0% found this document useful (0 votes)

94 views71 pages

Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres: Online Commentary For

Uploaded by

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

0% found this document useful (0 votes)

94 views71 pages

Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres: Online Commentary For

Uploaded by

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

You are on page 1/ 71

Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres

John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak

http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011

Online Commentary for

Navigating Academia:
Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales, Christine B. Feak, and Vera V. Irwin

Before we get to the actual commentaries on the tasks, a few preliminary

remarks would seem to be in order.

General Comments and

Teaching Suggestions
1. Regular users of the textbook (whether teachers, tutors, or independent
scholars) may find it more convenient to print out this Commentary.
2. As in our previous volumes in the EAPP series, we are cautious about
offering advice to our EAP colleagues, especially as they inevitably have
a better understanding of their own teaching contexts than we do.
3. There is probably more material here than can be worked through in
the available time, so be selective in terms of what you focus on. And
if you are teaching a group of people who all come from one field,
such as medicine or psychology, then you will naturally want to bring
in supplementary materials that more closely reflect your participants’
interests.
4. It is our experience that most of the tasks are better undertaken by
pairs or trios of participants. Discussion will be more lively; partici-
pants will feel that they have more to contribute; and additional pieces
of information or points of view will probably emerge.
5. Remember the aim throughout is to raise participants’ perceptions
and sensitivities to the language and structure of texts and to raise
their awareness of likely audience reactions to those texts. Try, there-
fore, to head off arguments and discussions that relate purely to the
content of those texts.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
2 O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA

6. If you are discussing participants’ work in a class or workshop setting,

bias for success; that is, focus on achievements rather than failures.
7. For quite a number of the commentaries, we offer the perspective of
our research assistant, Vera Irwin, who has completed her PhD in
Sociolinguistics and Germanic Languages and Literatures and now
teaches German and Russian at the University of Michigan. We have
adopted this policy in order to better establish a dialogue between the
tasks and the users of the book. And here it is important to remember
that Vera’s perspective is that of somebody on the border between the
Social Sciences and the Humanities. If your research is situated else-
where, such as on the border between Medicine and Engineering, your
own perspective will often be different. Hence, we hope an enlighten-
ing conversation between the two perspectives will emerge.
8. A fair amount of this small volume is devoted to emails of various
kinds. It might be helpful for participants to make, for reference pur-
poses, a small “anthology” of their own more significant emails. This
will allow them easily and quickly to compare their writing practices
with those illustrated in this book.
9. An Online Commentary on the University of Michigan Press website
is obviously a more flexible document than a printed volume. We wel-
come your comments and suggestions, which we may be able to incor-
porate in occasional updates. We can be most easily reached at
[email protected] and [email protected].

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011

An Opening Orientation
The broad overview in Task One is quite useful in helping students and
others, such as workshop participants, to see the main focus of this volume.
Although academic writing is often seen as including only the public genres
such as research articles or dissertations, we think it is important to consider
hidden or occluded genres in the design of courses or workshops. Despite
their widespread use, both fully and partly occluded genres can be difficult
to access and thus may prove to be as challenging to write as the open gen-
res presented in Figure 1 of the main volume.

Task One 

This task seems rather straightforward, but does generate some disagreement
and lively discussion in our classes and workshops. One thread that ties
together points 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7 is that of impression management and how
a writing persona may be revealed though these different types of academic
text. Points 3 and 10 raise the issue of getting some assistance, while the oth-
ers deal with some perspectives on a particular academic text.
Chris often adds a few points to the 10 statements given in the task.

11. When reviewing a manuscript, I should be extremely thorough and

tell the authors all of the problems that have to be changed in the
manuscript.
12. When responding to reviewers’ and editors’ evaluation of my manu-
script, I should be humble and accept all recommended changes to
make sure my paper is published.

There really are no right or wrong answers here and whether one strongly
agrees (disagrees) or simply agrees (disagrees) does not matter much.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011 3

How do you respond to these statements? Circle the numbers of your responses
(1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). If you have a partner, discuss your
responses as you proceed.

1. Effective academic correspondence is as important as effective scholarly

or research writing.
We would agree with this, although research writing receives far more
attention from advisors as well as scholars whose research focuses on
academic writing. No matter the type of communication, it is impor-
tant to establish and maintain a professional image as a researcher,
teacher, and colleague, and to position oneself as a member of one’s
chosen field.

2. Creating and responding to emails well is useful, but not as important as

making a good impression in face-to-face meetings.
We do not agree since readers do form an impression of the person
writing an email message. A very large portion (if not the majority) of
the day-to-day communication in the academic world happens via
email rather than in face-to-face settings. In some cases, we may never
meet the people with whom we correspond, such as those on a listserv
focusing on a particular topic or other online community.

3. I would always ask one of my professors for advice before submitting an

important application (e.g., for a full-time job).
We very strongly agree with this since senior members of an academic
community can usually give advice that is not available elsewhere.
Senior members have connections to others in the field, likely have
some inside information, and generally have a good sense of how to
shape an application or other text.

4. Letters of recommendation are easy to write because they are about other
people.
We would disagree since another person’s future can very well be influ-
enced by what is written. Given the potential impact, writing a letter
of recommendation is a big responsibility that requires a number of
difficult decisions. Some of these hard decisions center on whether to
say anything negative (in the United States typically we do not); how
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA 5

enthusiastic the letter should be in terms of characterizing the candi-

date’s achievements; the type of adjectives to use; and how to make
sure that the letter is credible. More on this can be found in pages
51–56 of the main volume.

5. The more senior the person, the more carelessly written his or her emails
tend to be.
This is an interesting point that tends to generate disagreement in our
classes. John is a senior member in the field of Applied Linguistics and
will confess that his email messages are not always carefully written.
He does not, however, expect junior colleagues to follow his (bad)
example! Chris, on the other hand, worries a lot about impression
management and her level of concern very much depends on how well
she knows the email recipient. Based on their experiences with their
advisors, many of our students agree with point 5, but they add that
sometimes their advisors seem to take a lot of time, if a message is
really important.

6. In application letters, the focus should be on what you can do for the
organization you are applying to, not on what you have done in the past
(for another institution).
This strategy may be a bit risky, so we would disagree, if this is a cen-
tral part of the letter. Of course, an organization wants to know how
an applicant may contribute, but if the applicant emphasizes this too
much, he or she may sound presumptuous. After all, how can some-
one who is not part of an organization know what work needs to be
done and how to best do it? At the same time, however, some self-pro-
motion is necessary so that the applicant’s skills and experience will be
appreciated and seen as a good fit with the organization. To find the
right balance, we think writers should seek the advice of a more senior
person, as suggested in point 3.

7. Open (To Whom It May Concern) letters of recommendation have very lit-
tle value.
When possible it is always best to customize all letters, especially let-
ters of recommendation and cover letters, to the specifics of each pro-
gram and institution. When students and others ask us for letters of
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
6 O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA

recommendation, we ask for the name of the person to whom the let-
ter should be addressed. These days the Internet can often provide the
names and other potentially useful information. If this information
does not seem to be available, we ask whether there is a committee
name that might be used. In addition, we ask for information about
the program, company, or institution as well as the specific qualifica-
tions expected of a successful applicant. Often students will give us the
job description, which makes the letter writing task a bit easier.

8. Spontaneous emails (those written using an email program) are typically

fresher but less audience-sensitive than those composed using a word
processing program and then copied and pasted into the message.
Some of our students would agree that spontaneous emails are less
audience-sensitive (i.e., the message may not be so carefully tailored to
the recipient), but John and Chris are not so sure about this. We think
that this depends on who the audience is. The important considera-
tion here is that while spontaneous emails appear to be “fresher,” it is
always good to take some time to reflect before sending an important
email message. Time for reflection may even be more important than
the means of producing a message. Many of our students report that
they compose important messages using a word processor so that they
can take full advantage of the features of these programs, such as the
thesaurus.

9. Subject lines in emails are more important than generally thought.

We definitely agree. Subject lines may be a key factor in whether a
message is read or not. Not only do we know this intuitively, but
research in fields such as marketing has also demonstrated that subject
lines influence the likelihood that a message will be viewed or be
marked as spam. Another important consideration is that most email
programs have an option that allows message sorting and searching,
which can be facilitated by a clear subject line.
When discussing this topic in class we also emphasize that the subject
line of a reply message may need to be changed if there is a topic shift.
Although this seems obvious, unfortunately, when retrieving an email
address many writers merely look for the last email correspondence

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

with a person and then reply without changing the subject line. In one
message to John and Chris, for instance, the subject line was Housing,
but the message contained a draft of some teaching materials we were
supposed to review. We almost deleted the message because we
thought the housing issue of the sender had been addressed.

