leave
masses could be darker. Not a lot, just slightly. This would be more
evident in the foreground trees. Considering the values indicated on the  ______________________________
ground and tree trunks, A few darker indications in the foliage would 4. _____________ _________________________________
unify the appearance of the scene and add atmospheric distance to the
background, heightening the painting’s depth. The tops of trees also
often appear slightly darker. Lower sections receive reflected light.  ______________________________
Again, not a lot, just a bit. 5. _____________ _________________________________
Final observation, an indication of something reaching across
the division between the trees would better allow the viewer’s eye to
travel across the painting. As it stands, the path of light from the top to  ______________________________
6. _____________ _________________________________
bottom of the painting divides the scene in two. It doesn’t have to be
much, just a faint branch or bit of texture.
Date: ________________ Score:
WRITING THE CONCEPT PAPER
ACTIVITY # 6
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
What is Concept Paper?
- a short summary that tells the reader what the project is,
why it is important, and how it will be carried out.
- serves as a prelude to a full paper. What is the full paper
all about? The full paper may be a thesis, a program, a
project, or anything that will require a longer time to
prepare.
- may also be used as an instructional tool that may have
developed as a result of extensive research, committee
input and/or as a result of the outcome of a current
project.
Format of Concept Paper
1. Page One: Administrative Information
a. Title of the Study
b. Principal Investigator
c. Length of Study (Maximum 3 years)
d. Estimated Total Budget
e. Supervising Institution
f. Project Site(s)
2. Page Two: Structured Scientific Summary
50
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
a. Background
o Include information on incidence or prevalence and
severity of the problem in children.
o Describe what is not known about the problem that the
proposal intends to address.
o Include any preliminary data or additional background
information indicating the rationale for the proposed
research.
b. Objective(s) and Hypothesis(es)
o Describe the precise objective(s) of the proposed
research.
o State the specific hypothesis(es) to be tested.
c. Design
o Describe the basic design of the study.
o Indicate the primary outcomes and how they will be
measured.
d. Potential Impact
o Discuss where the research is leading and in what
ways and in how many years the findings might
potentially influence the prevention, diagnosis and/or
treatment of the particular medical problem in
children.
51
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
3. Page Three: Structured Lay Summary
a. The lay summary should be 250 words or less and is
intended as a brief, simplified summary for those who
may not have scientific training.
I should include three sections:
 Background
 Objective(s) and Hypothesis(es) (one sentence per
objective/hypothesis).
 Potential Impact
WRITING THE POSITION PAPER
What is Position Paper?
- a formal, usually detailed written statement, especially
regarding a single issue, that articulates a position,
viewpoint, or policy, as of a government, organization,
or political candidate.
- Like a debate, a position paper presents one side of an
arguable opinion about an issue.
- The goal of a position paper is to convince the audience
that your opinion is valid and defensible.
- Your job is to take one side of the argument and
persuade your audience that you have well-founded
knowledge of the topic being presented.
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
- It is important to support your argument with evidence
to ensure the validity of your claims, as well as to refute
the counterclaims to show that you are well informed
about both sides.
- A good position paper will not only provide facts but
also make proposals for resolutions.
Steps in Writing a Position Writing
1. Select a Topic
o Find a topic that is near and dear to your heart, and
you’ll put more of your heart into your work. That
always leads to a better outcome.
2. Conduct Preliminary Research
o Preliminary research is necessary to determine
whether evidence is available to back up your stance.
o Search a few reputable sites, like educations sites and
government sites, to find professional studies and
statistics.
3. Challenge Your Own Topic
o You must know the opposite view as well your own
stance when you take a position.
o You must know all the possible challenges that you
