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Active writing & a research paper, proposal, thesis …

Professor Michael Singh & Jinghe HanSchool of EducationUniversity of Western Sydney

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Reasons for writing?

Instrumental: Writing to meet publishing ‘count’ Prosperity: improve social & economic condition

promotion, self-worth (‘face’) Better future: better teacher Learning – being a better academic & researcher Changing self-identity – confidence, happiness

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Model 1: Read, remember, write

Read the whole book, articles

Summarise what you remember what you read

What is remembered is acquired knowledge

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Model 2: Active writing (& reading) for deep learning of content & process

Select and “highlight” text while reading Select text for highlighting that you think is

relevant to topic:

1. evidence, findings

2. concepts (definitions)

3. methodology, techniques

4. interesting (new)

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Active writing ( & reading) for deep learning of content & process

Early stage - while reading highlight those part that are understood – don’t worry about what is not immediately understood

After writing draft text, identify what is missing – when found one author talk about and topic, and not from another, maybe this was because you did not understand it well enough – need to re-read

Revisit stage – use index to check up the keywords

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Active writing (& reading) for deep learning of content & process

Type up selected quotations from the highlighted material

provide full citations for each quotation Provide full references details Must put correct page number to you (or

others) can check the accuracy of your quotation, parahrase or summary

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Active writing (& reading) for deep learning of content & process

Citations- Give author, date & page number

For example

(Singh, Kell and Pandian, 2001, pp. 243-244)

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Active writing (& reading) for deep learning of content & process

Reference

Author (date), Title: Subtitle. Place: PublisherFor example: Singh, M., Kell, P. and Pandian, A. (2001),

Appropriating English: Innovation in the Global Business of English language Teaching. New York: Peter Lang.

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Active writing (& reading) for deep learning of content & process

After collecting all this secondary material, arrange under different sub-headings

Read good quotations & keep as direct quotation

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Active writing (& reading) for deep learning of content & process

Group quotations under key headings – concepts or topics

Summarise lengthy texts into short texts, keeping citations

Paraphrase texts of equal length, writing in your own words, and keep citations details

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Deep learning of content & process

1. Reading (highlighting/selecting)

2. writing (re-reading to select key quotations)

3. rewriting (re-organising and re-reading quotations)

4. re-writing (re-wording, re-organising, re-reading quotes in one’s own words)

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Active writing for deep understanding, deep knowing

Productive learning - through expanding spirals of repetition of reading and writing

Read highlights select quotes

Organise quotesSummarise quotes

Read/highlight

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High expectations & supportive scaffolding for learning to active writer

Expect written work of publishable standard every 3-4 months

Encouragement & praise to instill confidence in risk taking

Teacher has blue-print, student works on small parts, as student gains understanding, teacher presents new challenges

Students facing confusion needs to ask for support

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Active writing

Active writing provides the possibility for innovation, creativity, originality

Active writers – read what others have said

Active writers learn to create & re-create texts

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What is a Research Paper?

True research papers are more than a loose collection of anecdotal memories or a patchwork of data pulled from several books.

Research papers come in all shapes, sizes, forms, and disciplines.

The final product will be a unique and appropriate integration of evidence you have located outside yourself and personal insights

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The two main types: to analyse or to argue? That is the question.

Analyse Your task is to survey the information and views already out

there--both before and once you become familiar with the topic. That will require critical thinking and reading, plus evaluation of the resources you handle.

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Argumentative

Thesis

Argumentative or persuasive papers is to convince the reader of a debatable or controversial point of view.

That point of view--your thesis--and not some research question, is the core of this breed of paper.

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Analysing a question

The body of the paper would analyse or break down the topic into three or four "parts" which will later become the main paragraphs of your draft.

In the body of your paper you'd be using evidence (a.k.a. primary sources) and expert opinions (a.k.a. secondary sources).

Your concluding paragraph (s) would finally incorporate some of your critical interpretations of both the plays and the experts' essays.

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Argumentative Writing

Now, an ARGUMENTATIVE paper would lay out exactly what you consider to be the purpose in a declarative sentence right in the introduction--the thesis statement.

.The course of the paper will develop why you believe--and importantly, why the reader should believe--what you do.

This time, you'll select only that evidence which directly supports your thesis.

