TEXT 1

4_ Characteristics of scientific academic language

 Language resources for an academic text: objectivity, clarity and precision.

(Resources to create a scientific effect)
 Traits of the academic-scientific style that produce the effect of scientific neutrality
and whose presence is required by institutions:
1 The impersonality
2 The use of specific terminology
3 The conceptual density
4 The formal language
1. IMPERSONALITY : consists of hiding the subject who writes or
investigates, suppressing all linguistic signs of subjectivity. Thus
the effect that science speaks of is produced and there is no author
or researcher with positions and points of view. The resources to
achieve this are:
 Almost exclusive use of the grammatical third person
 Use of verbal forms with pronouns: It is one of the most
common forms of concealment of the subject. This is the
case of forms such as: it is said, it was done, it is made
known, it is studied, it has been verified, it will be seen.
 Use of verbs in the passive voice (with the verb to be):
It consists of using the formula: verb to be plus the
participle of the verb that you want to use, without the
reference to the subject of the action appearing. For
example, instead of "I have verified", use "has been
verified". In this way, the effect of neutrality and
objectivity is generated or intensified: The game was
perceived as a disciplinary element that would be tutored.
 Mentioning actions and processes using nouns: It
consists of naming actions using nouns derived from
verbs, called nominalizations instead of the verbs, which
means that subjects do not appear performing those
actions, as would occur if a verb were used. An example:
"this new production of knowledge", instead of saying
"writing produces new knowledge." The following list
exemplifies some of the many nominalizations that are
commonly used. Since they cannot indicate a subject,
nominalizations signify concepts and processes in an
abstract way. For this reason, when they accumulate in a
text AND are close to each other, they produce not only
abstraction and depersonalization, but a great conceptual
density.
 Use of verbal adjectives (participles) instead of verbs:
It consists of mentioning an action, for example,
investigating or relating, as an established fact:
investigated, related. Participles name actions without a
subject to perform them, which is why they contribute to
impersonality. They appear attached to abstract nouns or
 nominalizations, so they also contribute to increasing
conceptual density as in the case of "constructed
perception" or "obtained production." For example: The
direct transfer of bovine embryos produced in vivo allows
achieving success rates.
 Prevalence of non-evaluative and non-subjective
adjectives : there are other adjectives that relate a named
object to a class of objects: dramatic character, trauma
doctor, republican politician, etymological dictionary,
maritime coast, ministerial resolution. These are
adjectives that do not refer to a quality of the object, but
rather specify and specify it; Obviously, they are the most
frequent in academic-scientific discourse. Other adjectives
that do not reveal subjectivity are those that allow an
object to be located in time (previous, current, transitory)
or to individualize it (sole presence). For example: The
difference between a military community and a political
community lies in that... /Every member of the academic
community is relatively free to select their own discursive
options, but it is only within the horizon of disciplinary
restrictions. You can appeal to a technical resource... /
Exactly the same thing happens with typographic text...
 Non-intervention of a human entity in some acts and
processes: Certain acts are named as if they were carried
out without intervention of a human entity. For example:
The experimental tests indicate... / The results suggest.../
This research implies.../ The analysis of the indicators
shows.../ The university manual thus appears defined as a
genre that facilitates the mastery of the basic concepts of a
discipline. In other cases we find references to collective
and/or generic human entities. For example : These
identifications could only be constructed as the militants
became aware of the dimension of the repression.
 Use of the first person plural to name the author as an
individual: It consists of using the verbal forms
corresponding to we, instead of those corresponding to I,
when a single individual author refers to himself. It is a
way of partially erasing the author, and is called "plural of
modesty."
 SYNTHESIS: The impersonality of the speech is acquired
through procedures of concealment of the subjectivity of
the person who issues it. The most common procedures
are: 1_ Predominance of the grammatical third person; 2_
use of verbal forms with se; 3_ verbal forms in passive
voice; 4_ use of nouns derived from verbs
(nominalizations); 5_ use of adjectives derived from verbs
(participles); 6_ references to abstract, collective or
genetic entities; 7_ the predominance of relational
adjectives over evaluative ones
2 USE OF SPECIFIC TERMINOLOGY: The words called
terms refer to scientific and technical knowledge . Terms are
words specific to a specific disciplinary field, which name concepts
defined, stipulated and delimited by each particular discipline. By
having a univocal meaning, they produce precision and formality in
the speech. Example: in this work we study the thermodynamics of
the black hole solutions of the Gauss-Bonnet theory of gravity, which
includes second-order powers in the curvature, in the vacuum cases
and in the case of coupling with theory charges. nonlinear
electromagnetic waves, such as Hoffmann-Infeld and Born-Infeld

