Unit 11. A topic is what the essay or research paper is about. Choosing a topic for your literature review or research paper requires careful consideration.2. Four principles of deciding on a topicInteresting、Important、Manageable、Adequate3. A research question is a statement that identifies the focus of your topic. It is the question that your study or your paper wants to answer.4.A research question, therefore, serves two purposes:1) It identifies the specific objectives your research or your paper will address.2) It determines the size of your research or the length of your paper.5. A working title refers to the title you think of initially for the essay which you are going to write, which may be changed as you read more articles and become more involved in the research.6. A good title must briefly but accurately reflect the main ideas of the essay or indicates the topic you will be discussing in the essay.7. a typical title is composed ofsubject matter、key words of the method、key words of the contentUnit 21.Source materials are any information which you take from books, journal articles,websites, newspapers, lectures, etc.2.The reasons find source materials are:3.1) to show where your idea in your essay is originated;4.2) to show that you have done research to find "evidence" for your viewpoint, forreferencing a source will give your essay academic "weight";5.3) to show that you have a better understanding of the opinions and even controversiesin the subject you have studied;6.4) to allow your readers to find the original sources themselves if necessary.7.How to evaluate source materials1)Is the material a primary or a secondary source?2)Is the source the latest one?3)Is the author a reliable scholar or an expert in the field?4)Does the author have biases or prejudices?5)Has the author been cited frequently in the field?6)Are the author’s arguments supported by evidence such as statistics, experiment,recent scientific findings?7)Are different opinions considered and weighed or simply ignored?8)Are the author’s arguments and conclusions convincing?8.Remember that the sources you are going to use should be:9.1) recent source materials which give new information and results of your discipline;10.2) unbiased publications which are more trustworthy;11.3) from writers who are the authorities of a certain field and whose works are frequentlycited.12.Scanning is the strategy used to look up a specific detail in an entire essay or a book,Hence, scanning is very useful for locating specific information (such as a specificdefinition, name, date, statistic, or a fact without reading the entire essay or book.)13.How to scan1)keep in mind at all times what you are searching for (e.g., the definition of a term,the effect of a phenomenon);2)search thesis statements and topic sentences in paragraphs for the informationyou want to gain;3)use the knowledge of the essay organization(such as cause-effect, comparison-contrast, problem-solution) to find what you are looking for;4)pay attention to signal words such as numbers, letters, steps, the words such as first,second, and next, or words that are bold-faced, italics, or in different sizes, fonts, etc.5)14.How to skimthe title and subtitles;the abstract (if there is one);the introduction and thesis;the first or last paragraphs of the essays/chapters;headings and subheadings;the conclusion and summaries;the first sentence or the last sentence of each paragraph;highlighted texts such as words in bold or italic text;graphs, tables or diagrams.15.A topic sentence consists of two parts: the topic and a comment which is made about thetopic.16.How to guessing word meaning from context1)Use restatement or synonym clues such as in other words, that is, also known as,sometimes called as.2)Use collocation knowledge to guess the meaning from the neighboring words in thesentences.3)Use antonym or contrast clues such as but, however, unlike, in contrast, instead of,while.4)Use definition clues such as is defined as, or an appositive phrase.5)Use explanation clues such as because, as a result, consequently.6)Use example or anecdote clues such as for example, such as, like.Guessing word meaning through affixes and rootsMany academic words, especially words and terms in disciplines are built up from roots that have a meaning. 