China Medical University Teaching Excellence Project 1/16/2009 General Advice Begin Early I’m too busy now, and I’ll start later when I have more time . . . Select an Appropriate Topic Contribution to the field (a niche) Interest Resources available Gathering Resource Materials Sources: The references, footnotes of books & journal articles Library research: lib catalogues, electronic resources, lib stacks References of conference papers Personal communication with experts Remember to record the sources, using the assigned format. Reading and Writing Browse to get general understanding, take notes (key words). Always have something available for a quick read. Sift and save the best. Form a thesis statement. Create two files: the main text and references. Read the selected references in depth. Annotate your bibliography entries. Type the quotes, your comments regarding the topic. Overview of the Research Paper: IMRD Introduction (I): General to specific. Cite and comment. Methods & Materials (M): High in using passive voice. Results (R): Findings Discussion (D): Specific to general, high in citation, discussion, and qualifications. Tense? Which part should you start when you write? Methodology Sections (Past Tense) Materials, apparatus, procedures, participants , definitions, statistic procedures Some commonly used phrases: In an effort to reduce ______, ______ In order to establish______, _____ For the purpose of this study,_____ is defined as_______ Based on the feedback from the pilot study, __ _______ (Swales & Feak, 2004, p. 229) Results Sections (Past Tense) Judging the right strength of the claim (Hypotheses supported? To what extent? ) Highlighting key findings from the data. Making generalized comparisons
deal with points--interpretive. Discussion Sections Should be more than summaries of the results. Should be more theoretical or More abstract More general More integrated with the field More connected to the real world More concerned with implications or applications Language for Discussion Examples: In this paper we have investigated. . . The main purpose of this paper has been to. . . The survey reported on in this study has produced a wealth of data Discussion Moves Move 1. Points to consolidate your research space (obligatory) Highlight intelligently the strengths (more) …
Move 2. Points to indicate the limitations of
your study (optional) highlighting intelligently its weaknesses (less) Move 3. Points to recommend action or to identify useful areas of further research (optional) Move 1 in Writing Results: Consolidate Your Research Space 1a. Report your accomplishments by highlighting major findings 1b. Relate and evaluate your data in the light of previous research. 1c. Interpret your data by making suggestions as to why the results are the way they are. 1d. Anticipate and deal with potential criticism Language Focus: Generalization in Discussion Sections Specific: As we can see in Table 1, 84% of th e students. . . High level of generality: The results indicate t hat the students performed above the 12th gr ade level. Phrases of generality: Overall, . . . In general, . . . On the whole. . . With . . . exception(s), The overall results indicate. . . Expressions of Limitation It should be noted that this study has been primarily concerned with. . . This analysis has concentrated on . . . This findings of this study are restricted to . . . This study has addressed only the question of. . . The limitations of this study are clear. . . We would like to point out that we have not. . . Conclusions Limitations State that certain conclusions should not be d rawn (Swales & Feak, 2004, p. 276) However, the findings do not imply. . . The results of this study cannot be taken as ev idence for. . . The lack of . . . Means that we cannot be certa in. . . Reconfirming the Value of Your Study Notwithstanding its limitations, this study does suggest. . .
Despite its preliminary character, the
research reported here would seem to indicate. . . .
However exploratory, this study may offer
some insight into. . . Abstract Two major approaches: Result-driven: findings RP summary Structured Abstract: Background Aim Method Results Conclusion What Have We Learned? Start _________. Don’t wait until the last minute. Find an __________ topic. (Niche) A RP should include 4 sections: IMRD Start writing with the ______ section. Medical papers usually use ______ tense. Explain the contributions of your paper (longer). State its limitations (shorter). Make claims cautiously. _____your paper before you submit for publication. Last Step: Editing Put your writing away for a period of time and read it with fresh eyes. Ask colleagues to read and give feedback. Have the paper go through a final English reviewer by a professional editor. References Swales, J. M. & Feak, C. B. (2004). Academic Writing for Graduate Students. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. http://www.kgsupport.com/Tips on Writing an Ac ademic Paper.pdf