3 CONCEPTUAL DENSITY: The abundance of disciplinary terms

and nominalizations produces an accumulation of concepts and
abstractions, which is one of the causes of the usual density of these
texts. Example: The diagnosis points to a debate that focuses mainly
on the contrast between the discourses and paradigms derived from
naturalistic positivism and logical positivism against the currents of
current thought represented, as previously stated, among others, by
Habbermas, Derrida, Skinner, Koselleck, Gombtich and others. We
would then have, at the basis [sic] of a new conception of human
sciences , the tension , as they are included or excluded from: the
crucial role of experiences in theory; the neutrality of the observer
and his statements; philosophy as metalanguage; explained models
as opposed to comprehensive ones; the separation between theory
and histories, between sciences and metaphysics . / The objective of
the present work was to study the functionality of
hydroxypropylmethylcellulose and its mixtures with beta-
lactoglobulin in food colloids. The studies carried out show that these
polysaccharides in solution present a complex behavior that is
manifested in the association/self-assembly mediated by hydrophobic
interactions and strongly modulated by pH, as well as by
concentration and temperature.

4 FORMAL LANGUAGE : These are the ways of saying. The

academic context requires the use of a contextual variety of language
called formal register that is characterized by the use of certain
language formulas that are not everyday, such as consists of , instead
of is . Examples:
 INFORMAL REGISTRATION FORMAL REGISTRATION
Pile Accumulate
To answer Give an answer
Give a date Fix a date
Is Consists of; is about
Ask a question Ask a question; raise a question
One has to It is necessary, it is necessary
Think Reflect
put a condition stipulate a requirement
publish a news spread a news
consider consider; repair in
take a photo to photograph
have control exercise command
have a hypothesis formulate a hypothesis
have a feeling experience a sensation

TEXT 2

Investigative monograph: similar to magazine articles. The textual organization known

as IMMRD: Introduction, Methodology, Materials, Results, Discussion and
Conclusions.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
1_ General characteristics: Its function or purpose is to publicize and evaluate the most
recent publications that the journal, as a disciplinary institution, considers significant for
the advancement of knowledge. The recipients are the members of the disciplinary
community. The mandatory paratexts are: title and author of the reviewed material, and
the name of the author of the review. To support the observations made in a review, it is
advisable to make abundant references to what the reviewed text says, and you can even
include textual quotes from some important passages. Quotations and references are
introduced with the so-called verbs of saying (affirm, maintain, manifest, clarify, etc.)
and those that name thought operations (analyze, investigate, hypothesize, theorize,
establish, etc.).
2_ Basic organization of the text and essential content: Bibliographic reviews and
reading reports must include:
 Data to contextualize the reviewed text: title of the book, author, topic, place and
date of publication; its importance and contributions to the advancement of
knowledge.
 Description and evaluation of the subject: the different topics discussed in the
reviewed text; your perspective or theoretical framework; the hypotheses that are
proposed; the conclusions reached; strong and weak points.
 Conclusions
 Evaluative summary.