might face as you support your view.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
o Your position paper must address the opposing view
and chip away at it with counter evidence.
o You must find arguments for the other side of your
position, present those arguments or points in a fair
manner, and then state why they are not sound.
53
4. Continue to Collect Supporting Evidence
o Once you’ve determined that your position is
supportable and the opposite position is (in your
opinion) weaker than your own, you are ready to
branch out with your research.
o Try to collect a variety of sources, to include an
expert’s opinion (doctor, lawyer, or professor, for
example) and personal experience (from a friend or
family member) that can add an emotional appeal to
your topic.
5. Create an Outline
A position paper might be arranged in the following format:
a. Introduce your topic with a little background
information. Build up to your thesis sentence, which
asserts your position.
Sample points:
o For decades, the FDA has required that warning labels
should be placed on certain products that pose a threat
to public health.
o Fast food restaurants are bad for our health.
o Fast food packages should contain warning labels.
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
b. List possible objections to your position.
Sample points:
o Such labels would affect profits of major corporations.
o Many people would see this as overreaching
government control. 54
o Whose job is it to determine which restaurants are bad?
Who draws the line?
o The program would be costly.
c. Support and acknowledgement of the opposing points.
Sample points:
o It would be difficult and expensive for any entity to
determine which restaurants should adhere to the
policy.
o Nobody wants to see the government overstepping its
boundaries.
o Funding would fall onto the shoulders of taxpayers.
d. Explain that your position is still the best one, despite
the strength of counter arguments.
Sample points:
o The cost would be countered by the improvement of
public health.
o Restaurants might improve the standards of food if
warning labels were put into place.
o One role of the government is to keep citizens safe.
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
o The government already does this with drugs and
cigarettes.
6. Summarize your argument and restate your position.
7. Get Attitude
o When you write a position55 paper, you should write
with confidence.
o Your goal is to demonstrate that your position is the
correct one.
o Be assertive, but don't be cocky. State your points and
back them up with evidence.
Tips in Writing a Position Paper
1. Keep it simple. To communicate strongly and
effectively, avoid flowery wording and stick to
uncomplicated language and sentence structure.
2. Make it official. The more realistic it looks, the more
others will want to read it.
3. Get organized. Make sure each paragraph starts with a
topic sentence.
4. Cite your sources. Use footnotes or endnotes to show
where you found your facts and statistics.
5. Read and reread. Leave time to edit your position
paper.
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
6. Let the bullets fly. Create a bulleted list of your
proposals along with your most important facts and
statistics so that you will not lose time looking for them
during debate.
Sample Position Paper
56Organization
Committee: International Labor
Topic: Globalization and Development
Country: Romania
In the past two decades the rapidly growing world
trend has been toward globalization. With the emergence of
the internet as a means of communication and the increasing
accessibility of international trade physical barriers are not
the only barriers withering away. Protective tariffs are
plummeting and free trade agreements are becoming more
prevalent. Romania appreciates that globalization creates
favorable situations for expansion of commercial as well as
economic assets. In the past year Romania has seen a
foreign direct investment (FDI) increase of 199%. Inward
FDI increased from EURO 234 million in 2005 to EURO
699 million in 2006. However, Romania realizes that
increased globalization does not automatically produce more
equality.
Globalization and Development can contribute to the
advancement of the overall international human condition;
however, the delegation of Romania recognizes that without
proper regulation the potential for advancement will remain
limited to an elite few individuals, businesses, and nations.
Unless checked and aimed toward the common good,
globalization cannot effectively serve the global community.
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Crucial in dealing with the complexities of globalization,