1. multi- 多种的2. nano- 纳米9. micro- 微小8. semi- 半；duct 引导mon text structures are:1)Problem and solution. (signal words: the problem is, the solutions are and so on.)2)Cause and effect. (signal words or phrases: because, for, due to, therefore, as a result,consequently, one important factor/cause is, etc.)3)Comparison and contrast. (signal words or phrases: in comparison, however, similarly,by contrast, and so on.)4)Advantages and disadvantages. (signal words: on the contrary, compared with, theadvantage is, etc.)5)Order and sequence. (signal words: first, second, then, additionally, etc.)6)Description and list. (signal words: for example, for instance, a good case in point is,etc.)7)Definition and classification. (signal words: the definition is, can be divided / classifiedinto, and so on.)18.Critical reading means19.recognizing an author’s purpose;20.recognizing tone and persuasive elements;21.recognizing implicit bias.22.Note-taking is of significance for recording the main ideas that will form the backboneof your research paper, gathering specific evidence to support your main ideas and recording the exact wording of the sources you may want to quote in your paper.23.Content of a good note includes:24.1) a summary of main ideas and chief findings of the source;25.2) a paraphrase of the important ideas;26.3) direct quotations of the key statements;27.4) statistics such as percentages and dates;28.5) author's name, title of the book or article, title of the journal, and page ranges.29.Writing a short summary of a paragraph/paragraphs is an important part of note-taking.It is also a good way to have a better understanding of what you have read.the summary will not only help you to understand and memorize the ideas of the essay but also facilitate the writing of your own research paper.15.Essential tips of write a summary1)Read the paragraph or the whole article until you have fully understood it.2)Highlight the topic sentences and underline the important ideas, data, the major findingsand chief conclusions.3)Use your own words to combine these important ideas in the same order as the original.4)Use the author’s key words and phrases but avoid using the same vocabulary andstructures as the original.5)Avoid adding your own interpretation or comment.6)Note down the source of the essay with correct bibliographic form, such as author, yearpublished, article title, journal title, volume number (issue number), page numbers, etc. Unit 41. A literature review i s a very important part of the research project. It may be a self-contained review or a part of the introduction to an academic essay. In either case, its purpose is to demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic being investigated.Namely, your literature review must tell what has been done on the topic, what different scholars have said about their own research, what major findings have been published, and what controversial areas exist.2.Before writing, to be critical, you must ask questions like these about each book orarticle you read:1)Is the problem clearly defined? Is its significance clearly established?2)Could the problem have been approached more effectively from another perspectiveor on another theory?3)Is the author's research orientation (e.g. descriptive, critical, empirical) appropriate?4)Is there a theoretical framework and is it appropriate to the research (e.g.psychological, developmental, cognitive, feminist)?5)Has the author evaluated the literature relevant to the problem/issue? Does theauthor include literature taking positions she or he does not agree with?6)How reliable are the basic components of the study design (e.g. population, variables,outcome)? How accurate and valid are the methods used? Is the analysis of the data accurate and relevant to the research question? Are the conclusions validly based upon the data and analysis?7)Does the author avoid using one-sided examples, or rhetorically-charged languageand tone? Is there an objective basis to the reasoning?8)In what ways does this book or article contribute to your understanding of theproblem under study, and in what ways is it useful for practice? What are the strengths and limitations?3.While writing your literature review, it is important for you to take the following tips:4.1) indicate the objective of the literature review;2)search for materials relevant to the topic being investigated;3)read the materials carefully and critically before determining which literaturecontributes most to your topic;4)discuss the findings and conclusions of each article in a critical way;5)describe the relationship of each work to others under consideration;6)organize your review in a logical order (e.g. those in support of the topic, thoseagainst it, those offering alternatives);7)explain if possible their similarities and differences;8)identify gaps in the literature for further study or point out what is left to explore;9)indicate the way forward for further research.5.The steps of writing a self-contained literature review are the followings:1)write a summary of each article you have gathered for your literature review;2)combine the summaries logically, by using connective phrases or sentences;3)write an introductory paragraph, including the definition of the topic and itsbackground information;4)make your comments, if necessary, on the past studies.6. a literature review as a part of an essay is not a mere combination of summaries ofmaterial sources. The choice of previous research and even ideas and findings in a previous article is completely based on the research questions you set out to answer in your essay.In other words, you should avoid