Academic Writing - Labuan, UMS

Diapositiva 1

Academic WritingDr. Mariana YusoffCentre for Languages and Human DevelopmentSchool of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

PSM ComponentsAbstractChapter 1 Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5ReferenceAppendix

School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Abstract1. Introduction/Background: What do we know about the topic?

2. Aim/problem statement: What is the objective? Why do you want to investigate/examine? What is the study about?

3. Methods/procedure/approach: What did you actually do to get your results? (e.g. questionnaire , interview, experiment, case study, observation )

4. Results/findings: As a result of completing the above procedure, what did you learn/invent/create? What was discovered?

5. Conclusion/Discussion/ Recommendation: What do the findings mean?

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TIPS for writing an AbstractAvoid Jargonnon-technical synonyms will help people in another major understand your research betterUse short, direct sentencesvary your sentence structure to avoid choppinessUse Past Tensewhen describing what you have already done.Use Present Tense - when describing drawn conclusions


Chapter 1 INTRODUCTIONIntroduction1.1Background of the Study1.2Problem Statement1.3Objective1.4Scope1.5Project SignificanceSchool of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

1.1Background of the Study

Provide enough information to understand the specific problem being addressed

This background information may include:a historical summary of the problem being addressed; a brief summary of previous work on the topic, including, if appropriate, relevanttheory; and the specific reasons the report is being written.

Use the Simple Present or Simple Present Perfect Tense


1.2Problem Statement

What is the problem that the research will address? A goodproblem statementshould answer these questions:What is the problem? This should explain why the project research is needed.Who has the problem? This should explain who needs the solution and who decides the problem has been solved.What are the possible solutions?What are the scope and limitations of the project? (in terms of time, financial, resources, technologies)


Formulating a Problem Statement

Develop three, interlocking short sentences:A statement that leads inA statement on existing studies A statement about originality, with an identification of what the present study would do (statement of purpose)School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Adapted: Henton & Schwartz (2007)

Example of a good problem statement


A statement that leads inThe number of students undertaking higher degrees has increased rapidly but universities are concerned that completion rates are low.The State of Connecticut leads most states in the net export of students seeking higher education. While this is not necessarily a problem, it may relate to Connecticut's competitive position in the higher education arena nationwide.A statement on existing studies, including identifying the research gap

While many studies have examined completion rates for the undergraduate students, little is known about the reasons for low completion rates among the postgraduate students.Many sectors of the state do not have easy access to higher education resources due to geography, physical limitations, time schedules, monetary situations, and others.The inter-institution connectivity method in place today (i.e. the Internet) has several shortcomings: (a) limited bandwidth (b) lack reliability, and (c) not a secure transport mechanism.A statement of purpose

The aim of the proposed study is to examine the variables that influence the success rate among the postgraduate students.The scope of this project is to examine a network infrastructure to be used only by the institutions of higher education. In order to provide maximum utility, such a network should also provide connectivity to K-12, libraries, museums, and private corporations.1.3Objective


Statement of PurposeObjectivesThe aim of the proposed study is to examine the variables that influence the success rate among the postgraduate students.

To establish the success rate To identify the factors affecting To identify other factors that may beThe scope of this project is to examine a network infrastructure to be used only by the institutions of higher education. In order to provide maximum utility, such a network should also provide connectivity to K-12, libraries, museums, and private corporations.To determine whether there areTo compare the To identify the type of infrastructureCommon verbs to write Objectives

This study/project/research sets out tofocuses oninvestigatesstudiesvisualisespresentsdemonstratesconsiders reviews is concerned with


1.4Scope

The scope of the projectA statement describing what will and will not be discussed.

Example:The scopes of this project are: Analysis is on the transmission line 275kV double circuits. The specification of tower 275 kV is taken from Tenaga Nasional Berhad Transmission, Malaysia. All data is incorporated into the software to get the value of EMF produced from the tower. The different EMF produced can be seen based on phase arrangement of cables.


