Facilitating Academic Writing in Postgraduate Medical Education: Tips for Instructors Robert Helán https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ13lfhVI3jqYuPVpA1gbNs1tDKNmvJpmDRhqFpBsjzDEl ur0I6 Activity 1: Discuss the communication model in relation to teaching academic writing. Activity 2: Focusing on the sender, think of activities that could be used to develop our students as writers (e.g. teaching students about how they can improve their writing process). PROCESS OF WRITING WRITING HABIT LEARNING ABOUT WRITING Activity 3: PARAGRAPH SKELETON (adapted from Kamler and Thomson 2006) I.) This excerpt comes from the beginning of an article, where a wide body of research is reviewed in an economical way so that the author can situate her own approach. Underline those phrases that you think you could use in your own writing. One example has been done for you. [1] The study builds on and contributes to work in critical linguistics (Coulthard, 1996; Chilton, 1982; Fairclough, 1989; Seidel, 1985; Van Dijk, 1989, 1991; Wodak, 1989). [2] Although studies in critical linguistics have examined the discursive construction of past events, there has not been an extended study of the construction of a projected event. [3] As such, this study provides additional insight into the constructive processes of language by explicating the linguistic and rhetorical processes through which a projected—future—event is constructed as a discrete and autonomous state of affairs. [4] The analytic focus on a projected event enables another contribution. [5] This study analyzes how the political and social interests underlying accounts of the Iraq/Saudi Arabia projected event were rhetorically managed in The New York Times (NYT) and Washington Post (WP). [6] Although numerous studies (Bruck, 1989; Clayman, 1990; Fairclough, 1992c; Fowler, 1991; Van Dijk, 1988, 1989, 1993; Zelizer, 1989) have identified sourcing (i.e., using spokespersons representing so-called elite groups and institutions as sources for information) as a constructive social and ideological practice, little analytic attention has been paid to the implications of this finding for how texts are linguistically constructed within newspaper discourse, a discourse context guided by the professional canon of objectivity, balance and neutrality. [7] I address this issue by demonstrating how assertions about a hypothetical future event attributed to a specific group of spokespersons were transformed into unmediated and presupposed information. II.) Analysis of the moves: Which sentence locates her analysis within a specific discipline? How and where does she signal a gap? How and where does she signal the contribution her study will make to the field? work research paper report survey article III.) These are the phrases forming the skeleton of the article. Can you think of synonyms which could be used for some of the words? One example has been done for you. 1. The study builds on and contributes to work in ____________________. 2. Although studies in ____________ have examined _____________ , there has not been a/an __________. 3. As such, this study provides additional insight into _________________. 4. The analytic focus on __________________ enables another contribution. 5. This study analyses _________________________________________. 6. Although numerous studies (...) have identified _______, little analytic attention has been paid to _______ . 7. I address this issue by demonstrating ____________________________. IV.) Use the paragraph skeleton and synonyms of your choice to write a short introduction of a research paper (research you have carried out or have already written about). USEFUL ONLINE WEBSITES: General Academic English — http://www.prepareforsuccess.org.uk/ (introduction to life at university – main differences between school and HE) — http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/eap/ (general EAP skills + presentation skills) — http://www.uefap.com/ (general EAP skills) — http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_41.htm (grammar) — http://aeo.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/ (General Academic skills) Focus on vocabulary (specifically on the Academic Word List/AWL) — http://www.englishvocabularyexercises.com/AWL/index.htm — http://www.uefap.com/vocab/exercise/exercise.htm — http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/alzsh3/acvocab/ — http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/alzsh3/acvocab/awlhighlighter.htm (AWL highlighter) — http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/ (academic phrases and expressions) — http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/ (understanding key words in context) — http://wordtree.coventry.ac.uk/?BAWE (word collocations) Common mistakes in written work — http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/errordetector.htm (common errors detector) Concordance software programs · https://ske.fi.muni.cz/login/ (Sketchengine) · http://neon.niederlandistik.fu-berlin.de/en/textstat/ (TextStat) · http://www.antlab.sci.waseda.ac.jp/software.html (AntConc) Blogs · http://patthomson.wordpress.com/ (written by the author of academic writing textbooks) · http://explorationsofstyle.com/ (a blog about academic writing) · http://eapcreatively.blogspot.co.uk/ (EAP creatively) Doctoral writing · http://doctoralwriting.wordpress.com/ (a forum about doctoral writing) · http://thesiswhisperer.com/ (thesis whisperer) Medical writing blogs · http://amykaron.com/blog/ · http://sarahmckay.com.au/blog/ (a blog by a neuroscientist) Articles on writing · http://writetodone.com/10-steps-to-create-the-habit-of-writing/# Today’s presentation · http://goo.gl/Fyw8v4 KEY TO ACTIVITY 3: PARAGRAPH SKELETON I. [1] The study builds on and contributes to work in critical linguistics (Coulthard, 1996; Chilton, 1982; Fairclough, 1989; Seidel, 1985; Van Dijk, 1989, 1991; Wodak, 1989). [2] Although studies in critical linguistics have examined the discursive construction of past events, there has not been an extended study of the construction of a projected event. [3] As such, this study provides additional insight into the constructive processes of language by explicating the linguistic and rhetorical processes through which a projected—future—event is constructed as a discrete and autonomous state of affairs. [4] The analytic focus on a projected event enables another contribution. [5] This study analyzes how the political and social interests underlying accounts of the Iraq/Saudi Arabia projected event were rhetorically managed in The New York Times (NYT) and Washington Post (WP). [6] Although numerous studies (Bruck, 1989; Clayman, 1990; Fairclough, 1992c; Fowler, 1991; Van Dijk, 1988, 1989, 1993; Zelizer, 1989) have identified sourcing (i.e., using spokespersons representing so-called elite groups and institutions as sources for information) as a constructive social and ideological practice, little analytic attention has been paid to the implications of this finding for how texts are linguistically constructed within newspaper discourse, a discourse context guided by the professional canon of objectivity, balance and neutrality. [7] I address this issue by demonstrating how assertions about a hypothetical future event attributed to a specific group of spokespersons were transformed into unmediated and presupposed information. II. Which sentence locates her analysis within a specific discipline? Sentence 1 locates her analysis within critical linguistics, the place where her work belongs. How and where does she signal a gap? By pointing out what other researchers have not done in sentences 2 and 6 How and where does she signal the contribution her study will make to the field? In sentences 3 and 7 ‘As such, this study provides additional insight’; ‘I address this issue by demonstrating how’ adds to makes a contribution to refers to is connected with is linked with is related to draws on is based on expands extends work research paper report survey article III. investigated, compared, concerned, demonstrated, dealt with, focused on, looked at, indicated, revealed, found, reported, shown, suggested... 1. The study builds on and contributes to work in ____________________. 2. Although studies in _______________ have examined _____________ understanding of, perspective on, viewpoint on, position on, standpoint on there has not been a/an _______________________________________. 3. As such, this study provides additional insight into _________________. emphasis, stress, accent, accentuation, attention to 4. The analytic focus on __________________ enables another contribution. 5. This study analyses _________________________________________. 6. Although numerous studies ( ) have identified __________, little analytic attention has been paid to _________________________ . deal with, tackle, focus on, consider, examine, explore, look at, discuss, debate 7. I address this issue by demonstrating ____________________________.