ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Lesson 1: Nature of Academic Text: Examples, Reading Goals, Structure, Content

and Style
Academic Text:
- Academic text is a type of text or writing that is written by professionals in a
given field and is also intended for a scholarly audience
- Language in academic texts must be formal and contain words and terms
specific to the field
- The names and credentials of the authors must be included in any type of
academic text
- A list of valid and reliable references must also be included, indicating
where the author obtained the information used in the article
- Aside from the fundamental differences in content and form, the difference
between academic and non-academic texts lies in the approach you take
when reading them
Non-Academic Text:
- Is intended for the general public in society
- Are writings that are informal and dedicated to a lay audience
- They are emotional, personal and subjective without any kind of research
involving. Therefore, anyone can write a non-academic text
- Newspaper articles, e-mail messages, text messages, journal writing, and
letters are some examples of non-academic text
- Aside from the fundamental differences in content and form, the difference
between academic and non-academic texts lies in the approach you take
when reading them

Reading Goals:
- It is important that you know your purpose for reading early on, so you can
save time and improve your comprehension
-
Before you read an academic text, ask yourself the following questions:
- Why am I reading this text?
- What information or pieces of information do I need?
- What do I want to learn?
Below are some general purposes for reading an academic text:
- To better understand an existing idea
- To get ideas that can support a particular writing assignment
- To gain more information
- To identity gaps in existing studies
- To connect new ideas to existing ones
Structure of Academic Text:
- Academic texts are typically formal
- They have a clearly structured introduction, body, and 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

Content and Style of Academic Texts:

- Academic texts include concepts and theories that are related to the
specific discipline they explore
- They usually exhibit all the properties of a well-written text i.e.,
organization, unity, coherence and cohesion, as well as strict adherence to
rules of language use and mechanics
To further know: https://www.scribbr.com/research-paper/paragraph-structure/

In general, authors observe the following when writing academic texts:

- They state critical questions and issues
- They provide facts and evidence from credible sources
- They use precise and accurate words while avoiding jargon and colloquial
expressions
- They take an objective point-of-view and avoid being personal and
subjective
- They list references
- They use hedging or cautious language to tone down their claims
To further know:
https://urios.neolms.com/files/7177454/Hedging_Expressions(2).pdf?lmsauth=09
49ca0eee79544f90b0d41ed5e55b05497f5a06
Lesson 2: Critical Reading Strategies

Critical Reading:
- Requires focus and understanding
- You have to interact with the text by questioning its assumptions,
responding to its arguments, and connecting it to real-life experiences and
applications
- Critical or reflective reading helps you identify the key arguments
presented by the author and analyze concepts presented in the text
Before Reading:
- Determine which part of the academic text (article, review, thesis, etc.) you
are reading
- Determine and establish your purpose for reading
- Identify the author's purpose for writing
- Predict or infer the main idea of argument of the text based on its title
- Identify your attitude towards the author and the text
- State what you already know and what you want to learn about the topic
- Determine the target audience
- Check the publication date for relevance. It should have been published at
most five year earlier than the current year
- Check the reference list while making sure to consider the correctness of
the formatting style
- Use a concept map or graphic organizer to note your existing ideas and
knowledge on the topic
During Reading:
- Annotate important parts of the text
- Annotating a text can help you determine essential ideas or information,
main ideas or arguments, and new information or ideas. Here are some
ways to annotate a text
- Write key words or phrases on the margins in bullet form
- Write something on the page margin where important information is found
- Write brief notes on the margin
- Write questions on information that you find confusing
- Write what you already know about the ideas
- Write the limitations of the author's arguments
- Write notes on the reliability of the text
- Comment on the author's biases
- Use concept map or any graphic organizer to note down the ideas being
explained
- React of the arguments presented in the text
- Underline important words, phrases, or sentences
- Underline or circle meanings or definitions
 - Mark or highlight relevant/essential parts of the text
- Use the headings and transition words to identify relationships in the text
- Create a bank of unfamiliar or technical words to be defined later
- Use context clues to define unfamiliar or technical words
- Synthesize author's arguments at the end of chapter or section
- Determine the main idea of the text
- Identify the evidence or supporting arguments presented by the author and
check their validity and relevance
- Identify the findings and note the appropriateness of the research method
used
After Reading:
- Reflect on what you learned
- Reflect on some parts of the text through writing
- Discuss some parts with your teacher or classmates
- Link the main idea of the text to what you already know
To further know: https://owl.excelsior.edu/orc/what-to-do-while-
reading/annotating/annotating-creating-an-annotation-system/

