Academic Text (product) is defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written by experts or professionals

in a given field using formal language. Academic writing (process), therefore, is generally quite formal,
objective (impersonal) and technical.

It is formal by avoiding casual or conversational language, such as contractions or informal vocabulary. It is

impersonal and objective by avoiding direct reference to people or feelings, and instead emphasizing
objects, facts and ideas. It is technical by using vocabulary specific to the discipline.

Academic Language represents the language demands of school (academics). Academic language includes
language used in textbooks, in classrooms, on tests, and in each discipline. Academic vocabulary is used in
all academic disciplines to teach about the content of the discipline (technical).

Nature of Academic Text/Writing:

Structure - The basic structure of an academic text consists of three (3) parts; introduction, body, conclusion.
This kind of structure enables the reader to follow the argument and navigate the text.

Introduction. Its purpose is to clearly tell the reader the topic, purpose and structure of the paper. As a
rough guide, an introduction might be between 10 and 20 percent of the length of the whole paper.
Body. It develops the question, “What is the topic about?”. It may elaborate directly on the topic
sentence by giving definitions, classifications, explanations, contrasts, examples and evidence.
Conclusion. The conclusion is closely related to the introduction and is often described as its ‘mirror
image’. This means that if the introduction begins with general information and ends with specific
information, the conclusion moves in the opposite direction.

Tone - This refers to the attitude conveyed in a piece of writing. The arguments of the others are fairly
presented with an appropriate narrative tone.
Language - Formal language and third person point of view must always be observed when writing an
academic text.
Citation - In academic text, it is essential to cite sources in the body of the paper and provide a list of
references as either footnotes or endnotes.
Complexity - An academic text addresses complex issues that require higher order thinking skills to
comprehend.
Evidence-based Argument - What is valued in an academic text is that opinions are based on a sound
understanding of the pertinent body of knowledge and academic debates that exists within, and often external
to a specific discipline.
Thesis-driven - The starting point of an academic writing is a particular perspective, idea, or position applied
to the chosen topic of investigation, such as, establishing, proving, or disproving solutions to the questions
applied to investigating the research problem.

Examples of Academic Writing:

Literary Analysis: A literary analysis essay examines, evaluates, and makes an argument about a literary
work.
Research Paper: A research paper uses outside information to support a thesis or make an argument.
Dissertation: A dissertation (or thesis) is a document submitted at the conclusion of a Ph.D. program. The
dissertation is a book-length summarization of the doctoral candidate’s research.
SUMMARIZING is the process of rewriting and restating the original text into a shorter and concise piece of
writing. It involves synthesizing the key or major concepts but keeping the original message, concepts, and
relevant ideas from the source text.

● Buckley (2004), in her popular writing text Fit to Print, summarizing is reducing text to one-third or
one-quarter its original size.
● Diane Hacker (2008), in A Canadian Writer’s Reference, explains that summarizing involves stating
a work’s thesis and main ideas “simply, briefly, and accurately”.

How is summarizing different from paraphrasing?

● A summary is shorter than the original text.

● A paraphrase can be shorter or longer than the original.
● A summary eliminates details, examples, and supporting points.
● A paraphrase describes the original text in different words. It does not leave out details.

SUMMARIZING TECHNIQUES HOW IT IS DONE?

1. 5 W's, 1 H ● Who is the story about?

The 5 W's, 1 H strategy relies on six crucial
questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
These questions make it easy to identify the main
character, the important details, and the main idea
of any texts like essays, reports, book reviews,
articles, and others.
● What did they do?
● When did the action take place?
● Where did the story happen?
● Why did the main character do that?
● How did the main character do that?
Then, use the answers to the 5 W's and 1 H to write
a summary in complete sentences.

2. Somebody Wanted But So Then Somebody: Little Red Riding Hood

This method is found to be useful in summarizing a
narrative text or retelling a story that most students
normally do. Each word represents a key question
related to the story's essential elements:
Somebody: Who is the story about?
Wanted: What does the main character want?
But: Identify a problem that the main character
encountered.
So: How does the main character
solve the problem?
Then: Tell how the story ends.
Wanted: She wanted to take cookies to her sick
grandmother.
But: She encountered a wolf pretending to be her
grandmother.
So: She ran away, crying for help.
Then: A woodsman heard her and saved her from
the wolf.
After answering the questions, combine the answers
to form a summary:
Little Red Riding Hood wanted to take cookies to
her sick grandmother, but she encountered a wolf.
He got to her grandmother’s house first and
pretended to be the old woman. He was going to eat
Little Red Riding Hood, but she realized what he was
doing and ran away, crying for help. A woodsman
heard the girl’s cries and saved her from the wolf.

3. SAAC Method ● State: name of the article, book,

 or story
The SAAC method is another ● Assign: the name of the author
useful technique for summarizing ● Action: what the author is doing
any kind of text (story, article, book (example: tells, explains)
report, speech, etc). SAAC is an acronym for "State, ● Complete: complete the
Assign, Action, Complete." sentence or summary with
keywords and important details
This method is particularly helpful for students who
are learning the format of a summary and need
reminders to include the title and author's name.
However, SAAC does not include clear guidance
about which details to include. If you use SAAC, keep
in mind the types of details that belong in a
summary as mentioned in the above lesson.

