CHAPTER 1: FOUNDATIONS OF ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING
What is an Academic Text?
Academic texts are those that appeal to scholarly reading. It includes articles,
conference papers, reviews, theses/ dissertations, and the like.
• Articles are published journals which offer results from
research which can create an impact ono the community.
• Conference papers are those texts that are presented in
scholastic conferences and may be published as scholarly
journal.
• Reviews provide evaluation of works that are published in
scholarly journals
• Theses/dissertations are personal researches written by
graduating students, candidate for a university degree.
STRUCTURE
• formal
• includes credible sources
• properly cited information
• includes a list of references
• clearly structured introduction, body, and conclusion
Academic text’s content and style …
• lists references.
• states critical questions.
• provides facts and evidences from credible sources.
• uses accurate and precise words.
• avoids jargons and colloquial expressions.
• takes an objective point-of-view rather than being personal and
subjective.
• uses hedging or cautious language to tone down claims (e.g. may, probably,
perhaps, somehow, claim, seems reasonable, likely, etc.)
CRITICAL READING STRATEGIES
Before Reading
• Determine the type of academic text.
• Identify purpose for reading.
• Identify author’s purpose for writing.
• Predict or infer the main idea of the text based on its title.
• Identify your attitude towards the author and the text.
• Determine the target audience.
• Check the publication date and reference list.
• Use graphic organizer to take note of the existing knowledge about the
text.
During Reading
• Annotate important parts of the text.
• Write key words or phrases about the text.
• Write brief notes on the margin.
• Write confusing information.
• Write the author’s limitations in the argument.
• Comment on author’s biases.
• Determine the texts’ main idea
After Reading
• Reflect on the learning you have.
• Give reactions towards the text.
• Link the main idea of the text to your existing knowledge.
Other Reading Strategies
Aside from the stages of reading, here are the other reading strategies that
you can use in reading.
1. SQ3R Method stands for Survey (Skim), Question, Read, and Recite
(Recall), Review.
Stage Guidelines
Skim the text, check the presented tables/figures, determine
Survey
key information
Question Annotate the headings, develop questions
Look for answers to questions, stop and slow down to
Read
understand
Recount main points, recall by writing a summary, highlight
Recite
important points
Review Go back and re-read, evaluate your learnings
2. KWL Method stands for what you know about the topic (K) , what
you want to learn (W), what you learned from the topic (L).
K W L
What I [K]now What I [W]ant to know What I [L]earned
1. 1. 1.
2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3.
Lesson 2: Locating Main Ideas
What is a thesis statement?
Reading academic texts gets easier when you identify the point or the focus
of the text. Thesis statement presents the point of an essay. Mostly, in an academic
text, it is in the abstract, summary, or at the last part of the introduction.
Strategies in Locating the Thesis Statement
1. Read the title of the text and make inferences on its purpose.
2. If the text has no abstract or summary, read the first few
paragraphs as the thesis statement is located there.
3. Check conclusion where authors sum up their main points.
What is a main idea?
Main idea is the same with topic sentence. This describes the point of a
paragraph. This may be in the beginning, middle, ending, or it may be indirectly
stated (implied).
Strategies in Locating Topic Sentence
1. Read the first sentence of the paragraph because the author mostly
states it on the first part of the paragraph.
2. Identify what is being described in the paragraph.
3. Find the concept or idea being tackled.
4. Identify the purpose of the paragraph.
5. Observe the writing style of the author.
Lesson3: Essential Writing Skills
What is summarizing?
It is used to identify the key ideas or essential points discussed in a text. The
said ideas include main idea (gist), useful information, key words, or phrases which
guide you to attain your purpose in reading. It helps you to:
• further understand a text
• identify important
• combine details and key words
• focus on the main idea
• put key ideas together to form a meaningful idea.
What is NOT summarizing?
You do not summarize when you:
• write everything
• write the ideas word-by-word
• write unrelated ideas
• add details that are not stated on a text
• write with the same length or longer that the original text
Guidelines in Summarizing
1. Clarify purpose before reading.
2. Read the whole text and understand its meaning.
3. Choose or select key ideas while reading.
4. Annotate the text by writing and identifying the key ideas
5. Combine the key ideas in complete sentences and use appropriate
transitional words.
There are three (3) formats that may be used in summarizing.
1. Idea Heading Format- this indicates the idea of the text first is
followed by its citation
2. Author Heading Format- this format indicates the summarized idea
comes after the citation
3. Date Heading Format- the summarized idea comes after the date of
publication of the text
Using reporting Verbs when Summarizing
Reporting verbs are used to discuss another person’s writing. For example,
Peters pointed out that his recent study about the virus will greatly help the
other scientists.
Paraphrasing and Direct Quoting
These two essential writing skills, together with summarizing, contributes to
your development as a student and as an individual who may turn into a professional
person someday. Also, these skills are can effectively compress your ideas into a
meaningful one. Let us try to understand these three essential writing skills by
comparing them to one another.
When to Use Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Direct Quoting
Paraphrase when… Summarize when… Direct Quote when…
ü you want to shorten
ü there is a long ü a text conveys the
a text or paragraph
section of a page or important section of
into two to five
chapter of a book. information
sentences
ü you want to avoid or lessen ü you want to begin your
direct quotation ü you want to avoid direct discussion using an
copying author’s stand.
ü you want to rewrite the
writer’s words by not ü when you want to use yourü You want to highlight an
changing his/her own words in writing author’s viewpoint or
message. idea.
Guidelines in Paraphrasing
1. Read and understand its meaning. Stop reading when you already
understand the author’s point.
2. Highlight or underline the key points of the text.
3. Using your own words, write the ideas that you have understood in the
text.
4. Compare the original text’s sentences and the paraphrased text that you
have written.
5. The paraphrased text should have a different structure from the original
but, has maintained the exact idea of the original text.
6. Refrain to add comments or suggestions for the original text.
7. Use proper transitional words in writing.
8. Always cite the source.
Guidelines in Direct Quoting
1. Use quotation marks
2. Cite the source.
3. Format the quotation. It should reflect the original quote and should be
indented.
4. Copy the exact quote that you want to clip.
5. It should include 40 words and below.