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Primary and Secondary Sources

What are Primary sources

What are Secondary sources

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Primary Sources

A primary source is an original document or account that is not about another document or account but stands on its own..

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Secondary Sources

Secondary sources are ones that interpret primary sources

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Critically read and evaluate the sources

Structure Purpose Audience Author

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Structure

table of contents.

Preface or Introduction to establish context for the discussion and determine the author's intent.

appendices, diagrams, tables, or figures and see what kinds of

things make it into the Endnotes section if there is one. Look at the topics listed in the Index at the back. Which of the entries has the most page numbers listed next to it? This will give you an indication of the subjects that contribute to the real scope of the book.

For a journal article, read the "abstract" for a summary.

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Purpose

Examine the title and first few paragraphs. What is the author trying to do? What is his or her bias? Any assumptions to be challenged? Look at the publisher or institutional/organizational affiliation of the author. Does the person have a vested interest in swaying you one way or another?

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Audience

Who does the intended audience appear to be? why would the audience be reading the text? Who would you be imagining yourself talking to in your paper?

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Author

Who is the author? Presence in the scholarly community is one of

the ways to establish authority. Another is education and/or expertise. Is the

person a teacher or researcher from a reputable academic institution? Does the person have considerable knowledge of what he or she is talking about? Is the author respected and well-received?

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Evaluation

Does the date of the source match the level of currency you need for your paper?

Is the author a credible source? Is the source relevant to your thesis or

question, i.e., useful? If the source argues thoughtfully and logically, helps you look at something differently, and gives you possible answers for your question or evidence for your thesis, then it's a keeper!

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Specific tips to facilitate comprehension later on

Be wary of special short-hand you or someone else has developed.

Make sure you know where every note comes from. A good way to keep track is to number each entry in your working bibliography and then label each page with notes from a source with its corresponding number.

Put a page number next to all notes just in case you need to know where it came from to come back to the source or to use the note in your paper.

If you don't understand what a particular resource is saying, don't use it or you'll risk misinterpreting the information and undermining your argument.

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A good rule of thumb is that if a note doesn't make sense at the point of writing, it won't magically make sense later.

If you find ideas or reactions coming to you while you're researching, make sure you keep your thoughts and insights separate from your other notes. Using different coloured pens or physically shifting from "me" to "others" sheets is a great way to maintain the distinction.

Above all, keep everything as legible as possible; you'll thank yourself later. Neat notes especially count for bibliographic information and URLs.

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Writing an Introduction

Begin with a quotation. Just make sure you explain its relevance

Begin with a question Begin with an acknowledgment of an opinion opposite to the

one you plan to take Begin with a very short narrative or anecdote that has a direct

bearing on your paper Begin with an interesting fact Begin with a definition or explanation of a term relevant to

your paper Begin with irony or paradox Begin with an analogy. Make sure it's original but not too far-

fetched

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Writing the Body Paragraphs

You introduce your readers to the 'bigger picture' with more general, abstract words.

Then you explain in concrete terms what you mean by your lofty claims and show them in action.

Eventually, you say what they mean to the bigger picture.

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Regarding Grammar

 Unity is the development of a single controlling idea usually presented in the topic sentence..

 Coherence is a quality where the writer makes it explicitly clear what the connections are between thoughts.

Repeat key words. Using synonyms may be great for creative writing but in research papers, key words are markers!!

Use pronouns for important nouns. Use demonstratives. "This policy . . . ," "that event," or " . . . these examples" are great ways to, again, point back to a previous sentence.

Establish some logical order to the sentences in your paragraph such as cause to effect, or general to particular.

Use transitional words. Transitional words like "therefore," "moreover," "however," aren't just great links between paragraphs but also signal the type of relationship one sentence has to another. Here is a link to a list of transitional words and phrases.

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Writing A Conclusion

Don't depend on your conclusion to sum up the body paragraphs.

Don't simply regurgitate your introduction.

Point out the importance or the implications of what you've just said on an area of societal concern. Again, this is the so what? factor stated perhaps a bit more dramatically.

For analytical papers in particular, you could mention the lack of conclusion in the field. This demonstrates that you understand the complexity of the subject matter.

Don't end your conclusion with a quotation or with a statement that could very well be the subject of another paper.