1.5 Project Significance (Rationale of the Project)

Who/what may benefit from the project and howThe contribution of this project (refer to the objectives)Groups that could benefit include:Other researchersProfessionals and other practitionersService ProvidersTeachers/Lecturers/TrainersPolicy MakersManagersEntrepreneursManufacturersConsumers


Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEWIntroductionOverview of chapterBodyDeductive Approach/Inductive ApproachCompare and ContrastClosingConclusionSchool of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Literature Review (Introduction)IntroductionElements that can be included in the Introduction:A brief restatement of the general topic and issue or problem to provide a context for the review that follows

Example: The chapter begins with a review of Some issues in obtaining reliable and accurate are discussed. Meteorological features including , are presented to provide an understanding of the study problem.School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

A summary of the overall trends in the field Example:Since the research is focused on , it is necessary to review as it pertains to that have been carried out in this field.


A description of how the review is organised

Example:The following section reviews the main tool applied in the development of : namely, the Artificial Neural Network (ANN). This section of the review discusses the theoretical concepts and algorithms of ANN, as well as the work carried out by School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

A description of the scope of the review and explanation why certain literature was included or excluded

Example:The chapter also presents background information on In particular, the chapter describes in detail a model The chapter ends with brief descriptions of which can potentially contribute to a forecasting system.School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Literature Review (Body)BodyDeductive Approach/Inductive Approach


Literature Review (Body)BodyCompare and ContrastSchool of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Tenses used in Literature ReviewUse Simple Present, Simple Past or Simple Present Perfect TenseHighlights the original authors viewpointProvides information about the authors workProvides neutral or general ideasEmphasizes the authors viewpoints


Simple Present TenseSimple Past TenseSimple Present Perfect Tense(has/have + verb)To express overviews, statements of main points OR a generally accepted scientific fact

Example: An Electromagnetic Field (also EMF OR em FIELD) is a physical field produced by movement.i) To refer to an action/event/activity that began and ended at a specific time in the past

Example: Beginning in 1995, Phase 1 implicated the design and construction of the 500kV ...

To indicate that research in the area is still continuing, or that the research has immediate relevance today

Example: Research has shown that smoking is linked to lung cancer (research is still going on and will continue).

ii) a statement made by you as a writer.

Example: This paper presents the results of magnetic field measurement based on ...

ii) To describe what was found in a study, but which might not be generally true

Example: Henderson (2007) found that women above 60 years old were more likely to use computers than ii) To generalise about past literature

Example: Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (IEEE) have contributed to the establishment of these standards and guidelines.School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Simple Present Perfect Tensean action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.Has/have + past participleExample: has not seen/have seenSchool of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Words to Cite References Reporting verbs Examples: claim, suggest, prove, describe, outline, present, propose, recommend, show, stress, support, subscribe to, investigate, explore

Dal et al. (2013) pointed out the Hansen (2012) described the OEE as a ...Schmenner and Vollmann (2013) showed in an empirical study that


Examples: This is supported by, These findings are verified by, However, contemporary research shows that

Nakajima (2013) has indicated that under ideal conditions organizations should have These figures would result in and Nakajima considers this figure to be a good benchmark for a typical manufacturing capability. Kotze (2012), on the other hand, argues that School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Use linking phrases when quoting/paraphrasing (to compare findings)LinkersContrastIn spite of/Despite: Link two contrasting ideas. Followed by a noun phrase.Although/(Even) though:Link two contrasting ideas. Followed by asentence.However/Nevertheless/Still/Yet/Even so/On the contrary/Incontrast: Introduce a new idea which marks a contrast with previouslystated ideas. Introduced by a comma.On the one hand...On the other hand: Links two contrasting ideas /paragraphs.In contrast to/Contrary to: Link two contrasting ideas. Followed by a nounphrase.Whereas:Link two contrasting ideas. Not separated by commas.


LinkersReason and causeAs/Since/Seeing that: Introduce a sentence. Subordinatesentences introduced by because always appear in final position.On account of/Owing to/Due to: Introduce a noun phrase.

PurposeIn order to/So as to:Introduce an infinitive of purpose.In order that/So that: Introduce a sentence.


LinkersConsequenceConsequently/As a consequence/As a result/ThereforeAs a consequence of/As a result of:Followed by a noun phrase.

AdditionMoreover/Furthermore/In addition/Besides:Used after astrong pause and separated from the sentences. They are introduced by acomma.As well as/In addition to/Besides:Used to add one more piece ofinformation. Followed by a noun phrase.


LinkersExemplificationFor example/For instance:Introduces an example referring to previouslystated ideas.Such as:Introduces an example referring to the last idea.