STATE OF THE QUESTION

1_ General characteristics: The function or purpose of this genre is to systematically
present the state of research on a topic. It consists of an analytical and critical synthesis
of research and theories about a topic, that is, it is a review of the published
bibliography, previous works and related theoretical aspects.
2_ Basic organization and unavoidable contents: The states of the matter must include:
 Main theme and its importance.
 Differences in approach between various investigations and authors
 Differences in content between each of these works
 New aspects that each study adds.
 Assessment of the contributions of each study.
 f) Aspects absent in each one or possible objections.
 Quotes of various types to support observations
 Indication of which aspects of the topic remain vacant or need further
elaboration.

SUMMARY
1_ General characteristics: The function or purpose of is to quickly and concisely report
the main aspects of an investigation. It makes it easier for readers to select which
materials they are interested in reading in full.
2_ Basic organization and essential contents:
 Topic and purpose of the work
 Significance within the discipline
 Methodology used
 Results achieved
 Conclusion
 Bibliography (only if requested)
Qualitative research:
 Topic and purpose of the work
 Relevance for the advancement of knowledge
 Basic hypothesis
 Findings or demonstrations that consolidate or refute it
 Conclusions
 Bibliography (only if requested)

RESEARCH PURPOSE
1_ General characteristics: the function is to show the ability to develop one's own
research in a field of knowledge. Its obligatory paratext is a title that strictly refers to the
disciplinary aspect that you want to investigate. It is advisable that it be a short
descriptive phrase.
2_ Basic organization and essential contents:
 The general objective: main purpose that would resolve the base hypothesis
 Specific objectives: they are the intermediate purposes, derived from mythology,
that will be fulfilled during the general investigation.
 Theoretical framework: It consists of the description of conceptual elements,
such as categories, concepts, postulates, which serve as a reference for the
research because:
o They allow appropriate hypotheses to be formulated;
o They offer an adequate conceptualization to order and classify the facts
that will be studied.
o They offer solid criteria for selecting analysis categories;
o They allow the analysis to be interpreted in a manner consistent with the
hypotheses.
  Statement of the question: it is the description of the question that is expected to
be resolved through the investigation.
 Basic hypothesis: it is the question that derives from the theoretical framework
and the knowledge that has been achieved about the problem that arises.
Research should confirm or refute that conjecture
 State of the matter:
 Justification: it is about the importance of carrying out the research, its contributions
to discipline and knowledge and/or to society in general.
 Analysis categories: they are the subsettable indicators to be observed in the
material to be analyzed; is derived from the theoretical framework and its
application to the analysis material. For example: For example, a linguistic research
project may propose, among others, these categories or indicators to be examined: rhetorical
procedures, enunciative strategies, resources for plausibility of arguments, modalities,
linguistic mitigation procedures.

SPECIALIZED MAGAZINE ARTICLES

1_ General characteristics: The function or purpose is to publicize an advance in knowledge within a
specific field of study. Your mandatory paratext is a title that is more or less brief, concise and
descriptive. The recipients are members of the disciplinary community and its authors are expert
members of that community. Currently, the article for a specialized magazine is considered the
academic-scientific genre par excellence, because it is what expert members of a disciplinary or
professional community resort to to learn about the advances in their field and to make their
own knowledge known.
2_ Basic organization and essential contents: the works follow the IMMRDC scheme, but for research
in social sciences and for those that refer to theoretical or speculative aspects of a field, the
Methodology and Materials and Results sections are usually not relevant. In any case, these
works maintain the Introduction, Conclusions and Bibliographic References sections, while the
development of the work may have an ad hoc organization required by the research process
itself.

TEXT 3: CONCERNS AND STRATEGIES OF THE WRITER: APPLICATION OF THE

COGNITIVE THEORY OF WRITING

1_ TEXT PLAN: It is necessary to distinguish between the task plan and the text plan , that is,
two types of planning are required: preparation prior to writing (data collection and deepening
of the theoretical framework), and the or “text skeleton”.
Text plans are organizers that allow you to have starting points for the specific work of writing.
Starting with what is most comfortable is stimulating to continue writing, it is necessary to have
a clear and precise text plan, even with subtitles already placed: this will avoid confusion. It is
very likely that as you write and also in subsequent revisions, some parts of the text will need to
be moved. A good plan is one that organizes ideas and serves as starting points, but it is not
necessarily an immovable structure. As the writing progresses, the original plan may be
modified.