Other Reading Strategies:

- In addition to the given strategies before, during, and after reading, there
are other reading strategies that you can employ to ensure critical reading
not only of academic text, but also of other texts in general
SQ3R Method of Reading:
- SQ3R stands for Survey (or Skim), Question, Read, Recite (or Recall), Review
Survey:
- Skim the target text
- Check the headings and tables, diagrams, or figures presented in the text
- Read the first few and last sentences of the text to determine key
information
- Get a feel of the text
Question:
- Annotate the headings with your questions
- Develop questions on the types of information you expect from the next
Read:
- Look for answers to your questions as you read the text
- Stop and slow down if the passage is not clear
- Make sure to proceed reading only when you already understand the
previous texts
Recite:
- Recount the main points of the text
 - Recall by writing a summary or synthesis based on what you understand of
the text
- Highlight or underline the important points you read
Review:
- After finishing the text, go back and re-read the questions you wrote and
see if you can answer them; if not, refresh your memory
- Evaluate what you learned to ensure that you are convinced and satisfied
with the information presented in the text
KWL Method:
- This method guides you in reading and understanding a text
- To apply the KWL method, simple make a table with three columns
- In the first column, write what you know about the topic (K); in the second,
list down what you want to learn (W); and in the last column write down
what you learned (L)
What you Know:
- There is a connection between language and gender
- Women and men are on different levels of talkativeness
What you want to Learn:
- Are women really more talkative than men?
- What accounts for the difference in the frequency of language use between
men and women?
What you Learned:
- Women are reported to speak 20,000 words a day while men speak an
average of 7,000 words
- Foxp2 protein is one of the genes associated with language
- It was shown that women have higher levels of this protein that men

Lesson 3: Locating Main Ideas

Locating Main Ideas:

- One effective way of increasing your speed in reading is by finding the main
idea or thesis statement of the text and the topic sentence of the
paragraphs
- If you can locate the thesis statement and the topic sentences, you do not
have to read the entire text to get the key information you need
- It will also give you an idea of the text and help you evaluate the author's
arguments as you read
Understanding and Locating the Thesis Statement:
- The Thesis Statement presents or describes the point of an essay
- In an academic text, the thesis statement is usually presented in the
abstract or executive summary or found at the last part of the introduction
- It is written in a declarative sentence
- In some cases in academic texts, the thesis statement located at the last
part of the introduction is replaced with a purpose statement
- Unlike the thesis statement, the purpose statement is introduced by signal
phrases that announce the purpose, scope, or direction of the text as well
as its focus
- These signal phrases include: "This study examined...", "This paper
examines...", "The aim of this essay is to...", "This paper begins with...", "In
this paper, I hope to...", "The primary objective of this paper is to...", and
"The purpose of this essay is to..." among others

Strategies in Locating the Thesis Statement:

- Read the title of the text and make inferences on its purpose
- If the text has no abstract or executive summary, read the first few
paragraphs as the thesis statement is usually located there
- In other cases, you may also check the conclusion where authors sum up
and review their main points
Understanding and Locating Topic Sentences:
- The topic sentence presents or describes the point of the paragraph; in
other words, it is the main idea of a paragraph
- It can be located in the beginning, middle, or last part of a paragraph
Strategies in locating the Topic Sentence:
- Read the first sentence of the paragraph very carefully because most
authors state their topic sentence in the beginning of the paragraph
- Browse the sentences in the paragraph to identify what they describe. The
sentence that best describes the topic of the paragraph is the topic
sentence
- Find the concept or idea being tackled, which in colloquial term is the "big
word" in the paragraph. The sentence that defines the big word is usually
the topic sentence
- Identify the purpose of the paragraph. The sentence that presents or
describes the purpose is the topic sentence
- Observe the writing style of the author. Focus specifically on where he/she
usually places his/her topic sentence
Lesson 4: Summarizing

