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Tips on note-taking
• 1. Documenting sources: the author, the title, the place of publication, the publisher, the date of publication or the copyright date, and the page number(s) • 2. Being thorough and concise. Write down what is necessary (what is relevant to your topic but unknown in or different from other sources. • 3. Putting one item on one card/page. • 4. To avoid plagiarism, all notes must be properly documented! Direct quotations • Paraphrase notes • Summary notes • Combination notes
• Academic writing emphasizes: Summarizing or synthesizing information and ideas gathered from research Explaining, comparing and contrasting, evaluating, or analyzing concepts, events, and phenomenon Arguing for or against a position in an ongoing debate
Avoiding plagiarism
• Plagiarism • The use of facts, opinions, and language taken from another writer without acknowledgement • Deliberate plagiarism • Accidental/Unconscious plagiarism
Expressions in Summary
• • • • • • • • • This article/ passage mainly tells (a story) about…… This passage mainly deals with/discusses/explores/…… In this passage (about ……), the author …… The author began the essay/ passage by telling/ presenting…… First/Firstly/ In the beginning/In the first part, the author argues/ explains/ mentions/ states/ points out (that)…… Secondly/ Next/ Further on/ Then/ In the next part/ In the main part, the author goes on with…… Finally/ As a conclusion/, the author concludes/ adds/ stresses that…… Finally, the author summarizes that …… (See more expressions in the mailbox)
Academic Writing
Academic or Not?
• An essay about life in one’s home village • A term paper about the influence of Sigmund Freud on Pablo Picasso’ paintings • Narrowly defined concept: personal ≠ academic
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Summarizing
• A summary is • a condensed version the original • a brief restatement of the main points of the source in your own words
How to summarize
Using and documenting sources
• As Joseph Gibaldi points out, “Nearly all research builds on previous research. Researchers commonly begin a project by studying past work in the area and deriving relevant information and ideas from their predecessors.”
Techniques of compression
• • • • • ----omit the details ----reduce the examples ----simplify the sentences ----eliminate all repetitions ----compress wordy sentences; change phrases into words. • ----use general words instead of specific words • ----use the shortest simple transitions • ----put the main points of a dialogue in indirect speech
Example 1
• In the article “Living green should take root in our cities”, Dr. Anthony Kachenko writes about the importance of living green in our society. Living green improves health and wellbeing, as well as the livability of communities. The author suggests that the local government should launch some policies to support this idea. In fact, the author mentions two current projects: The Street Tree Master Plan 2011 and the Urban Forest Strategy 2012-2032. These campaigns support the creation of a sustainable and thriving urban landscapes with an urban forest and more trees along the city’s streets. However, we should do more to support this cause. (See the original in the mailbox)
• • • • • • Step 1 Critical reading Step 2 Drafting Step 3 Revising Step 4 Editing How to write a summary.pdf Superman and Me.docx
1. Reading: Read through and get the gist (by marking the key words) 2. Writing: word limit (1/3 to ¼ of the original) avoid a patchwork (made up of phrases and sentences quoted from the original) ensure all essential points included follow the logical order of the original 3. Revision compare it carefully with the original further compress it correct mistakes
Example 2
• In the article “Analysis of Student’s Errors in English for Medical Purposes”, Zorica Antić （2010）analyzes the errors which medical students are likely to make in their English learning. The study was carried out with the 200 students in the Faculty of Medicine in Niš. The results of a placement test and teachers’ observations in class were applied to make the analysis. It is found that the students often make mistakes in grammar, such as tenses, modal verbs, nouns, and the use of passive and relative pronouns. It is concluded in the article that teachers should design their courses by analyzing the problems of the students to guarantee the successful development of their professional communication. (See the original in the mailbox) •