10. Colleagues are a better source of assistance with academic correspon-

dence than the Internet.
We would agree since there is no guarantee that information found on
a website will be accurate or relevant. As mentioned earlier, immediate
reactions and input from colleagues, particularly more senior col-
leagues, are generally more helpful. Another consideration here is that
others may also be looking at Internet resources and so writers may
miss an opportunity to distinguish themselves if they use the same
resources as everyone else.

Task Two 

Here are two versions of an email request; they differ principally in their struc-
ture. Which do you prefer, and why?

In our view, the first version might be more appropriate, given the nature
of the request. The email sender has never met John before and so begin-
ning with a compliment before asking for a favor is a nice, polite strategy.
Our students agree and add that this strategy may be more likely to result
in a favorable reply because the background information also reveals that
the sender has made an attempt to find the volume she needs. The second
message has the same content, but requires a bit more work to under-
stand why the request is reasonable.
Some of our students have asked us whether it is okay to write to
scholars and researchers to ask for copies of materials or request other
forms of assistance. We think that if a student has made a reasonable
attempt to solve his or her difficulty, it is definitely worth contacting
other researchers. Most established members of the field try to be of assis-
tance, as long as the request is not too large (e.g., a request for copies of
expensive books or a dissertation topic).

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Task Three 

Which of these concluding statements would you choose for an application cover
letter?
a. Thanks for reading my application & looking forward to hearing back
soon.
b. In closing, this applicant iterates his deep interest in the position and
expresses his profound appreciation of your careful review of his case.
c. Thank you for your consideration and looking forward to hearing
from you.
And the closing salutation? We have listed these in order from most formal to
most informal. Where in the list would you place Kind regards, Yours truly,
and Cheers?
d. Yours faithfully
e. Sincerely
f. Warm regards
g. Regards
h. Best wishes
i. Best
Our assistant, Vera, chose a as her concluding statement. She thinks it is
concise and polite, but at the same time indicates that the author would
like to hear back from the search committee sooner rather than later (at
the same time without being pushy). She thinks that c gives the impres-
sion that the author is not too eager to hear back from the search com-
mittee. She finds b too formal and too humble for her liking. John and
Chris, however, prefer c because it seems more balanced and less pushy.
They agree with Vera about b. As for the closing salutations, we all think
e sounds the most appropriate; d seems too formal, while the rest are per-
haps too informal for a letter accompanying an academic job application.
Chris would put kind regards between d and e; John would put it between
e and f, would put yours truly between e and f, and would put cheers after
i.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

On a Lighter Note
We include the parody to inject a bit of humor into the volume. Some of
our students immediately get the joke here; others do not. Some instructors
like working with parodies; others do not. If the text will be used in a class
or workshop, it is important to assess whether the text will work. If there is
a chance that the parody would have to be explained, it may be best to avoid
using it.

Getting into Graduate School

The introductory orientation section laid some groundwork for academic
correspondence; in this section we now look more narrowly at some corre-
spondence contexts, the first being that for entering a graduate program.
Although students in our writing classes are already enrolled in a graduate
degree program, some of them plan to obtain a master’s degree at our uni-
versity and then a PhD or other degree at another school. Therefore, we
sometimes cover this section in a writing class when we have enough stu-
dents who are planning to write new Statements of Purpose (SOP). If stu-
dents are not writing SOPs, however, this section may also be used to
introduce the notion of writing moves. This works well since all of our stu-
dents have written at least one SOP and are familiar with this text type.

Task Four 

This task offers a sample SOP from a master’s student (here called Gene) applying
for a PhD program in Chemical Engineering. Since it is fairly long, we have
added short numbered paragraph headings to help you read through it. Now read
the SOP and the discussion between the author and his writing tutor that follow.
Then respond to the questions that have been inserted within the discussion.

1. Do you think Gene is exaggerating? Does it look like a fourth draft to

you?
We know that Gene was struggling with his SOP and this is indeed his
fourth draft, the first three offering very little detail and lacking focus.
In this version, it is finally becoming clear why he wants to move from

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Mechanical Engineering to Chemical Engineering. The draft, how-

ever, still needs some work since it could discuss more deeply what he
wants to achieve; Gene could do something to make the draft memo-
rable. If a reader were asked to recall anything about this version of the
SOP a few days after reading it, it would likely be difficult.
2. Do you agree with Kay that these are the strengths of this SOP? Or is she
just being nice?
In Vera’s opinion, Kay is either very polite, or is not very insightful
when complimenting Gene on his draft. John and Chris think a bit
differently here. When Kay says, “it seems very very business-like,”
this seems like a criticism, but perhaps one that Gene would not pick
up on. Business-like here suggests that the SOP is lacking something
personal that might resonate with the readers. In other words, it gets
the job done, but it could be better.
Kay stresses that the strengths of the SOP are
• mentioning the names of the professors in the program Gene is
applying to,
• suggesting what Gene could bring to the program, and
• staying under the 600-word limit.
Let us look at each of these comments.
While Gene mentions the names of specific professors, he does not
go beyond stating that these professors have demonstrated interest in
the area he would like to pursue in his dissertation research. In our
opinion, this does not help him make a strong case for why they would
want to work with him. He might want to be more specific about how
his own interests relate to the research interests of the faculty members,
and how together they all may potentially benefit from his participa-
tion in their research.
Much of the SOP focuses on what Gene has learned and what he
wants to learn. In this sense, it is good that he is trying to convey what
he can bring to the program, but he could be a bit more forward look-
ing. He could try to be more convincing that he has something to offer
beyond a desire for knowledge by describing some potential areas of
research on fuel cell performance or including some more specific

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

research that he would like to undertake.

It seems to us that Kay’s point about staying within the word limit is
not much of a compliment. It is the sort of thing one might say if
there is not much else to highlight.
3. Gene makes two main points. Should he include a story? And should he
add the part about pollution?
As Gene points out himself, so far he has focused on his previous aca-
demic and research activities and his desire for more knowledge. This
may not be enough for him to distinguish himself from other equally
qualified program applicants. Our students think that a story might
help to personalize the statement, so that it does stand out among
other statements read by the committee members. At the same time,
our students worry that including something personal might actually
make a negative impression. To avoid being too personal, they have
suggested that pollution could be the basis for a story. For instance,
Gene could talk about restrictions placed on urban driving that result
from high levels of pollution. Whatever he adds, it should be some-
thing that is not widely known so that it might be remembered. A
well-chosen story could also demonstrate Gene’s motivation to solve a
very real problem in addition to his desire for deeper knowledge.
4. Simplify Paragraph 3? Leave out the professors in Paragraph 5? Revise
Paragraph 1? Your thoughts?
There are, of course, several ways for Gene to revise his SOP. Here are
some suggestions that might help him.
• Paragraph 1 could start with a context more closely related to
Gene’s personal experience rather than the very broad comment
on contemporary engineering. This change could result in a more
memorable SOP that stands out among other SOPs (see the
answer to Question 3).
• Paragraph 3 seems to spend too much space on the lack of practi-
cal training in Gene’s previous academic program. This informa-
tion could be given more quickly, freeing up space for a discussion
of what he wants to accomplish in the PhD program in this partic-
ular department. Here, Gene might want to be more specific about

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

how he could fill any possible gaps in his education.

• Mentioning faculty names seems fine in that it reveals that Gene
at least took time to identify a program and mentors that would
help him reach his goals. Gene, of course, needs to be sure that
his area of interest matches the interests of these faculty members.
Otherwise he might be limiting his chances of getting into the
program. For this reason, he should show his statement to a fac-
ulty member in his field. Chances are, the faculty member would
be familiar with the work of the other faculty members and be
able to offer Gene some valuable insight.
• Instead of the generic closing in which Gene states that the PhD
program would prepare him for his future career, he could take
his SOP back to the more personal and unique opening para-
graph. It would be worthwhile to link the end to his personal
interest in pursuing a PhD and to the urgency of this research (as
seen from the perspective of his unique background).
• It might also be worth looking at some of the vocabulary Gene
chose to strengthen his SOP. Chris, for instance, reacts negatively
to expressions that seem overused such as I believe it is crucial to;
I am fascinated with; I strongly believe; this knowledge is indispensi-
ble for; and your program is the ideal place for me to. . . .
5. Is looking at the new textbook by Swales and Feak a good idea?
Well, of course, we would say yes.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Task Five 

Either rewrite Gene’s opening paragraph to make it more memorable or draft an
SOP of your own, whichever is more appropriate for your current circumstances.

