Lesson I Fundamentals of Reading Academic Texts

ACADEMIC TEXT

The texts you read in school are different from the texts you read during your leisure time. While the
texts you read for pleasures, such as novels or magazines, can be likened to the appeal of sweet
desserts, academic texts are more like the heavy main course. More often than not they need to be
chewed & savored for a long time before their meanings can fully digested.

Academic text is defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written by experts or professionals in a
given field using formal language. This means that academic texts are based on facts with solid basis.
Academic writing, therefore, is generally quite formal, objective (impersonal) and technical.

 Articles - Journals, this type of academic text offers results of research & development that can
either impact the academic community or provide relevance to nation building.
 Conference Papers these are papers presented in scholastic conferences, & may be revised as
articles for possible publication in scholarly journals.
 Reviews – these provide evaluation or reviews of works published in scholarly journals.
 Theses, Dissertations - these personal researches written by a candidate for a college or
university degree.
 Literary Analysis – A literary analysis essay examines, evaluates, and makes an argument about a
literary work. As its name suggests, a literary analysis essay goes beyond mere summarization. It
requires careful close reading of one or multiple texts and often focuses on a specific
characteristic, theme, or motif.

Based on the examples, it can be said that in academic reading, full concentration & comprehension are
required for you to understand the key ideas, information, themes, or arguments of the text.

Academic texts are typically formal. They have a clearly structured introduction, body, conclusion. They
also include information from credible sources which are, in turn, properly cited. They also include a list
of references used in developing the academic paper.

Academic texts include concepts & theories that are related to the specific discipline they explore. They
usually exhibit all the properties of a well-written text (organization, unity, coherence, & cohesion, as
well as strict adherence to rules of language use & mechanics.

ACADEMIC TEXT CONTENT AND STYLE

1. They state critical questions & issues

2. They provide facts & evidence from credible sources they use precise & accurate words while
avoiding jargon & colloquial expression
3. They take an objective point-of-view & avoid being personal & subjective
4. They use hedging or cautious language to tone down their claims.
5. They take an objective point-of-view & avoid being personal & subjective.
SUMMARIZING
Summarizing a text, or distilling its essential concepts into a paragraph or two, is a useful study
tool as well as good writing practice.

A summary has two aims:

•to reproduce the overarching ideas in a text, identifying the general
Concepts that run through the entire piece, and
•to express these overarching ideas using precise, specific language

When you summarize, you cannot rely on the language the author has used to develop his or
her points, and you must find a way to give an overview of these points without your own
sentences becoming too general.
According to Buckley (2004), in her popular writing text Fit to Print, summarizing is reducing
text to one-third or one-quarter its original size, clearly articulating the author’s meaning, and
retaining main ideas.
According to Diane Hacker (2008), in A Canadian writer’s Reference, explains that summarizing
involves stating a work’s thesis and main ideas “simply, briefly, and accurately”.
 Condensed version of a larger reading
 Omits details, and does not include the reader’s interpretation of the original
Key Points to consider:
•Its connection to the source
•Reader should develop an understanding of the original work summarizing the text not
criticizing it .

ACADEMIC WRITING STRATEGIES

Academic reading requires a more active, probing and recursive strategy than doing
recreational reading. It is an essential skill for completing a written assignment.
Reading strategically is integral to the process of understanding your topic, finding research
materials, and developing your ideas.
Reading strategies differ from reader to reader. The same reader may use different strategies
for different contexts because their purpose for reading changes. Ask yourself “why am I
reading?” and “what am I reading?” when deciding which strategies to try.
Ask yourself “why am I reading?” and “what am I reading?” when deciding which strategies to
try.
People read different kinds of text (e.g., scholarly articles, textbooks, reviews) for different
reasons. Some purposes for reading might be
To scan for specific information to skim to get an overview of the text
To relate new content to existing knowledge
To write something (often depends on a prompt)
To critique an argument
To learn something for general comprehension

BEFORE READING
a. Establish your purpose for reading
b. Speculate about the author’s purpose for writing
c. Review what you already know and want to learn About the topic (see the guides
below).
d. Preview the text to get an overview of its structure. Looking at headings, figures, tables,
glossary, etc.
e. Predict the contents of the text and pose questions about it. If the authors have
provided discussion questions, read them and write them on a note taking sheet.
f. Note any discussion questions that have been provided (sometimes at the end of the
text)

DURING READING
a. Annotate and mark (sparingly) sections of the text to easily recall important or
interesting ideas
b. Check your predictions and find answers to posed Questions
c. Use headings and transition words to identify relationships in the textd
d. Create a vocabulary list of other unfamiliar words to define later
e. Try to infer unfamiliar words’ meanings by identifying their relationship to the main idea
f. Connect the text to what you already know about the topic
g. Take breaks (split the text into segments if necessary)
AFTER READING
a. Summarize the text in your own words (note what you learned, impressions, and
reactions) in an outline, concept map, or matrix (for several texts)
b. Talk to someone about the author’s ideas to check your comprehension
c. Identify and reread difficult parts of the text d. Define words on your vocabulary list and
practice using them .

PARAPHRASING
- To put something into your own words.

 Your own interpretation of ideas that were said by someone else.

 A way to borrow from a source.

