ACADEMIC SKILLS REVIEW
Session I
Mgr. Martin Jirušek, Ph.D.
Introduction
 What kind of texts have you been writing during
your past studies?
 What kind of obstacles have you been facing?
Structure of the lecture
 Academic genres
- essay
- review
- position paper
- policy paper
- fact sheet
Subjectivity in social sciences
 Subjectivity – good or bad?
 Is subjectivity inevitable?
 When is subjectivity suitable? When it is not?
Normativity in social sciences
 Normativity - good or bad?
 When is normativity suitable? When it is not?
Division of genres in social sciences
 Normative & subjective
- SWOT + recommendations
- Policy paper
- (Position paper – if
recommendations are
included)
 Non-normative
a) Subjective
- Review
- Essay
- Position paper
b) Objective
- Factsheet
- Literature review
Important note: Some genres are ambiguous and cannot be
subsumed under a single category (thesis, poster, research paper,
position paper
Essay
 „Development of a line of argument strongly supported by
reference to a literature“
- similar to a position paper (which is more normative) and (partly
also) to literature review
 Usually shorter articles -> often need for arbitrary reduction
of a broader topic
 Subjective & usually non-normative
 Essay is based on author´s opinion
 A plain literature/opinion review is NOT an essay!
 Should include literature/opinion review
 Should be rather brief
Essay – typical structure
 Introduction
- context
- important terms, concepts, opinion/literature review
- author´s opinion/position/confrontation with other opinions (use
references/provide evidence when building an argument)
 Conclusion
- the most interesting/significant findings
- implications of findings
- should NOT include anything new (that has not been stated in the
text) – applies for conclusions in general!
Essay
 Try to come up with an essay topic...
 Explain why it deserves readers´ attention
Review
Assessing a text from a subjective point of view
Subjective & non-normative
1) Identification and introduction
- presumed main aspects of the text
2) Summary of a content
- may be incorporated with the following point
3) Author´s opinion
- critical analysis of the book and its main features/aspects
4) Conclusion
- addressing initial expectations
- If done ‘ex post’, recommendations are not required
Review
 Special case of review: academic peer review
 Emphasis on features of the text
 May include normative judgements and recommendations
 The reviewer is tasked to clearly state whether the writing is suitable
for publication
Policy paper
Normative & subjective
 To suggest implementation of a certain approach
 To provide an alternative to a certain policy
 To supplement the targeted audience with enough data to make a
decision
 To make a clear statement of how to change stg.
 Has to deal with current topics/policies
- assessment of past policies/issues is NOT a policy paper
Policy paper
1) Overview of current situation/policies
2) Purpose statement (reasons for change)
3) Suggested options
4) Evaluation of suggested options (+/-)
5) Recommendation of a particular solution + reasoning
6) Implementation plan
7) Conclusion
Policy paper
 Try to come up with a topic for policy paper
 Purpose?
 Desired outcome?
 Targeted institution/audience?
Position paper
 Subjective and usually non-normative
 To outline your viewpoint on an issue
 Formally inform others of your position
 (To present a unique solution or view on a specific issue)
 To demonstrate your awareness of the issue to boast about your
knowledge  (used in courses)
Position paper
1) Introduction, review of the situation
2) Presentation of your position
3) Development your arguments
4) Conclusion (recommendation)
 Usually shorter in length (approx. 2 pages)
 Includes literature/opinion review
 Proves familiarity with the topic
 Addresses existing literature/opinions critically
Fact Sheet
Non-normative & objective
 Presenting data in brief form using tables, bullet points, graphs, etc.
 Quite often one page in length
 Must be self-contained and easy to digest
Goal
 To present information & data
 To familiarize targeted audience with facts
Thank you for attention
jirusek.martin@mail.muni.cz