Here is one possible revision of Gene’s opening statement.

As a country with one of the world’s highest levels of CO2 emissions,
China has recently announced that it is committed to reducing the
greenhouse intensity of its economy by 40 to 45 percent in the next
decade (Wall Street Journal 9/2/10). Having spent most of my life in
China, I have a good first-hand understanding of the urgency to lower
CO2 emissions. In addition to the public health issues related to pollu-
tion such as increases in rates of asthma and lung cancer, this problem
has other direct effects on daily life. For instance, Chinese drivers must
deal with the governmental ban on cars in urban areas in which vehi-
cles with a certain license plate number must sit idle one day a week.
The dilemma here is how the government can continue to grow the
economy, reduce CO2 emissions, improve public health, and not limit
driving. As a Mechanical Engineer with a deep interest in environmen-
tally friendly automotive energy systems, I realize that the strong com-
mitment to reducing emissions is fully dependent on quickly finding
innovative solutions and developing new technologies that go beyond
the limits of one specific discipline. With the help of your program, I
intend to combine my strong background in Mechanical Engineering
with opportunities offered by the department of Chemical Engineer-
ing to pursue my long-term interests in research on fuel-cell systems.
In this way, I hope to become a part of the solution to the environ-
mental crisis faced by China and the rest of the world today.

We think that this opening has the potential to be memorable. Although the
serious issue is that of public health, this is rather common knowledge and
would not do much to distinguish this SOP. The point about banning vehi-
cles, however, has the potential to be memorable. After all, in how many
countries are drivers banned from using their vehicles one day a week?

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Task Six 

Read the Personal Statement, and answer the questions that follow. We have
underlined some less common words and phrases, which we discuss in Question 1.

1. We have underlined five words or phrases that may present difficulty.

Which of the following offers the correct explanation of their meaning?
a. they have been endowed with: they have inherited
b. animated: remain enthusiastic about
c. methods of coercion: methods of strong control
d. alleviating: reducing
e. interstices: places where they meet and connect

2. Would you characterize this text as:

a. a philosophy of life
b. a plan for the future
c. a personal journey
We think the text is a bit of all three. It can be read as a personal jour-
ney that reveals the influences the author believes to be significant in
shaping his life and that emphasizes the changes that occurred as a
result of his international experience. At the same time the statement
indicates what Carl would like to do within the field of education and
points to a specific area where he would like to contribute. He clearly
indicates his personal and professional goal of merging theory and
practice to alleviate problems in education.

3. In his statement, Carl stresses his social responsibility, primarily by:

a. stressing his life of privilege
b. focusing on his international experience
c. arguing that with privilege comes responsibility
Carl actually incorporates all of these points, thus painting a complex
and multifaceted picture of his own journey. In doing so, his story is
not only personal and credible, but also links his own personal experi-
ences with larger social issues, such as his understanding that together
with a privileged status there should be a sense of social responsibility.
The main message for us is that with privilege comes responsibility.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

4. Carl supports his educational commitment, primarily by:

a. attacking the educational establishment
b. showing how theoretical work needs to be made relevant to teaching
practice
c. arguing how underprepared today’s undergraduates are for the real
world
We cannot choose one main strategy. We think that to make his case
Carl has actually done all of these to a somewhat similar degree.

5. In your view, as an applicant Carl comes across as:

a. a serious academic
b. a person who just wants to settle back in the U.S.
c. a socially committed educationalist
We think that here Carl seems more like a socially committed educa-
tionalist. We would also hope that he is a serious academic, but since
this text is a Personal Statement the focus should be on the personal
story behind his reasons for pursuing a PhD rather than on his aca-
demic plans. The latter would have been described in a separate SOP.

Finding Your Voice in the

Academic Community
Although many of our students and workshop participants tell us that they
prefer communicating via email rather than face-to-face, this does not mean
that they are completely confident in their ability to write effective messages.
Problems arise because it is not clear whether they should follow the conven-
tions of spoken language or those of the more rule-governed written lan-
guage. Another factor is that they are aware that email can be misread or
misinterpreted due to factors beyond their control, such as the recipient’s
mood or careless reading.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Task Seven 

With this in mind, here is a draft email message that a graduate student, Akiko,
plans to send to her advisor, Caroline Kelly. The email relates to the first version
of the second chapter of her dissertation. The student shows the draft of this
email message to the three other members of her study group for comments
because she is worried that she may not be making a good impression. Their
comments follow. Whom do you agree with and why?
Dear Professor Kelly,
I have finally gotten around to writing something. I will put a hard copy
in your mailbox sometime next week. Please pick it up and let me know what
you think. I hope you like it .
Akiko

We mainly agree with Simon’s comments. First, Simon urges Akiko to be

more specific about what exactly she is submitting to her advisor.
Although the subject line may indicate that she is submitting a draft of
her second chapter, it is still a good idea to state this in the body of the
message. Second, Simon urges Akiko to be clear about when she will give
the chapter to her advisor. If this information is given, the advisor can
plan to get the draft and then perhaps schedule time to read it. We agree
with Simon that it is best to avoid emoticons in her email since these are
more appropriately used in nonwork-related communications. Finally, as
to whether Akiko should address the professor by her first name, this
depends on their relationship. If she usually calls her professor by her first
name, then it seems odd to not do the same in email. If, however, Akiko
does not use her advisor’s first name when talking to her, then what she
wrote is fine. Consistency in the use of names in both face-to-face and
email communications makes good sense. Although Akiko used an
appropriate greeting, we would like to add here that even after several
years in a graduate program many of our students formulate greetings by
using the recipient’s last name only, as in Dear Feak. It surprises us that
these students have not been told by anyone that this is not an appropri-
ate form of address in the United States and many other countries.
We would advise Akiko to explain where in the chapter she is having
difficulty and what she would most like feedback on. This would help her

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

reveal some awareness of possible weaknesses in the text and provide a

basis for useful written feedback from the advisor as well as discussion
points for a later meeting.
Finally, we want to add that the imperative, please pick it up and let me
know what you think, may be perceived as a bit impolite. The mere addi-
tion of please here does not lessen the force of the imperative. Akiko
might make a better impression if she wrote, “I will leave it in your box
for you to pick up. Looking forward to getting your feedback.”
Here is another attempt at the same email. We have assumed that it is
okay for Akiko to address her advisor by first name only.

Dear Caroline,
I have finished the first draft of Chapter 2 and I will put it into your
mailbox next Monday (October 12th). This is a rather rough draft and, as
you will see, I am still trying to find a way to organize all the ideas I have
into one cohesive story. I would very much appreciate your feedback on
this piece. Particularly, I am interested in getting your opinion with
regard to the following questions:
• Basically, I am trying to say that. . . . Do you think that this message
is clear considering the current chapter organization?
• Do you think that I should switch subsections 2b and 2c in order to
...?
• As I was writing the chapter, I felt like I had too much background
and not enough analysis of the actual data. What is your feeling after
reading the draft?
I am very much looking forward to hearing your comments. I would
be glad to stop by to talk about the draft and the next steps I should take;
just let me know what day and time would be the most convenient for
you.
Akiko

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Task Eight 

Now suppose you are Vera, who has worked with John and Chris on a part-time
basis for more than a year and who now has her PhD and who also works as a
lecturer in Russian and German. Write her email on the same topic to John
Swales. It should, of course, be somewhere between the other two in terms of style
and politeness.
Hi John,
I was going to start working on the commentary for the Methods vol-
ume, but I am afraid that the version you attached to your last email was
not the most recent one. Could you check this so that I don’t write the
commentary based on an older draft? I am attaching the document you
sent us for your reference.
Thanks!
Vera

Vera’s message has positioned herself between Chris’s strong criticism and
Emma’s hesitant query by clearly, but politely, stating the problem (I’m
afraid that . . .), and nicely asking John to check his attachments before
sending them (Could you . . . ?). Some of our students question the wis-
dom of attaching the wrong draft. They think that this might be consid-
ered rude since the message has already indicated the problem and there
is no need to make John feel worse about the error. We understand this
perspective, but given the relationship between John and Vera, we think it
is fine. In fact, seeing the wrong draft might help him figure out which
draft should have been sent. However, when in doubt about whether
something might be rude, we recommend erring on the side of caution
and being as polite as possible.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Task Nine 

Here are a number of suggestions of various kinds for managing group writing
tasks. Evaluate them in terms of their importance, and then undertake the writ-
ing task. (Not all of them will necessarily be “very important.”)
V = very important
S = somewhat important
N = not really important
Here are our responses to the task. We give our agreed upon evaluations, followed
by our reasons. Of course, other interpretations are possible.