including in your literature review all ideas and findings in the previous articles.Most important is that such a literature review should contain your critical comments on the previous studies, especially their weaknesses or limitations so that your present study will be more rational and significant rather than being a repeat.The literature review as a part of the essay will be shorter than a self-contained literaturereview, introducing the main findings of each work only.7.Citation, the way to use sources, is a major part of a literature review and is also frequentlyused in supporting your arguments.There are two methods. One is quoting (copying the exact words of the author) and the other is paraphrasing (rewriting what the writer said in your own words).8.Citation consists of two parts: i) citation of the content and ii) documentation of itssource.9.documentation which means the identification of the source of the ideas and quotationsused in the literature review or／and in your research paper. In other words you have to tell the reader that you used the source and where it came from. Failing to document your sources, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is plagiarism,Hence documentation includes the identification not only of the words and sentences you copied but also of the ideas and information you borrowed.10.In-text documentation, or rather, a brief parenthetical acknowledgement in the text,contains two parts：i)the last name of the author(s) and ii) the date of their publication in parentheses as shown in the underlined parts of the foIlowing passage.11.Plagiarism is kind of theft, referring to the use of others' ideas, findings, arguments, data,and words without appropriate citation or documentation.12.According to Gibaldi (1999), plagiarism is committed when a person fails to giveappropriate citation and documentation when13.1) he/she copies a sentence from the sources;14.2) he/she paraphrases another's argument;15.3) he/she presents another's line of thinking.16.Paraphrasing is a complete rewriting or restating. It is a condensed version of anotherauthor's work, or putting the author's words into your own words though you should avoid any interpretation of the source materials.Appropriate paraphrasing means rewriting with substantial changes in language and organization.Unit 51.There are two major kinds of academic paper: primary research paper and secondaryresearch paper.2. A primary research paper is the study of a subject through firsthand investigation,involving presenting original ideas and information on your own. In most cases you need to conduct a survey or an experiment to obtain new findings. Hence it is sometimes called "survey-or-experiment-based research".3. A secondary research paper, however, involves gathering and analyzing the researchfindings from other people's research. To illustrate your argument, you need to borrow and use evidence and findings available on the topic in the library or on the Internet.Hence it is sometimes called "library-or-lnternet-based research".4.The introduction section is the start of a research article and its main purpose is to givea clear picture of what the article is about and what the attitude of the author is.5.An introduction usually includes the following elements:1)Introduce the topic or problem with which the research essay is concerned.2)Give a clear definition of the topic and of the related key terms.3)Provide the relevant background information/context of the topic.4)Review the previous related studies and point out their limitation if necessary.5)State the purpose/objective of the essay.6)Introduce the theoretical perspectives the essay might use.7)Justify your choice of the topic or give the reasons for your research.8)Explain how the essay will be organized (the outline of the essay).6.Functions of introduction sectionsIntroduction to the topicBackground informationJustificationDefinition of key termsWriter’s purposeThesis statementOutline of structure7.Steps to write the body section of the secondary research essay:1)Evaluate all source materials you have gathered;2)Design the structure or organization of you essay according to research questions,such as cause and effect, or comparison and contrast;3)Arrange the arguments in a logical order according to the chosen structure;4)Select and organize source materials to illustrate the ideas of the topic sentencesrespectively.mon types of organization when write the body of the secondary research essayA.Effect analysisThe structure of effect analysis may be used to analyze the effect of a certain phenomenon such as global warming ,nuclear radiation, the use of genetically modified organisms and so on.B.Cause analysis.To analyze the causes for a phenomenon such as earthquakes, climate changes, sleep deprivation and breast cancer, you may use the body structure of causal analysis.C. C. Pro-and-con analysisD.The structure may be used to weigh both advantages and disadvantages