1. Reading and Writing
Academic Papers
#ALES204
Lecture 18
Dr. Jessica Laccetti

2. Outline
• Science Article Assignment
• How to Write
• Experiment
• How to Read
• Practise

3. Science Article Assignment
• Four Options
• https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzsIVy
sTrCWkSTZULTJWT3VRM2FaTzllX0FQ
WkU0dw

4. HOW TO WRITE

5. Common Mistakes
• Temperature has an effect on the reaction.
• Temperature affects the reaction.
• I used solutions in various concentrations. (The solutions were 5
mg/ml, 10 mg/ml, and 15 mg/ml)
• I used solutions in varying concentrations. (The concentrations I
used changed; sometimes they were 5 mg/ml, other times they
were 15 mg/ml.)
• Less food (can't count numbers of food)
• Fewer animals (can count numbers of animals)
• A large amount of food (can't count them)
• A large number of animals (can count them)

6. Common Mistakes
Instead of Write
Prior to Before
Due to the fact that Because
In a considerable number of cases Often
In the vast majority of Most
During the time that When
In close proximity to Near
It has long been know that I’m too lazy to look up the reference

7. Style
• You don’t need a table of contents
• Number all the pages beginning with the first
page
• Your paper should be typed, double-spaced on
standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11") with 1"
margins on all sides. APA recommends using
12 pt. Times New Roman font.
– But remember Times New Roman is the *default*
font, you can also use Verdana, Arial, Courier New
• Include a page header at the top of every page
with the page number AND your surname
(some journals will tell you exactly what they
want in the header)

8. Experiment
HOW TO READ

9. • On your own:
• Read the article
• In FIVE minutes you will be stopped and
asked to identify important details

10. Reading Comprehension
• Please complete the questionnaire found
on the blog, embedded in today’s lecture
post.
• Results are anonymous!

11. Harvard Report
• As an experiment, Dr. Perry
(psychologist), Director of the Harvard
Reading-Study Center gave 1500 first year
students a thirty-page chapter from a
history book to read, with the explanation
that in about twenty minutes they would be
stopped and asked to identify the
important details and to write an essay on
what they had read.

12. Harvard Report - Results
• The class scored well on a multiple-
choice test on detail, but only 15 students of
1500 were able to write a short statement on
what the chapter was all about in terms of its
basic theme.
• Only 15 of 1500 top first year college
students had thought of reading the
paragraph marked "Summary", or of
skimming down the descriptive flags in the
margin.

13. Change your Reading Style
• No more “obedient purposelessness”
• Ask yourself:
– What is important?
– What does the assignment ask?
– What can I skip?

14. HOW TO READ

15. Step 1
• Look at the title
• Key information is here
• “Emerging design strategies in sustainable
production and consumption of textiles
and clothing”

16. Step 2
• Read the Abstract
• “This study contributes to current
knowledge of sustainability in textile and
clothing production and consumption.”
• “At present, however, business models
are mainly linked with a large volume of
sales and production.”

17. Step 2
• “The paper presents ways to rethink and
redesign business in the textile and clothing
field by offering an overview on several
design strategies that exist today in niche
markets.
• Furthermore we evaluate how interested
consumers are in these design strategies
and discuss the opportunities these design
approaches offer to sustainable
development through new value creation.”

18. Your Turn
• In your own words (& with a partner), what
is the argument being presented here?
• Tweet @JessL

19. Step 3
• Skim the ENTIRE article
• But NOT every word!
• Read only the first 1-2 sentences of each
paragraph

20. Step 4
• Read the entire FIRST paragraph of each
section

21. Your Turn
• With a partner:
• Choose a section and read the ENTIRE
first paragraph
• Focus on key words/ideas in that
paragraph
• In a comment on today’s lecture post, tell
me what the main idea of that paragraph
is, be sure to note the section
number/name

22. Step 5
• Read the entire FIRST and LAST
paragraphs in both the Introduction and
Concluding sections

23. Steps Completed
1. Identify Section Headers ✔
2. Read the Abstract
3. Read the first paragraph of the introduction
4. Read the 1st sentence of each subsequent paragraph in the
introduction
5. Read the ENTIRE final intro. paragraph
6. Read the next heading
7. Read the ENTIRE first paragraph
8. Read the 1st sentence of each subsequent paragraph in
section
9. Read the ENTIRE final paragraph of section
10. Repeat steps 6-9
11. Read the ENTIRE conclusion

24. Signposting in Writing &
Reading
• Read the first paragraph. Can you find any
cause and effect words?
• Until, rather

25. Signposting in Writing &
Reading
• Read section 10. Can you find any
additive words?

26. Remember
• The purpose of reading
• If it is for specific research etc…
• Tailor your reading to focus on certain
sections or keywords (where that most
pertinent information is)

27. Homework
• For Friday, please read:
• Daryl J. Bem, Writing the Empirical
Journal Article:
http://dbem.ws/WritingArticle.pdf
• Kaustav is guest lecturing next class – be
ready to send three critically literate tweets