S 1. During the work on the project, establish who will be busiest with
____
other commitments and who will be least busy.
This might be not so relevant for a writing project in which every
group member is expected to participate equally. However, in any
case, it would be important to know about commitments group
members might have when scheduling group meetings and plan-
ning deadlines.
V 2. Everybody should agree to date all the drafts at the top, so that
____
members don’t respond to out-of-date texts.
This or any other system of tracking manuscript dates is impor-
tant, as we saw in the previous task where John’s habit of not dat-
ing the drafts led to confusion and, in one case, wasted work by
his co-author. Word processing programs can be set to automati-
cally update dates.
V 3. The order of authors on the final manuscript should be decided at
____
the beginning.
This should be discussed early in the writing process, taking into
account various factors, such as the amount of research and writ-
ing done by each of the group members. Author order can be a
very sensitive issue and one that our students tend to avoid rais-
ing with their advisors and others who are co-authors on papers.
The lack of discussion of author order has on numerous occa-
sions resulted in disappointment and even anger. We have
noticed that the longer students wait to discuss author order, the
harder it is to bring it up with their co-authors.
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
20 O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA

V 4. Agree early on formatting issues, such as choice of font and font

____
size.
While having all members adhere to the same formatting
throughout the writing process (e.g., by using a template) may
not initially seem important, the value of doing this becomes
very clear as deadlines approach. Some final formatting adjust-
ments can be made toward the final stages of the project, but
time is better spent working on content rather than major for-
matting tasks.
____
V 5. Work out a clear and realistic timetable for completing the project
on time.
In our experience it is very important to make sure everybody in
the group has a clear vision of what has to be completed when
and in what order to make sure deadlines are met. Working back-
ward from the due date can allow project members to set reason-
able deadlines. However, even if deadlines are set, research shows
that most people are very bad at judging the amount of time
needed to complete a task.
S 6. Make contingency plans in case something goes wrong (e.g., illness
____
in a group member’s immediate family).
It is useful to think about both Plan A, in which everything goes
as planned, and Plan B, which is needed when unexpected prob-
lems arise. In reality, formulating a Plan B is hard to do since it is
generally impossible to predict what might happen.
V 7. Try to decide who might be best at what (e.g., literature review, data
____
collection, statistics, stylistic elegance, etc.).
We believe this is important to maximize the effectiveness of a
group; however, just because someone may have more experience
doing some part of a project, it does not mean that this person
must take on that part. Projects should provide an opportunity
for trying new things and developing new skills.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

V 8. Do not penalize non-native speakers by restricting them to tasks

____
that do not require writing or participation in an oral presentation
(e.g., doing the statistical analysis, making tables and charts).
This is definitely important since each group member deserves a
chance to participate in the project to an equal degree. Excluding
non-native speakers from the written or oral tasks limits their
opportunities to practice academic communication skills. Our
non-native speakers tell us that they are often saddled with num-
ber crunching and often the creation of graphs and other visuals.
This latter task often needs to be done near the end of the project
and perhaps the end of the semester when they have many other
tasks to take care of. Often, the data gets to them late and there
is a tremendous amount of pressure to get the visuals done on
time.
For 9 and 10, write two recommendations of your own, and evaluate
them.
Here are some sample recommendations:

V 9. Appoint someone to keep track of what has been done and what
____
still needs to be done.
It is incredibly helpful to have one person who gently manages
the group, while also contributing to the project tasks. This can
ensure that everything gets done.
V
____10. Set up regular meetings to check progress.
Thanks to technology, regular meetings can be set up so easily
these days. Programs such as Skype allow everyone to meet with-
out all of the hassles of scheduling and attending face-to-face
meetings. Even if there is little to report, having everyone check
in from time to time allows everyone to see how the project is
progressing (or not).

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Now take one of the suggestions you ranked as very important, and write a
suitable message to your (imaginary) co-authors, indicating how the suggestion
could best be implemented.
Here is a sample email message that one group member might send to his
or her group with regard to Number 5.

Hi Peter and Jessica,

I’ve been thinking about the project timeline that we discussed at the
meeting yesterday. I wasn’t sure about you, but my feeling was that we
were still not on the same page with regard to when each of the parts
needed to be completed and when and how we would pull all the pieces
together. So, I’ve tried to put all of the important steps we talked about
into a calendar. Do you mind looking it over and letting me know
whether this schedule is what you have also envisioned? As you will see, I
tried to leave us a little bit more wiggle room toward the end of the
semester just in case we are running behind. Of course, we can shift
things back and forth so that they fit everybody’s schedule. My main goal
here is to create a realistic schedule that would allow each of us to plan
ahead and complete each step on time.
Let me know what you think.
Vera

Task Ten 

Which of these next steps do you prefer—and why?
1. Resend the original message again.
2. Send this message as a test.
Dr. Rogers, did you get my email of June 12 regarding a request for one
of your papers? I am beginning to wonder whether it got trapped in
your spam box, or perhaps you have been out of email contact?
3. Explain to Professor Lee that you have had no reply, and suggest that it
might work better if he sent a message personally.
4. Resend the message, adding the following:
In the meantime, I am attaching a working paper on a similar topic
that might be of interest to you.
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA 23

Our students find it difficult to decide which of the four options is best.
On the one hand, simply resending the original message (Option 1 or
Option 4) might again result in the message being overlooked by the
recipient. On the other hand, Option 2 might appear too “pushy.” Per-
haps a combination of the two options would be appropriate. A polite
inquiry about the recipient’s receipt of the original message could be com-
posed and the original message copied and pasted into the end for refer-
ence. Here is one such possible reminder message.

Dear Dr. Rogers,

I was wondering whether you received my email of June 12 regarding a
request for one of your papers and just wanted to make sure it did not get
trapped in your spam box. I am pasting the text of my original message
below. We would greatly appreciate it if you could assist us in locating the
article I mentioned.
Sincerely,
Emily Chang

Task Eleven 

You (and your partner) are assistants to Professor Gardener. He forwards you the
five email request messages on pages 30–33, accompanied by this one from him.
Guys, these requests just in. They never seem to stop. What should be our
priorities here? Could you sort them out in rank order, with either the most
urgent, or those easiest to comply with, at the top (i.e., 1)? Then at the
weekly lab meeting we can decide what to do—or not to do! Thanks for
doing this for me.
Read the messages, and complete the chart on page 33 in the main volume.
Then sort the requests as per Professor Gardener’s instructions. What are your
reasons for your choices? What do you think the decisions will be at next week’s
lab meeting?

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Here are Vera and John’s responses to this task.

Message 1 Message 2 Message 3 Message 4 Message 5
Academic Researcher Master’s Leader of a Head of the Research assistant,
status of at a smaller student research Department of part-time PhD
requester institution group, recent Materials student
PhD Science, Shatin
University
Type of Would like Referral for Request for Inquiry about Hard to say. On the
help to visit as an papers Professor Professor one hand, she is
requested observer related to her Gardener to Gardener’s interested in getting
researcher research serve as an availability to information about
for three informal and act as an Professor Gardener’s
months unofficial external research; on the other,
advisor for a examiner she is asking about
research further suggestions for
group her dissertation topic.
Furthermore, she is
requesting
information about
further bibliographical
references she might
use.