good governance must act with solidarity and responsibility.
Romania believes that in involving people in globalization
we must promote moral values, democratic principals,
inclusive global political culture, institutions that safeguard
both individual civil rights and inherent freedoms, and the
common good. In addition, coping with the influx of CONDUCTING SURVEYS
information from globalization governments must act with
solidarity and insight. Access to digital education will What is SURVEY?
undoubtedly result in the confidence of citizens in their
respective administrations and allow for a greater degree of - is a data collection tool used to gather information about
transparency, and therefore a lesser degree of corruption. individuals.
Romania believes the multinational business - commonly used in psychology research to collect self-
community has the ability and the obligation to support
report data from study participants.
pertinent values in human rights, labor standards, and
environmental preservation. As stated by the president, Mr.
- may focus on factual information about individuals, or it
Traion Basescu, Romania feels a "heartfelt attachment to
multilateralism, as an effective instrument designed to might aim to obtain the opinions of the survey takers.
identify the adequate answers to the challenges brought by
globalization." - one of the most commonly used research tools and can
be utilized to collect data and describe naturally
Romania is party to the majority of multilateral occurring phenomena that exist in the real-world.
treaties and conventions identified as such by the Secretary
General in the context of the Millennium Summit in 2001.
Romania has always supported innovative and effective Why Should You Conduct A Survey?
ways of establishing cooperation within and between
regional organizations. As one of the newest members of the  to measure ideas or opinions about community issues
European Union, Romania is an active member of the World related to your initiative.
Trade Organization, and looks forward to offering its
support to the redirection of globalization to best benefit the
For example, You may want to know how many people
global community.
use your services, what users think about your services,
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
what new users expect from your services, and whether
users are satisfied with what you provide.
When Should You Conduct A Survey?
 A survey may be your best choice when:
59
o You need a quick and efficient way of getting
information.
o You need to reach a large number of people.
o You need statistically valid information about a large
number of people.
o The information you need isn't readily available
through other means.
ADVANTAGES OF USING SURVEY
1. Surveys allow researchers to collect a large amount of
data in a relatively short period.
2. Surveys are less expensive than many other data
collection techniques.
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
3. Surveys can be created quickly and administered easily.
4. Surveys can be used to collect information on a broad
range of things, including personal facts, attitudes, past
behaviors and opinions.
DISADVANTAGES OF USING SURVEY
1. Poor survey construction
60 and administration can
undermine otherwise well-designed studies.
2. The answer choices provided on a survey may not be an
accurate reflection of how the participants actually feel.
3. While random sampling is generally used to select
participants, response rates can bias the results of a
survey.
4. The social desirability bias can lead people to respond in
a way that makes them look better than they really are.
For example, a respondent might report that they engage
in more healthy behaviors than they do in real life.
TYPES OF SURVEYS
A. According to Instrumentation
1. QUESTIONNAIRE - is a paper-and-pencil instrument
that is administered to the respondents.
Advantage of Using Questionnaires:
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 Ideal for asking closed-ended questions; effective for
market or consumer research
Disadvantages of Using Questionnaires:
 Limit the researcher to understand the respondent’s
answers.
 Requires budget for reproduction of survey
questionnaires.
3. Multiple choice: Allow the respondent to select one
answer from a few possible choices.
Example: “I smoke cigarettes … a) every time, b) most
times, c) sometimes, d) rarely, e) never."
4. Likert scale: Each respondent is asked to rate items on a
response scale. For instance, they could rate each item
on a 1-to-5 response.