Summarizing:
- Is often used to determine the essential ideas in a book, article, book
chapter, an article or parts of an article
- These essential ideas include the gist or main idea, useful information, or
key words or phrases that help you meet your reading purpose
- Summarizing is generally done after reading. However, it can be done well
while reading a text

Summarizing is an important skills because it help you:

- Deepen your understanding of the text
- Learn to identify relevant information or key ideas
- Combine details or examples that support the main idea/s
- Concentrate on the gist of main idea and key words presented in the text
- Capture the key ideas in the text and put them together clearly and
concisely
You are NOT summarizing when you:
- Write down everything
- Write down ideas from the text word-for-word
- Write down incoherent and irrelevant ideas
- Write down ideas that are not stated in the text
- Write down a summary that has the same length or is longer than the
original text
Guidelines in Summarizing:
- Clarify your purpose before your read
- Read the text and understand the meaning. Do not stop reading until you
understand the message conveyed by the author. Locate the gist or main
idea of the text, which can usually be found either at the beginning, in the
middle, or in the end
- Select and underline or circle the key ideas and phrases while reading;
another strategy is to annotate the text
- Write all the key ideas and phrases you identified on the margins in your
notebook in bullet or outline form
- Without looking at the text, identify the connections of these key ideas and
phrases using a concept map
- List your ideas in sentence form in a concept map
- Combine the sentences into a paragraph. Use appropriate transitional
devices to improve cohesion
- Ensure that you do not copy a single sentence from the original text
- Refrain from adding comments about the text. Stick to the ideas it presents
 - Edit the draft of your summary by eliminating redundant ideas
- Compare your output with the original text to ensure accuracy
- Record the details of the original source (author's name/s, date of
publication, title, publisher, place of publishing, and URL (if online). It is not
necessary to indicate the page number/s of the original text in citing the
sources in summaries
- Format your summary properly. When you combine your summaries in a
paragraph, use difference formats to show variety in writing

The three formats that you may use in writing summaries are idea heading,
author heading, and date heading:
Idea Heading Format:
- In this format, the summarized idea comes before the citation
Author Heading Format:
- In this format, the summarized idea comes after the citation
- The author's name/s is/are connected by an appropriate reporting verb
Date Heading Format:
- In this format, the summarized idea comes after the date when the
material was published

Using Reporting Verbs When Summarizing:

- A reporting verb is a word used to discuss another person's writing or
assertions
- They are generally used to incorporate the source to the discussion in the
text
- In summarizing, you are highly encouraged to vary the verbs you use to
make your writing more interesting and to show importance to each of
your sources. You can use either the past of present tense depending on
your meaning
- Using the past tense usually indicates that you view the idea to be outdated
and therefore want to negate it
- On the other hand, using the present tense generally indicates that you
view the idea to be relevant or agreeable

Lesson 5: Abstract, Precis or Summary

Abstract, Precis, or Summary:

- Texts classified as either abstract, precis or summary, and sometimes as
synopsis, are all the same
 - These texts aim to precisely condense a larger work to present only the key
ideas
- They tell the audience the gist of what has been read, listened to, or viewed
- Note that the wat we write an abstract, precis, or summary depends on the
expectations of a particular discipline or field
- Since an abstract, a precis, or a summary aim to present the key ideas of
the text, the general rule is to condense the information into 15 percent of
the original length of the text. However, this is not a hard and fast rule. In
most cases, a 6,000-word research article for an academic journal may
require only 200 to 250 words for its abstract

Descriptive Abstract:
- Publishing companies, libraries, and movie catalogues do not give away the
actual content of the material when they write summaries of materials
- Their purpose is simply to pique the interest of the target audience

Summative Abstract:
- Research papers, on the other hand, really present the key ideas and major
findings of the study
- More preferred in an academic setting

Structure of an Abstract, a Precis, or Summary:

Research Abstract:
- The abstract of a research paper usually contains 150 to 300 words
- It does not use any citation, does not include specific result statistics, and is
the last to be written
A research abstract generally follows the given allocation of words:
- Rationale (around 20%)
- Research Problems (around 10%)
- Methodology (around 20%)
- Major findings (around 40%)
- Conclusion and implications (around 10%)
Summary for Expository Texts:
- A precis or summary for a non-research academic text generally condenses
information into 15 to 30 percent of the original text
- It is achieved by getting the thesis statement of the text and the main idea
or topic sentence of each paragraph
- These main ideas are then combined into a paragraph using cohesive
devices
- When writing a precis or summary, the name of the author and the title of
the article are indicated in the first sentence
Guidelines in Writing an Abstract, Precis, or Summary:
- Read the text at least twice until you fully understand its content
- Highlight the key ideas and phrases
- Annotate the text
- State the author's name, the title of the passage, and the main idea at the
beginning sentence
- Use words or phrases indicating that you are presenting an abstract, precis,
or summary. Reporting verbs are most useful for this purpose. Some
phrases you can use are "The text reports that...", "The authors claim...",
and "The author clarifies...”
- Write the main idea of each paragraph using your own words. In some
cases, you can write one main idea for multiple paragraphs particularly of a
research paper
- Never copy in verbatim a single sentence from the original text
- Combine the main ideas to form one paragraph. Use appropriate
transitional devices to improve cohesion
- Refrain from adding comments about the text. Stick to the ideas presented
in the text
- Edit your draft abstract, precis, or summary by eliminating redundant ideas
and making sure it contains the properties of a well written text
- Compare your output with the original text to ensure accuracy

Lesson 6: Reaction Papers, Reviews, and Critiques

Reaction Papers, Reviews, and Critiques:

- Reaction papers, reviews, and critiques usually range in length from 250 to
750 words
- They are not simply summaries but are critical assessments, analyses, or
evaluation of difference works
- As advanced forms of writing, they involve your skills in critical thinking and
recognizing arguments
- Reviewers do not simple rely on mere opinions; rather, they use both
proofs and logical reasoning to substantiate their comments. They process
ideas and theories, revisit and extend ideas in a specific field of study, and
present an analytical response to a book or article
- There are various ways or standpoints by which you can analyze and
critique a certain material. You can critique a material based on its technical
aspects, its approach to gender, your reaction as the audience or through
its portrayal of class struggle and social structure
- A reaction paper, a review, and a critique are specialized forms of writing in
which a reviewer or reader evaluates any of the following:
- A scholarly work (e.g., academic books and articles)
- A work of art (e.g., performance art, play, dance, sports, film, exhibits)
 - Designs (e.g., industrial designs, furniture, fashion design)
- Graphic designs (e.g., posters, billboards, commercials, and digital media)

Formalism:
- Claims that literary works contain intrinsic work of art. In short, it posits
that the key to understanding a text is through the text itself; the historical
context, the author, or any other external contexts are not necessary in
interpreting the meaning. Following are the common aspects looked into a
formalism:
- Author's techniques in resolving contradictions within the work
- Central passage that sums up the entirety of the work
- Contribution of parts and the work as a whole to its aesthetic quality
- Contribution of rhymes and rhythms to the meaning or effect of the work
- Relationship of the form and the content
- Use of imagery to develop the symbols used in the work
- Interconnectedness of various parts of the work
- Paradox, ambiguity, and irony in the work
- Unity in the work
Feminism Criticism:
- Feminist criticism or feminism focuses on how literature presents women
as subjects of socio-political, psychological, and economic oppression
- It also reveals how aspects of our culture are patriarchal, i.e., how our
culture views men as superior and women as inferior. The common aspects
looked into when using feminism are as follows:
- How culture determines gender
- How gender equality (or the lack of it) is presented in the text
- How gender issues are presented in literary works and other aspects of
human production and daily life
- How women are socially, politically, psychologically. and economically
oppressed by patriarchy
- How patriarchal ideology is an overpowering presence
Reader Response Criticism:
- Is concerned with the reviewer's reaction as an audience of a work
- This approach claims that the reader's role cannot be separated from the
understanding of the work; a text does not have meaning until the reader
reads it and interprets it
- Readers are therefore not passive and distant, but are active consumers of
the material presented to them
- The common aspects looked into when using reader response criticism are
as follows:
- Interaction between the reader and the text in creating meaning
- The impact of reader's delivery of sounds and visuals on enhancing and
changing meaning
Marxist Criticism:
- Is concerned with differences between economic classes and implications
of a capitalist system, such as the continuing conflicts between the working
class and the elite. Hence, it attempts to reveal that the ultimate source of
people's experience is the socioeconomic system. The common aspects
looked into when using Marxist Criticism are as follows:
- Social class as represented in the work
- Social class of the writer/creator
- Social class of the characters
- Conflicts and interactions between economic classes