Place in Toward the In the In the middle: At the In the middle

text where front: I middle: I was I am asking beginning: (however, it is not
main would like to wondering if whether you This is a clear what in
request visit your there are might be preliminary particular the author
occurs department similar papers willing to act inquiry as to is requesting): I am
(beginning, as an on this topic as an informal whether you especially interested
middle, or observer that you and unofficial might be in in your publications .
end?) researcher could refer advisor to my principle . . . I also would be
for a short me to or let group. willing to act grateful if you have
time (about me have as an external any suggestions . . . .
three copies of? examiner.
months) to
get ideas to
inform my
thesis.
Phrases I am carrying I am currently On Dr. Jones’s This is a I am writing you on
you like out research working on a suggestion . . . preliminary the recommendation
in your area master’s (This gives inquiry as of Professor
of materials thesis on the authority and to . . . (The Grossman . . . (This
science. . . . (This email reason to his goal of the gives authority and
I could beginning request, also message is reason to his
collaborate ensures a the request is clarified request.)
in any other quick and expressed very right at the
way that you informative tentatively.) beginning.)
might self-
suggest. introduction
for the
reader.)

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Phrases . . . in order I recently I know you (We don’t I really need your
you dislike to get ideas read a recent are a very think there are help! (The writer
about my . . . paper busy and any bad sounds too
thesis (This is (This is too important expressions or desperate.) I am . . .
too vague.) repetitive.) man. (This a sentences working part-time on
The library very obvious here.) my dissertation. (This
here isn’t attempt at might indicate a lack
very good. flattery and of strong
(This seems could commitment to the
too critical; backfire.) research.) I
she could understand from
have put it professor . . . in this
differently.) area . . . (This
suggests that she is
not really familiar
with the work of
Professor Gardener
and is making a blind
request.)
Rank order 3. This is 2.This 4.This request 1. This request 5. This is the request
also a request might need a appears to that we would
request that sounds deeper look. need the most designate as having
seems to reasonable Before urgent the lowest priority.
need timely and easy declining or attention since The author does not
attention enough to accepting the the completion leave an impression
because in satisfy. It is role of an of a degree that her request is
the case of a clear what unofficial depends on well thought through
positive the requester advisor, the availability and reasonable. In
answer the is asking for Professor of the external fact, she even
requester and why she Gardener examiner. appears not to know
would need is contacting might want to exactly what she is
to apply for Professor know more asking for,
travel grants. Gardener. about the mentioning too many
That said, responsibilities things at once. She
John finds of this role might need to
the request and the rephrase it to be
rather expectations more specific.
vague; in that would be
addition, he placed on an
doubts that advisor of a
Professor research
Gardener group.
would know
anything
about the
modern
languages
department.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

In our view, it is likely that during the next group meeting, the professor
would decide to respond (positively or negatively) to the request to serve
as an examiner of the PhD thesis (Message 4). He might also decide
whether to invite a visiting observer researcher (Message 1). The task of
helping out with additional references might be assigned to one of the
research assistants familiar with the literature and the topic (Message 2).
For Message 3, the professor might decide to either decline or request
more information on the responsibilities that would come with this role.
In this case, he would contact the sender asking for additional details.
Message 5 is likely to be the lowest on the priority list and Annika might
be emailed to ask if she could be more specific.

Task Twelve 

Offer Annika Graf a revised version of her request message.

Here is Vera’s revision of Annika’s email to Professor Gardener. We are

assuming that Annika has now taken some time to familiarize herself with
Professor Gardener’s work and publications in order for her request to be
more reasonable and more specific. We believe that now the request may
receive a positive response.

Dear Professor Gardener,

I am a research assistant of Professor Grossman from the Vienna Insti-
tute of Technology, whom you know from your sabbatical there. I am
writing to you on his recommendation. I am currently working on my
dissertation under the running title “Ceramic-Metallic Fusion Properties
at Extremely High Temperatures.” I am familiar with your published
work on this topic, which has been very helpful in propelling my own
research forward. In the bibliography of your last article in Solid State
Phenomena, you mention research on cermet catalysts that will appear in
two soon-to-be-published articles. I was wondering whether it would be
possible for me to get a copy of these before they are published.
I was also wondering whether it could be possible for me to share with
you some of the work I have done so far. Feedback and input from you—
a well-known expert in this particular field—would very much help me

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

refine the focus of my dissertation. Please let me know if you would be

interested in looking at some of my latest work. I would be glad to send
you a copy of my most recent dissertation chapter. However, I would
completely understand if this would not be possible for you due to the
other commitments.
I very much look forward to hearing from you,
Sincerely,
Annika Graf

Task Thirteen 

I. Complete the sentences with an appropriate VERB+ing.

1. I am looking forward to attending your presentation at next month’s

conference.
2. The director is not accustomed to having his decisions questioned.
3. The student admitted to plagiarizing/copying/downloading the paper
from the Internet.
4. The tax reform is being introduced with a view toward providing/
increasing benefits for the poor.
5. There can be drawbacks to relying on probabilistic measures.
6. She is averse to rewriting/redrafting her dissertation abstract for a sixth
time.

II. Look through some of your emails and other texts to check on your use of this
hard-to-learn syntactic pattern. For example, check on your use of alternative to
see whether you write:
One alternative to repeat the study is . . . .
Or the correct:
One alternative to repeating the study is . . . .

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Task Fourteen 

Here are six email messages to John. Mark them as FF (very formal), F (formal),
I (informal), or II (very informal). Also, can you guess the relationship of the
sender to the receiver (in this case, John)? Work in pairs if possible.

II 1. Hi John. Excuse the long silence. Been so busy running around that
____
I’m hardly ever in my office. Anyway, I’m attaching what I think you
want. Lemme know if it isn’t okay. Best.
This is from a colleague that John probably knows well. We can
conclude that the apology is quite informal because the sender
uses a very informal greeting, leaves out the subjects of sentences
(commonly referred to as ellipsis), uses conversational forms in
writing (lemme = let me), and an informal closing—Best.
FF 2. I apologize for being slow to respond to your request for informa-
____
tion. This was reviewed by the board at its last meeting. However,
the discussion was highly complex and it was, after the meeting, dif-
ficult to discern the actual instructions for how to respond to you.
Further conversations with the chair now allow me to say . . . .
This message was sent by someone acting as an official represen-
tative of an institutional unit. This is a lengthy apology in which
the author provides a detailed explanation for being late with his
other response.

I 3. Dear John. Forgive the delay, caused in the first instance by a faulty
____
fax machine, from which it was difficult to extract your message.
Then, we had trouble getting the machine to work properly. How-
ever, the delay does not signify a lack of interest in your suggestion.
Warm regards.
This is likely from a colleague who is not close and probably at
another institution. Although the apology is quite informal, it
shows a higher level of formality than the first one.

I 4. John, I am sorry to have taken so long to get back to you on this.

____
With my new job I’ve been literally run off my feet. Might I suggest
we get together for lunch one day? Perhaps if you could suggest

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

two or three days that work for you before the end of the month,
then Keith and I can select one and firm up arrangements.
A colleague or a co-author sent this message. The style of the
email also suggests that the relationship is not so formal, but it is
not as informal as the first email.
F 5. Professor Swales, we apologize for being slow to getting you pay-
____
ment for your recent work for us as an external examiner. This was
caused by an oversight in the accounting office, which has now
been rectified. Sincerely.
This looks like a response to a complaint from John about a
delayed paycheck.
II 6. Groveling apologies for being so slow. Recently, I have been running
____
into a whole heap of technical problems, including a dreadful com-
puter crash. Anyway, finally here is what you wanted.
This message was sent by a colleague. Similar to the first apology,
this looks very informal.

Establishing Yourself in Graduate School

Task Fifteen 

At some point you may want or need to apply for a small grant—perhaps to
make a research trip of some kind, or for some equipment, or to attend a confer-
ence. Often these grants are competitive, and so you need to make the best case
you can for getting the money.
You (and your partner, if you have one) are members of the selection commit-
tee for a university-wide competition for summer research grants, with a maxi-
mum level of support of $2,000. The extracts from two applications from very
different fields follow. Both fall within the budget limit. Read the applications,
and decide which of the arguments from your fellow committee members you
agree with.

Arguments in committee
Mark the points with which you agree with an A (agree) and those with which
you disagree with a D (disagree).

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Here are our reactions to the comments from the committee.

Ana’s Application

D 1. Ana doesn’t show any effort to obtain alternative funds.