of atechnology such as GM food, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, synthetical biology, Web 3.0 and so on.parison analysisF.To compare and contrast two subjects such as computers and human brains, ororganic food and traditional food, you may either use the subject-to-subject body structure or the point- to-point body structure.9.The methods section, which is a detailed breakdown of the experiment or survey,questions an experiment or survey should answer:10.1) What are your research questions?11.2) How is your research carried out?12.3) How is your data collected?13.4) How are your results obtained?14.Points one should make clear to readers when writing the body of a primary researchessay:1）subjects of the experiment (How were they chosen?);2）the materials (What equipment or tools were used? Where and in what condition was the experiment conducted?);3）the procedure (How did you design your study and what steps did you follow when the data were collected?);4）the criteria (What criteria are used for selecting subjects?);5）the survey (How the questionnaire is designed and administered? How are the samples or respondents chosen? And how the interview is conducted--by telephone or door to door?)6）statistical analysis (How were statistics analyzed?).15.The results section describes the statistical results and the findings of the research, whichdirectly answers your research questions. It deals with the facts rather than the opinions.The opinions such as evaluation and commentary should be saved in the discussion section.16.Contents of results section when Writing the body of a primary research essay1）an overview of the experiment or a summary of the findings;2）detailed presentation of the representative data and/or graphic aids and their locating and/or analysis;3）detailed presentation of the findings.17.Functions that the conclusion can serve:1)to summarize the main ideas or key findings in the essay;2)to make some comments on the findings;3)to compare your results with previous results;4)to explain unexpected results;5)to explore possible implications;6)to point out its limitations of the work covered by your essay;7)to mention further research that might be required.18.An abstract, composed after your research paper is finished and placed before the maintext, is a condensed summary of the paper's key information. The main purpose is to enable the readers to be informed of the basic content and chief results of your paper quickly and accurately.19.What an abstract should include:1)the statement of the problem;2)the purpose or objective of the study;3)the methods or brief description of the experiment;4)the important data or results of any statistical analysis;5)the chief findings;6)the principal conclusions or recommendations.20.Rules for writing a reference list:1）Place the reference list after the last section of the essay.2）Do not include sources which have not been cited in the text of the essay.3）Start each item in the list at the left margin. If an item extends to more than one line, indent the additional lines.4）Use the last or family name and initials (not full names) for all authors.5）Arrange the items in the alphabetical order of authors’ family names.21.In this case you need to use cautious language to avoid the possibility of people sayingthat you are wrong. The cautious language is called hedging.mon hedging expressions:1）Certain introductory verbs and phrases such as seem, tend, look like, appear to be, think, believe, our knowledge, it is our view that, we feel that;2）Certain modal lexical verbs such as believe, assume, suggest, estimate;3）Certain modal auxiliary verbs such as will, must, would, may, might, could, can;4）Certain adverbs of frequency and degree such as often, sometimes, usually, approximately, roughly, about, occasionally, generally, somewhat, somehow, a lot of;5）Certain modal adverbs and adjectives such as probably, possibly, perhaps, conceivably, possible, probable, un/likely, presumably, virtually, apparently;6）Certain modal nouns such as assumption, possibility, probability, claim, estimate, suggestion；7）Certain it-clauses s uch as it could be the case that…, it might be suggested that…, it may be possible to obtain…, it is important to develop…, it is useful to study…;8）Certain if-clauses such as if true, if anything.23.Proofreading is the final step of writing an academic essay. It is about searching yourwriting for basic grammatical and mechanical errors to make sure that your paper is free from any errors before submitting your paper to your teacher or a journal.24.checking globally1) The title and abstract 2) The introduction section 3) The conclusion section4) The body section 5) Topic sentences 6) Citation 7) ReferenceChecking grammatically1) Sentence fragments 2) Dangling Modifiers 3) Ambiguous Pronoun Reference4) Problems of Agreement 5) Problems of Tense 6) Problems of Articles7) Uncountable nouns8) Misused words9) Choppy sentences10) Run-on sentences。
