Download Academic Writing

Academic Writing
An Introduction to the Genre
What’s a genre?
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Examples include
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Cowboy movies
Chick flicks
Slasher movies
Genres are formulas.
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Genres follow certain formulas.
Readers can predict
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Plots (madman wants to rule world)
Characters (hero, villain…)
Outcome (happy…or not)
Genres are predictable.
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In which genre would the boy get
the girl?
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Martial arts movie
Chick flick
Disaster movie
What are writing genres?
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Examples include
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Personal journals
Poems
Instructions
Professional reading (books/articles that people
read to keep up with their fields)
Peer-reviewed research
Which are writer-centered?
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Personal journals
Poems
Instructions
Professional reading (books/articles that
people read to keep up with their fields)
Peer-reviewed research
Writer-centered?
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Written to express personal feelings
or points of view
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May never be read by anyone else
Has to make sense only to the writer
Main purpose: express what the writer wants to express
Writer-centered example
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I am the mother of five children, so I am
aware of the importance of watching what my
children do online.
Reader-centered example
Youth who engaged in four or more risky online
behaviors were much more likely to report
receiving online sexual solicitations. The online
risky behaviors included
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maintaining buddy lists that included strangers
discussing sex online with people they did not know
in person
being rude or nasty online
“Internet Predator Stereotypes Debunked in New Study,” 2008
[APA press release]
Writer- vs. reader-centered
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Is personal
Expresses feelings
and ideas
Can bring healing
and/or clarity
Allows people to
experiment with
making beautiful
language
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Is objective (not just
true for one person)
Provides information
to be used or
Explores ideas
critically
Aims to be clear and
formal
Opinion as good as evidence
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Road rage and
teens. (n.d.)
Retrieved June 21,
2009, from
http://www.angelfire.com/
al/alyplace/mystory.html
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Rathbone, D. B., &
Huckabee, J. C. (1999).
Controlling road rage: A
literature review and pilot
study. Retrieved from
AAA Foundation for
Traffic Safety Web site:
http://www.aaafoundation.org/
resources/
index.cfm?button=roadrage
Solid sources are
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Correct
Current
Credible
Complete
Critical
Tips for current sources
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Search by date range
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In EBSCO, use limiters
On web, use whonu.com
Scholarly vs. popular
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Written for experts
by experts
Detailed
Images tend to be
diagrams or pictures
directly related to
topic; no fluff
Most credible are
peer-reviewed
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Written for people
with no special
knowledge
General
Lots of pictures
Often don’t even
give full details
about source
Skimming for 5Cs
results for “stem cell research” from clusty.com
Skimming for 5Cs
results for “stem cell research” from google.com
What about Wikipedia?
Wiki: a page or collection of Web pages
designed to enable anyone who accesses
it to contribute or modify content
Can I use Wikipedia?
Directly: no
Indirectly: yes
• Overview
• References
• External links
Follow external links
ADHD
Check related topics
Capture sources
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Save a search
(print or email link)
Write down search terms that work
(e.g., revolving door > recidivism)
Print just first page of website so you’ll
have URL
Create personal online archive with tools
like Furl or Zotero