____
Funding applicants do not necessarily need to reveal whether
they have sought other sources of funding, so we would not reject
the application based on this alone. True, it might strengthen her
application if she did indicate that she is seeking other money
and that the funds requested would cover a specific need not cov-
ered by the other funding source, but given her field, Ana may
have no other funding sources.
A
____ Also, what does focuses in part mean? I don’t know, as a result,
whether this trip to Spain is crucial for her dissertation or not. I’m
inclined to turn this one down.
The expression focuses in part is vague, so we really do not have a
strong sense of how the encyclopedia fits in Ana’s dissertation
work. We really would like to see some detail regarding the ency-
clopedia. Vagueness will often result in rejection.
Many of our students question whether Ana needs to see the
encyclopedia. They think it is highly likely that a digital version is
available and that should be sufficient for her needs. This makes
sense to us, so Ana should have explained her need to see a real
copy.
A 2. We all know that the Modern Languages Department never has any
____
real discretionary money, and Ana’s project is so specialized that it is
unlikely that anybody else in the U would fund it. I also read the
focuses in part phrase differently; to me it suggests that she will be
offering the field more than a narrow archive-based textual study. I
vote to give her the money.
It is true that it can be more difficult to obtain research funding in
the Humanities. It is refreshing that some committee members are
aware of this and would fund her proposal, despite the weaknesses.
D 3. Look guys, I may be an engineer and all that, but I don’t see much
____
value in this kind of historical scholarship. Surely, we should be sup-
porting projects that are more relevant to life in our century, not the
thirteenth. For me, it’s “no.”
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA 31

As a sociolinguist, our assistant, Vera, strongly disagrees with this

perspective, and luckily, the comment of the next committee
member provides a nice counterargument to the engineer’s posi-
tion. John and Chris agree with Vera on this.
A 4. We are a major research university with a serious commitment to
____
scholarship in many forms. Ana’s project looks outward to Spain at a
very interesting time in its history, because it is through Islamic Spain
that Aristotle was rediscovered in Europe. Unlike my engineering
colleague, I think it is well worth considering.
We think that this is a very valid argument. However, it is unfor-
tunate that a committee member, not Ana, makes such a good
case for funding the project. We would like to have seen this in
Ana’s own text.

Esmail’s Application

A 1. It looks as though these guys in Architecture messed up their fund-

____
ing support, and are asking us to get them out of a hole. Since sus-
tainability is such a buzzword these days, they should have been
able to do better. I don’t think we should be providing such bridge
funds when we have so many other strong applications to consider.
This committee member makes some very good points. Sustain-
ability does stand out in this application, which seems to be an
attempt to make the project at least appear important, timely,
and cutting-edge; however, nothing more is given to suggest that
this research is essential. It may very well be that if the applicant
did not receive funding for the summer, the only problem would
be a delay in getting the work done. This is quite different from
the proposed work in Ana’s application, which might never get
done without funding.
A 2. It seems to me, on the contrary, that one of the prime purposes of
____
the summer research grants system is precisely to provide the kind of
funds that Esmail is requesting.
Yes, it seems like the fund is designed to carry students through a
short period of time when there is no other funding.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

D
____ Our sums are small and in this case, they will go far. I recommend
that we approve this funding.
On this point, we disagree since it is not clear why the funding
would go far in Esmail’s project. Esmail may have other funding
sources that Ana does not have. So, perhaps the funding would
go far for her research, as well. We do not see much value in this
line of thinking, but do agree that as summer projects the money
may go far for both.
A 3. The project description is a little vague, but if you look at the
____
detailed budget, it becomes much clearer what kinds of material are
needed and in what quantities. Some of these are really experimen-
tal and cannot be easily fabricated on-site. Given this, and the
potential industrial applications of this research, I vote “yes.”
It is hard for us to judge this comment because we do not have
the actual budgets that came with Ana’s and Esmail’s respective
applications. If Esmail’s budget really makes a good case that he
will use the money wisely, then this is a valid observation and
would be a reason to lean toward funding his research. However,
if Ana’s budget clearly details how the funds will be used to
achieve certain goals, then we would be inclined to fund her proj-
ect, as well.
We agree that Esmail’s research might have industrial applica-
tions, but we think it would be unfair to eliminate Ana’s applica-
tion simply because her research (obviously) does not.
A 4. As an engineer, I am concerned that the first priority should be that
____
the testing equipment works. There is no point in purchasing rela-
tively expensive materials until we are assured that the testing and
simulation programs are running smoothly. Although I was initially
impressed with this project, now I have concerns about its viability.
So, reluctantly, it’s a “no” from me.
This sounds like a solid argument from a person who may be
well qualified to make it. The committee member seems to know
something about necessary research steps that Esmail has perhaps
overlooked. If the background work has not been done, then the
proposed work cannot be accomplished during the summer. As

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

non-experts, we are inclined to defer to this committee member

and assume the points are valid.
In the end we think that despite some weaknesses in the proposals, the
projects are worthwhile and the committee would do well to fund them.
Although Ana might gain access to a digital copy of the encyclopedia, see-
ing and/or working with an original copy may offer her some important
research insights. Without funding Esmail probably would do his
research eventually, but getting some important work done in the sum-
mer might allow him to get something published sooner.

Task Sixteen 

Rank these four email responses, with 1 being the best. First, read the discussion
points on page 45 in the main volume. Which two applicants would you inter-
view and why?
Here are our rankings.
1. A
2. D
3. C
4. B
Discussion points

1. Do you have any concerns about any of the applicants’ written English?
None of the responses reveals any serious writing problems. Applicants
A and D mention that they are international students (suggesting that
they may also be non-native speakers of English) and they describe
struggling with writing, which may actually be beneficial for the proj-
ect. Native speaker status should not matter for the project as long as
the person has a good command of English and is familiar with the
conventions of academic writing.
2. How important do you think statistical skills will be?
We do not know exactly from the job description that knowledge of sta-
tistical software and an ability to perform statistical analysis are necessary
parts of the job; however, it is possible that these skills would be a plus.
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
34 O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA

3. Should you be looking for signs of cross-cultural sensitivity?

Yes, this would likely be relevant because the project deals with the
writing done by international students.
4. Should you pay any attention to apparent student need, or focus only on
who would be best for the ELI?
It is best to find the most qualified candidate for the job to make sure
that the project is completed efficiently and competently. Unfortu-
nately, budgets and strict timelines these days usually do not allow stu-
dent need to be taken into consideration, although sometimes there is
pressure from advisors to take care of students.
5. If Applicant B asks you for suggestions about how to improve the posted
message, what advice would you give?
a. The beginning of this message sounds more like a job description
than a job application. The author could consider starting by stat-
ing the purpose of the email as Applicant A did. Overall, the mes-
sage appears a little rushed.
b. We do not think it is necessary to provide a general statement on
the particular qualities needed to perform the job. Instead, the
author could focus on the skills he or she has together with the pre-
vious relevant work or research experiences.
c. Given the nature of the project, the candidate could also discuss his
or her experience with academic writing at the dissertation level.
Based on what was written, this project might be his or her first
serious opportunity to write.
It was decided to interview the top two candidates, A and D.

Task Seventeen 

Your acquaintance from Korea, Ji-Young Kim, is looking for financial support to
conduct her field research back home. She has written three versions of her state-
ment of purpose for the Miller Fellowship so far, and each time she has received
feedback via email from her advisor. She is now a bit confused and needs your
advice as to which one to submit and then whether the best of the set needs fur-
ther work. Read through her drafts (and commentaries) and then decide which

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

would likely be the most successful. What are the strong and weak points of each?
Then send an email to Ji-Young giving your considered opinion. In this case, we
have added sentence numbers because we have included some Language Notes
at the end of the three versions.

Version A
Strengths
Ji-Young manages to clearly demonstrate her connection to Korea and her
personal motivation for conducting research there.

Weaknesses
• The point about her grades being “encouraging” does not do much
to instill confidence in Ji-Young as a strong student and scholar.
• There seems to be too great an emphasis on Ji-Young’s personal
story. She would be better off highlighting the urgency of the pro-
posed research for Korean society at large, and not discussing her
work so much in direct relation to her own family experiences.
• This draft does not provide sufficient detail on what exactly Ji-
Young would be doing in Korea; thus, a reader could very easily con-
clude that she does not have a clear research plan. Stating that she
could do research in the United States seems to very much work
against her since it suggests that there is no compelling reason to
fund research in or on Korea.
• Some language choices could be improved. For instance, the phrase
really need sounds too much like pleading and not suitable for an
application of this sort.

Version B
Strengths
• From the very beginning, this version manages to highlight the need
to perform research in Korea as part of a well-planned academic
path for the applicant and as something that she has a solid and
long-standing interest in.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

• The draft gives a more global perspective on the problem by relating

it to recent statistical data.
• It also gives the selection committee a sense what exactly Ji-Young
will do for the fellowship.