FORMS OF QUESTIONNAIRES

1. Open-ended: Designed to 61 prompt the respondent to SAMPLE RATINGS 62

provide you with more than just one or two word
responses. These are often "how" or "why" questions.

Example: “Why can’t you stop in cigarette smoking?”

These questions are used when you want to find out what
leads people to specific behaviors, what their attitudes are
towards different things, or how much they know about a
given topic; they provide good anecdotal evidence.

2. Closed-ended (also sometimes referred to as forced

choice questions): Specific questions that prompt yes or
no answers.

Example: “Do you smoke cigarettes?”

These are used when the information you need is fairly
clear-cut, i.e., if you need to know whether people use a
particular service or have ever heard of a specific local
resource.
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Sample of Survey Questionnaire

AGREEMENT
Strongly disagree Completely disagree
Disagree Disagree Mostly disagree
Neither agree nor Neither agree nor Slightly disagree
disagree disagree Slightly agree
Agree Agree Mostly agree
Strongly agree Completely agree

OCCURRENCES
Very rarely Never
Not at all
Rarely Seldom
Little
Occasionally About half the time
Occasionally
Frequently Usually
Often all thetime
Very frequently Always
Never
Never
Not really Rarely
Seldom
Somewhat Sometimes
Sometimes
Quite a bit Often
Often
Always
QUALITY
Poor Very poor Extremely poor
Fair Not good Below average
Average All right Average
Good Good Above average
Excellent Excellent Excellent
OVERALL IMPRESSION
Very dissatisfied
Not at all satisfied
Somewhat dissatisfied
Slightly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Very much satisfied
Very satisfied
Didn’t get what I wanted Very uncomfortable Date: ________________ Score:
Got a little of what I wanted Uncomfortable
Got a lot of what I wanted Comfortable
Got everything I wanted Very comfortable
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ACTIVITY # 7 o Between the two broad types of surveys, interviews

are more personal and probing.
DESIGNING QUESTIONNAIRES o Interviews provide the freedom to ask follow-up
questions to explore the answers of the respondents.
Research a particular topic or issue. Design a
questionnaire using likert scale with a minimum of 10 Advantages of Using Questionnaires:
questions. Have your draft written here before you print  Follow-up questions can be asked.
the questionnaire.  Provide better understanding of the answers of the
respondents.

Topic : Disadvantages of Using Questionnaires:

 Time-consuming
 Many target respondents have no public-listed phone
numbers or no telephones at all.

B. According to the Span of Time

1. Cross-Sectional Surveys
o Collecting information from the respondents at a single
period in time uses the cross-sectional type of survey.
o Cross-sectional surveys are used to identify the
relationship between two variables, as in a comparative
study.

Example:
Administering a Cross-sectional Survey about the
Relationship of Peer Pressure and Cigarette Smoking
among Teenagers as of May 2010

2. Longitudinal Surveys
o Collecting information from the respondents over a
2. INTERVIEWS period of time or from one point in time up to another.

65 66
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Sample Interview Questions Date: ________________ Score:

ACTIVITY # 8

DESIGNING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Write at least 5 interview questions. Have your daft

written here before you print the questionnaire. Choose
any topic below.

 Effects of Cigarette Smoking

 Importance of Modern Technology
 Bullying
 Leadership
 K to 12 Curriculum

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WRITING REPORT SURVEYS 2. Rating Scales

 Present your research results in detail. Rating scale questions can be those that explicitly ask
 Display your results in the form of tables, charts and participants to rate their level of agreement or satisfaction
graphs, and incorporate descriptive text to explain from 1 to 5, 1 to 7 or any bounded number range. You can
also take questions that have ordered categories and assign
what these visuals mean, and to emphasize important
numbers. For example, strongly disagree to strongly
points. agree becomes 1 to 5.
 Summarize the key points. This concise collection of
findings is similar to the Executive Summary.
 Remember that thoughts expressed here must be Strongly Strongly
Disagree Normal Agree
supported by data. Disagree Agree
 You may also mention anything that may be related to 1 2 3 4 5
this survey research, such as previous studies or survey
results that may prove useful if included.
3. Single Select
If participants are asked to pick one choice out of a
How To Summarize And Display Survey Data? number of alternatives, then this is a single-select
response option. We summarize the proportion that
1. Binary Responses - a question has only two possible chose each category.
response options.
Examples: Male/Female, Yes/No, Agree/Disagree For example, if respondents were asked the primary
method by which they pay their online bill (laptop,
When summarizing just the sample of respondents, smartphone, tablet or desktop), we can summarize this
such as the percent of women who responded, you can single-select question below.
use the ubiquitous pie graph. 49%
38%
  40
% Female
10% 3%
 
60 Female
% Laptop Smart Phone Tablet Desktop

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4. Net Promoter Questions - is a rating scale, but is Sample Report Survey Findings
usually presented as a difference between two paired
proportions--the proportion of promoters minus the
proportion of detractors.  An example NPS score of
46% is shown below. 