4. Lesson Closure Today’s lesson or topic ____________

This is used to summarize a lesson or a specific
topic. There is a custom made format to follow as a
guide in writing a summary.
__________________________. The key idea is that
_______________________ This is important because
___________________________________. Another
important consideration
_____________________________________________ . This
matters
________________________________________________________ .
Furthermore ___________________.

A THESIS STATEMENT is a complete sentence that contains one main idea. This idea controls the content of
the entire essay. In a paragraph, writers can express the main idea in a topic sentence. In an essay, the central
idea is expressed in a thesis sentence. The thesis sentence is usually in the introductory paragraph of a basic
essay. Often it is the last or next-to-last sentence of the introductory paragraph.

A good thesis statement clearly states the point you want to make about the topic. Therefore, a good thesis
contains a specific topic, the claim or assertion you make about the topic, and at least three factual details
that support it.

How to Write a Thesis Statement in Four Easy Steps?

1. Restate the idea in the prompt or ask yourself the question the prompt asks.
2. Adopt a position and state your opinion.
3. List three reasons you will use to argue your point.
4. Combine information from 1-3 into one sentence.

An OUTLINE is simply a framework for presenting the main and supporting ideas for a particular subject or
topic. A traditional outline or formal outline uses Roman numerals and capital or lowercase letters to show
hierarchy of information, which can be an effective way to organize ideas, however, there are other ways, and
they don't always need to be formal. An informal outline tailor fits your outline specifically to your liking;
jotting down key sentences, short phrases or only key words, for as long as the main ideas are listed with key
details of each sub-section.
 Formal Outline Informal Outline

I. Main Idea Main Idea

A. Major Supporting Detail - Supporting Idea
i. Minor Supporting Detail - Supporting Idea
ii. Minor Supporting Detail - Supporting Idea
B. Major Supporting Detail
i. Minor Supporting Detail
ii. Minor Supporting Detail

Two Types of Outline

A reading outline is used to get the main ideas of a text that is already written. It helps you understand the
text’s structure more critically because you will have to find the text’s thesis statement and support. You will
better understand how a writer connects and sequences the information in the reading. Meanwhile, a writing
outline is a skeletal version of your essay. It is used as a guide to organize your ideas. It is usually done before
you write the first draft of your essay.

In writing your outline, you could choose between a topic outline which lists words or phrases, or a
sentence outline which lists complete sentences.

A CRITIQUE is academic writing, it critically evaluates a piece of work such as literary pieces, exhibits, film,
performances, artworks, news reports, music, events, programs, and the likes.

A critique writing format includes an introduction, summary, critique part (critical evaluation), and a
conclusion.

Introduction

● To begin, mention the work being reviewed, the name or title, the author’s or creator’s name, as well
as the date.
● Write a brief description of the work, including the key points, the reason or purpose of the work, and
the context in which the work was created, whether for academic, professional, personal, political,
etc.
Body

● Provide a summary of the main points of the work you are critiquing. Focus on giving the reader an
overall idea of the content of your critique, the results from your observation, questions,
comparisons, and outcomes. Summary should be only 20-30 percent of your body.
● Discuss your critical evaluation. Examine the strengths and weaknesses of the work being critiqued.
Present your analysis, describe any problem, and provide alternatives or recommendations of the
method, procedure, process, or techniques that might have been overlooked by the creator. Critical
evaluation should be 70-80 percent of your body.

Conclusion

● Do a brief recap, summarizing only the relevant points from which your critical evaluation was made.
Leave a positive mark or show the bigger picture and the worthiness of such work.
 ● Finish the critique by a concluding statement of your overall evaluation and state your
recommendations for improvement on the work, as may be deemed necessary or appropriate.
Types of Critical Literary Approaches

1. Feminist criticism tries to trace and correct predominantly male-dominated critical perspectives with a
feminist consciousness. This form also attempts to understand representation from a woman’s point of view
and analyze women’s writing strategies in the context of their social conditions.
2. Marxist criticism is a strong politically oriented criticism, deriving from the theories of the social
philosopher Karl Marx. Marxist critics insist that social class and economics influence all use of language. It
directs attention to the idea that all language makes ideological statements about things like class, economics,
race, and power, and the function of literary output is to either support or criticize the political and economic
structures in place.
3. Reader-response criticism removes the focus from the text and places it on the reader instead, by
attempting to describe what goes on in the reader’s mind during the reading of a text. Reader- response critics
are not interested in a “correct” interpretation of a text or what the author intended. They are interested in
the reader’s individual experience with a text. Thus, there is no single definitive reading of a text, because the
reader is creating, as opposed to discovering, absolute meanings in texts.
4. Formalist criticism studies a text as only a text, considering its structure and its features—for example,
rhymes, cadences, literary devices—in an isolated way, not attempting to apply their own say as to what the
text means. In general, formalists are focused on the facts of a text, because they want to study the text, not
what others say about it.