Weaknesses
• It might help Ji-Young to explain in more detail the need to under-
take the research in Korea. Stating that her advisor was the one to
suggest doing so does not reflect positively on her as a scholar.

Version C
Strengths
• This version highlights the need to do the research in Korea.
• It also provides a good vision of the research that Ji-Young will do
and her intent to share her work by publishing.

Weaknesses
• This version in many respects looks like a research article introduc-
tion (showcasing the urgency of the proposed research) rather than
like a fellowship application.
• What is lost in this version is the personality of the researcher and
the “personal story” behind Ji-Young’s interest in this problem.
• Also, stating that the proposed research is merely an “appropriate
topic” for her dissertation comes across as rather weak.

Overall, version B looks the most promising. The commentary accompa-

nying the next task provides an email message to Ji-Young suggesting how
to strengthen the second draft.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Task Eighteen 

Now it’s your turn. Write an email message to Ji-Young, explaining your choice
of your preferred version.

Here is a message composed by our assistant, Vera. We think she has

some very good advice to offer.

Dear Ji-Young,
I now think the second version is the basis for a successful application,
but there is still some work to be done. Here are some ideas for how to
strengthen the text. The beginning seems fine, as it shows how this fel-
lowship will enable you to stay on your academic career path and pursue
your interests. Moving on, however, you could shorten sentence 3 a little
to save space for other things (e.g., “widows living alone” instead of
“women whose husbands have died and who are not cared for by their
family members”). In sentence 4, I would mention the statistical results
for Korea that you included in Version C. This would help demonstrate
the urgency of doing the research specifically in Korea. In sentence 5,
instead of stating that it was your advisor who suggested the topic for
you, you might want to position yourself as the perfect candidate to do
the research given your cultural and linguistic background. I would cut
unfortunately in sentence 6, and instead rephrase this sentence to high-
light that there is a gap in the research that your work will fill. You could
omit If I am successful in sentence 7 to save space. In sentence 8, I would
add the three perspectives you are trying to investigate (medical, emo-
tional, and financial from Version C). This would help you demonstrate
the focus of your data collection. I would be glad to look over the new
draft. Let me know if you have any questions.
Best,
Vera

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Task Nineteen 

Read this letter of recommendation for an undergraduate student applying to
a master’s program in Public Policy, and then respond to the eight reaction
statements.

1. This is a nice letter about a nice person by a nice person, but it may not
help her too much.
The letter writer clearly knows something about the student, but we
wonder how well she really knows the student. The vague adjectives
used to describe Ms. Matthews could apply to many other students
and probably will be ineffective in convincing the readers that she
would be a good addition to the graduate program in Public Policy.
The next paragraph is a bit better, but the weak opening may nega-
tively influence the reading of the remainder of the letter.

2. This is a very nice letter that should work very well.

We do not think that it will work very well. At the same time, it will
not do any harm either. If the program she has applied to wants appli-
cants who have actively participated in political activities and cam-
paigns, the second paragraph may be very helpful.

3. There is no need to write To Whom It May Concern. It doesn’t do any

good, and may do harm.
We agree. As mentioned in commentary to Task One (Question 7),
care should be taken to find the name(s) of the addressee(s).

4. Why does the writer consistently refer to the applicant as Ms. Matthews
in the second half of the letter? I would have used her first name.
In the United States, we often will start with the full name and then
switch to the first name to demonstrate that we know the person fairly
well. The consistent use of Ms. Matthews in the second paragraph sug-
gests an unfortunate distance between the letter writer and the stu-
dent. In other academic cultures, however, the use of Title and Family
name may be perfectly fine.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

5. The writer doesn’t say what course she was teaching. Why not? I am
guessing it had nothing to do with politics.
We think one could easily conclude that it was not a political science
or other related course. Certainly, if the letter were written by someone
in Public Policy or Political Science, the letter would have mentioned
the course.

6. The formal use of Ms. Matthews in the second half of the letter suggests
that the applicant is a serious, mature individual.
While the use of this form of address might signal a lack of familiarity
between the recommender and the applicant, we acknowledge that for
some readers the form of address here may reflect the fact that Ms.
Matthews is a serious and mature student.

7. While assisting Ms. Matthews with her papers gives an impression that
the student has a serious writing problem. This needs rephrasing.
It is hard to say that a negative impression will result since it is com-
mon for undergraduate students to seek assistance from their instruc-
tors. The writer could, however, give the frequent meetings a more
positive spin. For instance, she could write something along the lines
of “As a very engaged student, Ms. Matthews took additional opportu-
nities to engage herself with the course material, for example, by
exploring and testing ideas for course-related writing during my office
hours. It is through these meetings that I had ample opportunities to
get to know Ms. Matthews and appreciate her deep interest in and
commitment to public policy. . . . ”

8. The first paragraph has useful detail; the second does not.
We would disagree for the reasons discussed earlier.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Language Focus: Positive and Less Positive Language in

Recommendations
Look at this list of adjectives and adverbs. Could any of them per-
haps carry negative connotations without the addition of sup-
porting evidence? Place a check mark ( ) next to the adjectives
you think an applicant for an academic position (such as your-
self) might like to see in a letter of recommendation.
There are no absolute right or wrong answers here, but after
much discussion our students typically check these adjectives.
While there is no doubt that most of us would like others to think
we are pleasant as well as some of the other adjectives, we
would hope that in a letter of recommendation, our letter writer
would have something more substantive to say. Care should also
be taken when choosing descriptors. Although being assertive is
not necessarily a bad quality, in a letter of recommendation it
could be misread to suggest that someone disagrees a lot or is
perhaps unwilling to compromise.

 articulate
_____  creative
_____  observant
_____

_____ nice  imaginative

_____ _____ self-confident

___ dependable _ satisfactory ___ eager

 effective
_____ _____ assertive _____ adequate

___ pleasant _ efficient ___ cheerful

_____ good  innovative

_____  cooperative
_____

 mature
_____ _____ steady _____ critical

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Task Twenty 

What type of support could be offered to justify the following unsupported state-
ments made in various recommendations. Don’t just say, Give examples. Be cre-
ative, and make up examples for at least two of them.

Here are some possible expansions of the original points.

1. Desiree has obtained one of the best grade point averages in our program
and she has done magnificent work in the materials laboratory.
Desiree has obtained one of the best grade point averages in our pro-
gram (3.9) and she has done magnificent work in the materials labora-
tory, especially while working on ceramics with Professor Smuda. Her
recent work in his lab focused on developing an approach to removing
the mold material without distorting or fracturing the unsintered
ceramic. Despite numerous challenges, she achieved high yield
strength (up to 472 kPa) and Young’s modulus (up to 110 MPa) that
facilitated easy and successful removal of the wet-coagulated bodies
even from intricate shape molds.

2. Throughout her time as an undergraduate, Maria has been active in

extracurricular activities.
Throughout her time as an undergraduate, Maria has been active in
extracurricular activities. She has enthusiastically performed the duties
of the president of our undergraduate Science Club for two years and
in 2009 and 2010 spearheaded the planning of Science Days—a uni-
versity-sponsored event that annually attracts more than 800 local
high school students interested in the natural sciences.

3. Sergei is a very responsible person.

Having supervised Sergei’s work on three projects, I can say that in
addition to his other good qualities, he is a very responsible person. In
these projects Sergei was recognized by his teammates as the informal
group leader and spokesperson due to his ability to consider all aspects
of a project and to have a clear understanding of the steps needed to
successfully complete the work on time. He has also always shown
himself to be very careful in following all the safety precautions. In a
word, he can be trusted.
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
42 O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA

4. Mitsuyo is an excellent communicator.

Mitsuyo is an excellent communicator. Since her second year in the
PhD program, she has been repeatedly elected by her fellow graduate
students as a student-faculty liaison and has greatly contributed to
establishing effective communications between the faculty and the stu-
dents in the Department of Linguistics.

5. Over the years it has become clear that Antonia is a very motivated stu-
dent who sets high goals for herself.
Over the years it has become clear that Antonia is a very motivated
student who sets high goals for herself. In 2008, she successfully
applied for and received a highly competitive fellowship for undertak-
ing summer research in Spain. This allowed her to gather unique data
on how European environmental norms were perceived and adopted
in Spain. Antonia used this research experience to compose an out-
standing senior Honor theses entitled “The Environmental Legacy of
the Franco Dictatorship: Implications for the Integration of European
Environmental Norms in Spain,” which won the departmental award
for best thesis written by an undergraduate student in 2010.
Over the years this next task has consistently generated lively discussion
on the potential impact of including what appear to be negative com-
ments in letters of recommendation. Student reactions to the text in the
main volume range from being shocked to admiration of the skill with
which the concern was raised.