1.Change to Synonyms
Example:
The stallion was content with the mare.
The stallion was happy with the mare.
Try this…
After he ate lunch, John took a nap.
She has an alluring beauty, I like her.

2.Interpret meaning identify the underlying meaning of a statement

Mrs. Lee said, “I am ready for lunch.”
Mrs. Lee complained about being hungry.
Try this…
She entered the office and shut the door aloud.
His answer could raise a lot of issues.

3.Change Word Forms

 Use an adverb instead of an adjective
 Use a verb to replace a noun.

John is an accurate typist.

John types accurately.
She is fluent in English.
She is a nature lover.
WHY PARAPHRASE?

 It’s better than quoting lots of information.

 You don’t quote as much, Leaving more room for your Ideas.
 When you put an idea in your own words, you understand it better.

PLAGIARISM

The practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.
PLAGIARISM - Copying, infringement of copyright, piracy, theft, stealing; informal cribbing.

R.A. 10175 || Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012

Plagiarism is punishable under the R.A. 10175 if it corresponds to a copyright infringement
under Intellectual Property Code; it could be considered as cybercrime.

R.A. 10175 || Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012

Under the IPC, the act of plagiarism – when it amounts to copyright infringement – carries a
penalty of 3-6 years imprisonment and a fine of P50,000-P150,000.

Don’t Plagiarize Avoid Plagiarism

Stop Plagiarism Don’t be a Plagiarist

PROMOTE AUTHENTICITY
BE HONEST EMBRACE
ORIGINALITY WRITE YOUR OWN

Paraphrase the following statements:

1. I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. (W. Churchill)
2. He is considered the Andres Bonifacio of this era.
3. This job is as aggravating as putting toothpaste back into the tube.
4. “In my solitude the walls are a blank silence until your smile glints.”
CITING SOURCES

It feels good to be recognized for something you do, whether it is a small or a big project.
Conversely, if your work is used without any mention of you as a creator, you will surely feel
that it is unfair and unethical. In the academic realm, it is important that credit is given where it
is due.
Citing Sources A procedure by which you properly document all borrowed ideas, information,
concepts, arguments, or information and attribute them to their author or creators. This is a
very integral part of academic writing for it protects the intellectual rights of the original author
or writer or proponent of a certain concept.

Purposes of Citing Sources

1. To give credit to the original author of a work Plagiarism is a serious offense in which
someone takes and uses the ideas, information, concepts, or arguments of someone else,
intentionally or unintentionally, without proper citations.

2. To promote scholarly writing

Scholarly writing means that you are able to exhaustively use related and existing ideas,
information, concepts or arguments of an expert and to properly attribute these to the original
source.

3. To help your target audience identify your original source

More often than not, your target audience or readers want to either verify the information or
learn more about the information from the original source. With your proper citations, your
target audience can easily identify the location of the original source used in your paper.

Forms of Citing Sources

In-text Citation Requires the writer to cite the details of the
Reference used in a certain part of his essay. The format of in-text citation vary per style.

In-text Citation
Two of the three reviewed studies focusing on communication in non-internet and Internet
relationships mediated by FtF, phone, or email modalities found that the frequency of each
modality’s use was significantly linked to the strength of the particular relationship (Cummings
et al., 2002).

Reference Citation
Refers to the complete bibliographical entries of all the reference used by the writer. This
appears in the list found at the last part of the paper.

Reference Citation
Style Guides

1 The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

2. The Modern Language Association Style Guide (MLA)

3. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE)

4. American Medical Association Manual of Style(AMA)

5. The Chicago Manual Style

THESIS STATEMENT

After you have brainstormed and you have some main ideas of what you would like to write in your
essay, you can begin thinking about writing a thesis statement.

A thesis statement is a complete sentence that contains one main idea. This idea controls the content of
the entire essay. A thesis statement that contains subpoints also helps a reader know how the essay will
be organized. Look at the introductory paragraph below. See if you can identify the thesis statement and
subpoints.

THESIS STATEMENT:

 States the main idea of the essay in a thesis statement.

 States an opinion or attitude on a topic It doesn’t just state the topic, itself.
 Is usually at the end of an introduction.
 Often lists subtopics.
 Does not directly announce your main topic.

Main Idea in a Complete Sentence

Since the thesis statement is the main statement for the entire essay, it should express a complete
thought and be a complete sentence. The thesis statement is asserting an opinion or idea, so it should
not be a question. Look at the examples below to see how they can be made into thesis statements

Location

English readers like to know what an essay will be about near the beginning of the essay rather than at
the end. This is why the thesis statement is often found at the end of the introductory paragraph.

The thesis statement comes at the end of the introductory paragraph. This sentence tells the reader
that he/she can expect to read about the events that caused the author to stop smoking in the rest of
the essay.

States an Opinion or Attitude

Good thesis statements often express a writer’s opinion or attitude on a particular topic. This makes the
thesis statement more specific and requires the writer to explain or prove his/her opinion in the essay.
Subtopics

You can make your thesis statement more specific by including subtopics or supporting ideas. By doing
this, you give your reader a clear idea of what will follow in the body paragraphs of your essay.

Don’t Save The Obvious

In thesis statements, you should avoid using statements like, “This essay will discuss…” or “I’m going to
write about…”. Try to write a thesis statement that captures your reader’s attention without announcing
your main topic and stating the obvious. Look at the examples below.