“Note that these are not the only critical approaches you can use. Other
approaches in writing critique include postmodern criticism, post-colonial
criticism, structuralism, psychological criticism, gender criticism, ecocriticism,
biographical criticism, historical criticism, mythological criticism, and
deconstructionist criticism”

Structure of a Reaction Paper, Review, or Critique:

Introduction (around 5% of the paper)
- Title of the book/article/work
- Writer's name
- Thesis statement
Summary (around 10% of the paper)
- Objective or purpose
- Methods used (if applicable)
- Major findings, claims, ideas, or messages
Review/Critique (in no particular order and around 75% of the paper)
- Appropriateness of methodology to support the arguments (for books and
articles) or appropriateness of mode of presentation (other works)
- Theoretical soundness, coherence of ideas
- Sufficiency and soundness of explanation in relation to other available
information and experts
- Other perspectives in explaining the concepts and ideas
It is best to as the following questions during this part:
- Does the writer explicitly state his/her thesis statement?
- What are the assumptions (i.e., a scientific/logical/literary explanation
without evidence) mentioned in the work? Are they explicitly discussed?
- What are the contributions of the work to the field where it belongs?
- What problems and issues are discussed or presented in the work?
 - What kinds of information (e.g., observation, survey, statistics, historical
accounts) are presented in the work? How are they used to support the
arguments or thesis?
- Are there other ways of supporting the arguments or thesis aside from the
information used in the work? Is the author or creator silent about these
alternative ways of explanation?
Conclusion (around 10% of the paper)
- Overall impression of the work
- Scholarly or literary value of the reviewed article, book, or work
- Benefits for the intended audience or field
- Suggestion for future direction of research

Guidelines in Writing a Reaction Paper, Review, or Critique:

For Articles or Journals:
- Read, view, or listen to the work to be reviewed carefully to get the main
topic of the concepts presented. Then revisit the work to further identify its
arguments or message
- Relate the content of the work to what you already know about the topic.
This will make you more engaged in the article or book
- Focus on discussing how the book treats the topic and not the topic itself.
Use phrases such as this book/work presents and the author argues
- Situate your review. This means that your analysis should be anchored on
the theories presented by the writer or creator
- Report the type pf analysis or mode of presentation the writer/creator used
and how this type of analysis support the arguments and claims
- Examine whether the findings are adequately supported and how the
connections between ideas affect the conclusions and findings
- Suggest points for improvement of the reasoning explanation, presentation
of ideas, as well as alternative methods and processes of reasoning
- Compare the writer's or creator's explanation of the topic to that of
another expert from the same field of study
- Point out other conclusions or interpretations that the writer/creator
missed out. Present to other ideas that need to be examined
- Show your agreement with the writer's or creator's ideas and present an
explanation for this agreement
For Artworks and other Media:
- When critiquing artworks or posters, make sure to use speculative verbs
such as evoke, create, appear, and suggest to show that your interpretation
of the artist's work is just that - an interpretation
- Presume that the reader has not yet seen the material you are reviewing,
so make sure you describe it to them. For reviews of films or plays, make
sure not to spoil key events unless they figure in your review, in which case
always add a disclaimer
 - For artworks, describe the material in simple terms to help your audience
visualize it; refrain from being vague or abstract
On a general note, your reaction paper's conclusion may focus on the following
ideas:
- Did the work hold your interest?
- Did the work annoy or excite you?
- Did the work prompt you to raise questions to the author?
- Did the work lead you to some realizations?
- Did the work remind you of other materials that you have read, viewed or
listened to in the past?