14%
26%
Destractor
Passive
60%
Promoter

NPS = 46%

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Sample Narrative Summary Report Date: ________________ Score:

This report was commissioned to examine why the sales volume of ACTIVITY # 9
Choice Chocolate has dropped over the past two years since its peak in
1998 and to recommend ways of increasing the volume. CONDUCTING SURVEYS
The research draws attention to the fact that in 1998, the market share of Conduct a survey using the questionnaire that you have
Choice Chocolate was 37%. The shares of their key competitors such as
Venus and Bradbury were 22% and 18% respectively. The size of the designed to the appropriate respondents.
chocolate market then was $36 million. Over the next two years,
although Choice Chocolate retained its market share the volume of sales For open-ended questionnaire: Minimum of 15
in the whole market decreased to $29 million. Further investigations respondents
reveal that this market shrinkage coincided with an increase in health
awareness amongst consumers who regard the milk and sugar
For rating scale questionnaire: Minimum of 30
ingredients in chocolate as negative; moreover, since the second half of
1999, an increasing number of rival ‘health candies’ had appeared on the respondents
market. These claimed to offer the consumers a healthy alternative.
These factors appear to be the major causes of the decreased sales DOING SUMMARY REPORTS
volume of Choice Chocolate.

Slim Choice is the latest chocolate range put forward by the R & D Tabulate the result of the survey that you conducted.
Department of Choice Chocolate. The report evaluates this range and Have a Narrative Summary of the report.
concludes that it would be an ideal candidate to meet the challenge
presented by the market and could satisfy the new consumer demand
since it uses significantly reduced milk and sugar ingredients and is
endorsed by renowned health experts. According to 97% of the 2000
subjects tested recently, it also retains the same flavour as the original
range.

It is recommended:

 that Choice Chocolate take immediate measures to launch and

promote Slim Choice alongside its existing product range;
 that Slim Choice adopt a fresh and healthy image; that part of the
launch campaign contains product endorsement statements by
renowned health experts;

 that Slim Choice be available in health food shops as well as in

traditional chocolate retail outlets

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REFERENCES http://simplyeducate.me/2012/10/31/how-to-write-a-
concept-paper/
Books

Tiongson, Marella Theresa A., Reading and Writing Skills, http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/co300man/

Rex Book Store Inc., 2016. pop12d.cfm

Internet
http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/
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assessingcommunity-needs-and-resources/conduct-
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http://essaysandreactionspapers.blogspot.com/2013/03/
every-child-is-special-reaction-paper.html http://www.austincc.edu/tmthomas/sample%20outline
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http://forpd.ucf.edu/strategies/strattextstructure.html
http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/8768-
scarlet-letter-hawthorne?start=2
http://home.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/spring97/litcrit.html

http://www.plagiarism.org/citing-sources/how-to-
http://idea.uoregon.edu/~ncite/documents/techrep/ paraphrase/
tech17.htmlhttp://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/
reading-and-researching/summarize
http://www.sfu.ca/cmns/130d1/
WritingaPositionPaper.htm
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/02/

http://www.slideshare.net/Wangkig/components-of-a-
review-paper#related-tab-content
 English for Academic and Professional Purposes
http://www.unausa.org/global-classrooms-model-un/
how-to-participate/model-un-preparation/position-
papers
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Reaction-Paper
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Reaction-Paper#
https://custompapers.com/essays-articles/concept-
papers/
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https://www.scribd.com/doc/53941349/Concept-Paper-
Format
English for Academic and Professional Purposes
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is Reading? ………………………...…………...……1
Effective Reading Strategies …………………..…...….…..1
Critical Reading Strategies…………………………………7
Academic Text Structure……………..…………….…….11
Languages of Academic Texts…….……………………..14
Thesis Statement of Academic Texts……………………..15
Summarizing Academic Texts………..…………………19
Paraphrasing Academic Texts………………….…….….22
Reading and Writing Outline………………...….………..25
Identifying Assertions ……………………………..……..28
Forming Opinions Based on Facts ……………….………30
Writing the Reaction Paper………….………………...….32
Writing the Review Paper……….………………………..40
Writing the Critique Paper……………..…………………43
Types of Critical Approaches…………..…………………45
Writing the Concept Paper………….……….…………....50
Writing the Position Paper……….……………………....52
Conducting Surveys……….…………………..………....59
Writing Report Surveys……….…………………..……....69