Tenses used in Literature reviewDouble circuit overhead transmission lines in Malaysia have been in operation for several years. Rapid infrastructure development incited the utility company to raise electrical transmission capacity to ensure acceptable and consistent supply to the consumers. Due to this, some towers had been built close to another tower. In certain places, under different circumstances it could consist of six towers energized within the same land reserve. It is estimated that 80% from the total number of transmission line towers in Malaysia are of the double circuit type while the rest are designed for the quadruple circuit type. There is a requirement to study and evaluate the impact of EMF exposure levels for these multiple towers. This study presents the results of magnetic field measurement based on double circuit 275 kV transmission line configuration in Malaysia. Using the real dimensions of the 275 kV transmission lines, models were constructed and substantiated. Linkers Past perfect Simple present Simple pastPresent perfect This chapter will focus on the theory of each part in the robot. The sources of the theory are from text books, journal articles, newspapers, thesis and websites that contain related theories.

Simple future Simple present This chapter will introduce terms such as Proteus 7.0 Circuit Simulation, CCS Compiler Software, Ultrasonic Motion Detector, Servo Motor, Pheriperal Interface Controller (PIC) PIC16F877A. The main objective of this chapter is to provide a detailed explanation of the terms.School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Tenses used in Literature reviewRelate your work to previous research

Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the safe exposure levels at residential areas. Thus, this simulation presents an exposure assessment study on magnetic field at the edge of ROW double circuit transmission line 275 Kv.


Tenses used in Literature reviewLiterature Review (Body) There is a requirement to study and evaluate the impact of EMF exposure levels for these multiple towers. This study presents the results of magnetic field measurement based on double circuit 275 kV transmission line configuration in Malaysia. Using the real dimensions of the 275 kV transmission lines, models were constructed and substantiated.Justify your own research (highlight why your researchis necessary)School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

synthesise the whole ideas in the body show how your ideas, examples and references have been combined to support the research

The specific type of microcontroller that is used in this project is a microcontroller from the Microchip Technology Incorporated which is PIC18F452. The PIC18F452 is used as controller system that will process data from monitoring system and also to control output to display system and output system. PIC18F452 is chosen because of the high performance and multifunction.

Simple future Simple present School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Literature Review (Conclusion)School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

ClosingConclusion is usually short. Elements included are:A summary of the main contributions to the area of study and the most significant findings that relate to the problem under study

Example:Research into the genre of theses has been Furthermore, a review of the literature has shown that many studies investigated the process of Until the 1990s, few studies investigated the ...

Literature Review (Conclusion)School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Some comments on the current state of research in the field, pointing areas of disagreement, inconsistencies in findings, or gaps in the research and linking them to the proposed study

Example:The most promising studies analysed the structure , and more recently the same approach has been used to A number of studies have been investigated However, to date, few studies have analysed the ,,, of the present study. Literature Review (Conclusion)School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

A brief preview of what will be covered in the following chapter

Example:The next chapter develops the underlying framework of the .. to address the set out in

Chapter 3 METHODOLOGYprovides detailed and precise procedural information on how the data are collected and how these data are analysed includes the materials and methods used in the projectincludes graphical presentations


It is written in both Simple Present, Past Tense or Passive Tense

Begin the methodology part under a new heading. The first part of the methodology should address your research design and data collection method. This section should be thorough, although not overly wordy, and it should describe in exact terms your data collection procedures.


Grammar used in writing Methodology chapter is usually a mixture of Past tense Verb + Past Participle in order to describe the procedure of conducting the research. For example: Samples were taken . Data was/were obtained by .

In choosing word to write methodology of a research, researcher should choose words that describe process and procedures. For example, the use of words like collect, analyze, calculate, obtain, distribute and choose.


Chapter 4 RESULTS & DISCUSSION Results (what happened?) report outcomes of a test, system, study, design or experiment involve selecting and ordering data to address the project objectives

Discussion (why it happened?)discuss/compare/explain the results/findings describe models/equation/system/framework that derived from the project


Introducing Resultsinform the reader the overall content of the sectionexplain the procedure or method of the experiment/investigationhighlight graphical illustrations used in presenting the results

E.g. This chapter comprises of the results for EMF radiation that are obtained from different arrangements of double circuit arrangement lines. Six configurations of phase cable arrangements are used to obtain the EMF wave of the transmission line. All input data for the 36 arrangements are displayed in Figures 4.0.