1.1_ SOME PLANNING PROCEDURES:

The first step is to choose the type of plan: the methodology organization includes the
IMMRRDC (Introduction, methodology, materials, results, discussion and conclusions). The
logical organization presents the topic and purposes of the work, the relevance for the
advancement of knowledge, the basic hypothesis and the findings that confirm it, the
conclusions and/or recommendations.
Whether one or another plan is chosen for the text, it is useful to write provisional subtitles for
each of the parts.
The second step is to note in the spaces between the subtitles in which parts of that structure you
will need to explain (terms, causes), describe a process, describe theories or points of view of
others, relate the background of a situation or knowledge, and argue to defend one's own point
of view or question another's point of view.
The third step is to write down briefly and schematically the contents that will go into each
section or the bibliography to review for certain points.
The fourth step requires organizing these contents in the form of small plans.
The fifth step is to begin developing the section with which the author feels most comfortable.
You can start with any of them. The plan will be the guide.

When you start writing, you should not worry about the perfection of your writing. There will
be many later modifications.

2_ THE DECISIONS TO TAKE WHILE WRITING

 The organization of paragraphs:
o Decide where one paragraph ends and start another
o Hierarchize ideas
o Formulate for each paragraph a sentence that anticipates or contains the theme
(thematic sentence)
o Maintain internal consistency in each paragraph
o Establish an appropriate semantic link between sentences in the same paragraph
o Check score

 The relationship between paragraphs:

o Find the exact relationship (contrast, consequence, parallelism, etc.) between
one paragraph and another
o Maintain the flow of the text or the progress of the investigation
o Maintain general textual coherence (avoid sudden jumps)
o Check score

 The structure of the sentences:

o Order the words within each sentence to make it clear and to prioritize some
ideas or data.
o Control the length and conceptual density of sentences by accumulation of
information
o Control how to adequately show the semantic relationship of a sentence with
the previous ka

 The lexicon
o Use appropriate disciplinary terms
o Whether or not to choose synonyms or equivalent constructions
o Control conceptual density by accumulation of terminology
o Selection of words that do not belong to the discipline, but that must maintain
the formality of the academic-scientific language

 Spelling and punctuation

o Resolve doubts
o Fix errors
o Write proper names correctly, especially those from other languages

 Orthotypography:
o Decide which words in the text will be highlighted
o Format bibliographic citations
o Know which words should be written in another font (Ex: foreign words always
in italics)
 o Respect the specific standards requested for a job

FIRST REVIEW: You shouldn't worry about the words I use, spelling or grammar.
Recommendation: focus primarily on the organization of the text. It is about focusing
preferably on solving issues such as:
o Are the conventions of the genre respected?
o Is the text organized into sections and does each one have a subtitle?
o Is the content of each section appropriate or has something slipped into the previous or
next section?
o Does the content of each section agree with the notes and the previous plan or has
important information been omitted?
o Have the corresponding discursive modes (descriptions, definitions, explanations,
arguments) been used?

SUBSEQUENT REVISIONS: When you are satisfied with the content of the work, the task of
revising the writing is imposed. This involves everything related to the construction of
paragraphs and sentences, the choice of lexis, the appropriate connection between paragraphs
and between sentences. Ex:
LATEST REVISIONS: we work with the surface of the text (with everything that concerns
typing [involuntary errors on the keyboard], spelling, spelling and general rules for
bibliographic citations)
It is advisable to review letter by letter to avoid repetitions and jumps due to the use of “copy
paste”.
Regarding typing or spelling errors, it is not recommended to blindly trust the spell checker
(page 84 tells why)