Academic Style
What is academic style?
Academic English, like any writing, has its own conventions or 'style'. It is a formal, written style, which means that it has aspects which make it different from 'spoken' academic English.
What is the CRAAP Test?
It is a test to evaluate sources for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose.
What goes in an in-text citation in IEEE referencing style?
A number in brackets [1]
What goes in the abstract of the MDP reports?
Background, aim, methods, findings
What are three types of vocabulary you should focus on in self study?
general, academic, subject-specific
What are common features of academic style you should include in your writing?
Formal vocabulary, full verb forms, impersonal language, precise language, appropriate transition signals
What is a paraphrase?
Paraphrasing is the most common way to incorporate ideas from sources into your writing.
Unlike a direct quote, you do not use the exact words from the original text and so you do not use quotation marks. You do still need an in-text citation.
A paraphrase is the same length of the original text, maintains the same ideas, but it is written in your own words.
What are two types of in-text citation we discussed?
integral (including the authors' names in the sentence) and non-integral (does not include the authors' names in the sentence)
What goes in the introduction of the MDP reports?
Contextualization, aim, project rational and project description
What is one tool we discussed that you can use for self study of vocabulary?
Quizlet, Academic word list, subject specific word lists
What should you avoid in academic writing?
Contractions, imprecise language, informal verbs, personal or emotional language, and informal vocabulary
What goes in a summary?
Both stand-alone summaries and summaries within a paper should include
A frame at the beginning of the summary, to introduce the summary, to refer to the author, and to identify the main idea of the original reading,
The main idea and supporting points from the reading,
Reminder phrases to refer to the author(s) and avoid plagiarism,
Transition signals which correspond with the original text’s organization, and
A concluding sentence or phrase.
What are possible reasons that someone cites a source?
Attribution
Acknowledgement of the originator of an idea
Support from an authoritative source
Support for the writer’s claim
A comparison of sources
Directing a reader to further sources
Promotion of the author’s previous work
Information about the future plans of the author
Evidence of the currency of the topic
What goes in the testing and improvements section of the MDP report?
The testing and improvements section describes tests you have designed to evaluate your solution, the rationale (justification) behind these tests, the results of these tests, and a description and analysis of the improvements made.
What are strategies you can use to study vocabulary?
Read lots!
Keep a vocabulary log
Notecards
Vocabulary notebook, and/or
Quizlet
Use tools and resources to find definitions, examples of use and collocations.
Actively practice your academic vocabulary.
Regularly review vocabulary.
Quiz yourself!
Which of the following does not follow academic style? Why?
Students scores on English tests may increase over time.
Students scores on English tests may go up over time.
increase is more formal than go up, a two word, informal verb phrase
What are three ways you can include sources in your writing?
In researched academic writing and presentations, you will refer to sources in one of three ways: quotes, paraphrases or summaries.
What is the most common type of citation in STEM writing?
In an integral citation, the author’s name is part of the sentence, which includes a reporting verb and in-text citation.
Integral citations are very common in the social sciences and humanities but less common in STEM and physical sciences.
What goes in the conclusion of the MDP reports?
Summary of the main points, the objectives of the report, the findings of the report
When you study a new word, what should you study?
Definition, pronunciation, collocation, word form and type of word (AWL, general, subject specific)
What is the problem with the sentence below in terms of academic style?
The authors cite an increase in the cost of gas, food, etc. as causes for increasing poverty rates.
It uses imprecise language (e.g. etc.).
In academic report writing, what is the most common way writers use sources?
Paraphrasing is the most common and direct quotation is the least common.
What are types of plagiarism you should avoid?
Copying and pasting from the original text
Omitting the in-text citation or reference entry
Paraphrasing too close to the original
Patchwriting strings of phrases together from one or more sources and changing a few words or structures
What should be included in the MDP reference list?
A heading (references) and a numbered list of all sources including a full citation in IEEE
What is the Manchester Phrasebank and how can you use it?
The Manchester Phrase Bank is a resource for academic writing, based on common phrases used in academic writing across disciplines.
It is organized by communicative function, so for example, if you want to refer to sources, you can look for phrases in the section on referring to sources, and if you want to describe the methods you used, you would use phrases from describing methods.