Simple present PassiveSchool of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Presenting the Results

This chapter presents, explains and interprets the findings of the studyin both written (linear text) and in figures like graphs, tables, diagrams and charts (non-linear text)Figure 4.0 shows the results from the simulations based on the arrangement of the configurations. The graph of the magnetic profile is determined from the results and is displayed in Figure 4.1. Table 3.0 gives the measurements of the chlorine levels in the pool. The experimental findings are summarized in the table below: The new management courses are illustrated in Figure 3.


Words to Discuss Results

The results show that The results suggest that The data demonstrate that The result indicates that The result demonstrates


Chapter 5 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONConclusion & Recommendation Justifications of the objectivesReview of scope or methodReview of significant findingsExplanation of the significance and reasons of the findingsExamination of the limitations of the studyImplications of the studyRecommendations for future studies


TensesUse Simple Present TenseGiving background informationIndicating a gapStating the conclusion and recommendationsUse Simple Past or Present Tense Stating the objectives Use Past Tense Describing method and/or materials Presenting the findings



Chapter 5 Conclusion & RecommendationAs mentioned earlier in the introduction, the purpose of this study are to design an automatic pineapple cutting machine. This machine have proven to be invaluable as it is able to do all the required process to produce a cylindrical shape of pineapple pulp which are cutting the head and tail of the pineapple as well as to peel the skin and core of the pineapple. The automatic pineapple cutting machine have three axis mechanism movement applied to the machine. The machine was developed by combining three major engineering basic that is electrical, electronic and mechanical engineering. There is some modifications made to ensure the mechanism can function smoothly to achieve the high performance of the machine. The most challenging part in development process are to make the mechanism center and balance to move without the use of mechanical machine like CNC, milling and grinding machine. The squaring process to the component used is essential because it will cause the movement of mechanism to stuck and deflect. It is recommended that further research be conducted on the system performance and mechanical system to develop higher accuracy cutting machine and reduce the vibration on the process.School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Chapter 5 Conclusion & Recommendation (Revised version)As mentioned earlier in the introduction, the purpose of this study are is to design an automatic pineapple cutting machine. This machine have has proven to be invaluable as it is able to do all the required process to produce a cylindrical shape of pineapple pulp. which are The processes involved are cutting the head and tail of the pineapple as well as to peel peeling the skin and core of the pineapple. The automatic pineapple cutting machine have has three axis mechanism movement applied to the machine. The machine was is developed by combining three major engineering basics, that is namely electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering. There is are some modifications made to ensure the mechanism can function smoothly to achieve the high performance of the machine. The most challenging part in development process are is to make the mechanism center and balance to move without the use of mechanical machine like such as the CNC, milling, and grinding machine. The squaring process to the component used is essential because it will cause the movement of mechanism to stuck and deflect. It is recommended that further research need to be conducted on the system performance and mechanical system to develop higher accuracy cutting machine and reduce the vibration on during the process.School of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Harvard Quick Guide

Further reading:http://www.staffs.ac.uk/assets/harvard_referencing_examples_tcm44-39847.pdfReference: Harvard styleSchool of Informatics Science, UMS, Labuan 23 May 2014

Reference:APA styleGerson, S. J., & Gerson, S. M. (2012). Technical Communication Process and Product (Seventh Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Hart, H. (2005). Introduction to Engineering Communication. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Morgan, D., & Regan, N. (2008). Take-Off: Technical English for Engineering. UK: Garnet Publishing. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/


Appendixoptional, additional piece of information at the end of the project theory/picture/graph/diagram


ReferenceFeasibility Study for a Statewide Higher Education Information Technology Network State of Connecticut. (1996). Retrieved from http://www.ctdhe.org/info/oldreports/rptErnst&Young/ey2.htm

2. Hernon, P & Schwartz, C. (2007). Editorial: What is a Problem Statement. Library & Information Science Research 29 (2007) 307309.

Problem Statements: Purdue Online Writing Lab. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/ppt/20120629105941_957.ppt

Noorzan Mohd Noor & Glrenys, M.P. (2012). Writing Your Thesis. Kuala Lumpur: Prentice Hall

5. Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2009). Abstracts and the Writing of Abstract. Volume 1 of the Revised and Expanded Edition of English in Todays Research World. USA: The University of Michigan Press.


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Academic Writing - Labuan, UMS