Task Twenty-One 

Read this short section from the final paragraph of a letter of recommendation
written for a graduate student applying for a junior faculty position. Consider
the questions that follow.

1. The writer is obviously concerned about the impression the candidate

might make and wants to reassure the reader that the candidate is really
a good catch. Do you think the writer dealt with concerns fairly? Do you
think the writer has helped the candidate?
John and Chris do not agree on this. Chris thinks that the writer failed
to consider that Melissa might rise to the occasion and handle the
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA 43

interview process well. Melissa would know what is at stake during the
interview and would likely make every effort to present herself as a
capable academic who would be a good addition to the department.
Thus, Chris thinks that the writer has done Melissa a disservice. John,
on the other hand, thinks the comments help Melissa because the
interviewers would know in advance that Melissa might falter at some
point and would overlook any small misstep. John and Chris’s dis-
agreement here likely reflects differences between a British and a U.S.
perspective on letters of recommendation. John always says that the
British are well known for writing letters that are less enthusiastic than
those of their U.S. counterparts.

2. Do you think the end of the letter was the best place to discuss the
writer’s concerns?
John and Chris disagree on this point as well. John thinks that it is
best to address such concerns toward the end of the letter, focusing the
earlier parts on praise. However, Chris thinks that it is not a good idea
to end the letter on a negative note. As stated earlier, her preference is
to say nothing about possible underperformance, but if the writer feels
compelled to say something, a sentence or two could be added to reas-
sure the readers that the concern is really minor and that Melissa
would be an excellent addition to the department.

Task Twenty-Two 

What do you think of these forms of reassurance to a reader that the candidate is
truly outstanding? Which might you accept, and which not?

1. I know this letter describes a person who seems too good to be true, but
I can assure you that Shaw is very, very exceptional.
The statement that the candidate is very, very, very exceptional does not
really say a lot, and would need to be supported with a lot of detail for
us to be convinced that the candidate is so amazing. The repetition of
very three times strikes us as a bit odd.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

2. I realize that this letter is extremely positive and enthusiastic, but in my

many years of teaching, I have seen only one other student as outstand-
ing as Anand.
The author here is aware that he or she may seem overly positive,
addresses this, and then provides a suitable context for the enthusiasm.
This statement makes us a bit curious about the candidate since it
seems to come from someone who has considerable teaching experi-
ence and has had only one other student comparable to Anand. We
would perhaps be even more convinced of Anand’s exceptional quali-
ties if we knew how many years of teaching experience the author has.
For instance, writing something like, “In my 25 years of teaching, I
have seen . . . .” We would also hope to see some examples to support
the writer’s point of view.

3. I have seen Vadim evolve over the years into a creative, self-motivated
researcher who has taken on a leadership role in our research group. I can
easily foresee how this young scholar will someday make a major contri-
bution to his chosen area of study.
We like this commentary on Vadim since it indicates that the writer’s
observations of Vadim’s growth as a researcher has developed over
time, rather than during a short-term interaction. We like the con-
crete examples (e.g., that he has taken a leadership role in a specific
research group) as well as the glimpse into the future, in which the
writer suggests that Vadim will be an asset. We would assume that
such a prediction would not be given lightly.

4. There have been rather few students for whom I could write such a posi-
tive letter of recommendation. I am pleased to be able to support Marie
in her pursuit of a graduate career.
This excerpt indicates that the author is stingy with praise for the typ-
ical student, but Marie is no ordinary individual. We would like to
know more and would be inclined to trust the recommendation that
follows.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Language Focus: Double Meanings in Recommendations

As with parody texts, this language focus may work well with
some students and not so well with others who may need an
explanation to get the humor.

As a lighthearted exercise, study these ambiguous recommenda-

tion statements that, from time to time, have been circulated on
the Internet and in other places. Can you figure out the two
meanings, one positive and one negative, that can be attached
to each of these?

1. You will be lucky if you can get this person to work for you.
Positive: If you hire this person you are fortunate because he or
she is a good catch.
Negative: If this person works for you, getting him or her to do
any work would be a major accomplishment.
2. I am pleased to say this candidate is a former colleague of mine.
Positive: I am happy to have had the opportunity to work with
this candidate.
Negative: I am happy that this candidate is no longer my col-
league.
3. I would urge you to waste no time in making this candidate an
offer.
Positive: This candidate is a good catch; act quickly.
Negative: It is a waste of time to make this candidate an offer.
4. This candidate is an unbelievable worker.
Positive: This candidate’s work is amazingly good.
Negative: This candidate cannot be trusted.
5. I most enthusiastically recommend this candidate with no qualifica-
tions whatsoever.
Positive: I wholeheartedly recommend this candidate; I have no
reservations whatsoever.
Negative: This candidate has no qualifications.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

6. I can assure you that no person would be better for the job.
Positive: This is the best person for the job.
Negative: You would be better off hiring nobody than hiring
this person.

Joking aside, a letter of recommendation can be viewed as a legal document

that reflects on both you and the applicant. Thus, care needs to be taken
when writing these texts. Particularly, if a writer does feel a need to say
something negative about the person being written about, it should be
backed up with support.
We also discuss with our students whether we should write letters for
individuals about whom we have serious concerns. We cannot say what is
really best for everyone here, but all of us need to decide what our obligation
might be in such circumstances. Many people would politely decline to
write the letter, possibly making an excuse about being too busy. Others
might agree to write a letter, but ignore or minimize the issues. Still others,
might warn the letter seeker that their letter would include some negative,
leaving it up to the person to decide whether he or she still wants the letter.
As mentioned earlier, John feels comfortable writing something negative;
Chris, on the other hand, is a little less comfortable and would prefer a can-
did phone conversation.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Task Twenty-Three 

By now we think you are in a strong position to write a useful recommendation
letter. One option is to draft your letter for one of the individuals whose CV you
can find in the final section; another option is to write a letter for a fellow stu-
dent or colleague.

Below is a possible recommendation letter for Robin S. Lee, whose CV is

given in Task Thirty-Six of the main volume. The letter was written from
the perspective of Professor Guzman, who knows Robin’s work well and
is pleased to be writing the letter in support of her grant application.

November 15, 2010

Dear Dr. Otto and members of the Selection Committee:

I am happy to take this opportunity to recommend Ms. Robin S. Lee
for the Dissertation Research Fellowship. Not only do I see this fellow-
ship to be extremely valuable given the current stage of her research, but I
also believe that Ms. Lee is an ideal candidate for the fellowship for a
number of reasons.
Over the years, Robin has demonstrated a deep and long-standing
interest in protein folding in alcohol hydrogenase and an extreme skill in
band-selective optimized flip-angle short transient (SOFAST) real-time
2D NMR spectroscopy, a method that allows simultaneous observation
of reaction kinetics for a large number of nuclear sites along the polypep-
tide chain of a protein. Although she has been a PhD student in the
Department of Molecular Biology at the Center State University only
since 2009, I had a great chance to get to know her even earlier when she
was a Master’s student and junior researcher in a collaborative project
with Southeastern State University and Dr. R.S. Wang. Robin provided
exceptional support in gathering and analyzing data for the project on the
ultrastructure of Morchella asci, later co-presenting the results of the
study during a poster presentation at AIBS in Baltimore. As a result of her
contributions to the project, Robin was awarded the Southeastern State
University Research Foundation Fellowship.
As a doctoral student in our program, Robin has demonstrated that
she is an extremely skillful and motivated researcher. She participates to

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

the full extent in the life and work at our departmental laboratories,
where she first worked as an active collaborator in my own research on
electron microscopy of dried mycological specimens, becoming a co-
author of our forthcoming publication on this topic. Since 2010, Robin
has provided invaluable research support to my colleague, Dr. R. Ander-
son, who is investigating real-time kinetic processes in proteins.
Robin’s engagement with her research on protein folding has allowed
her to reach candidacy within two short years of beginning her PhD pro-
gram; she is now ready to focus on her dissertation research, which will
examine the mechanisms of the folding of α-lactalbumin. This is a highly
innovative and promising project that is based on Ms. Lee’s previous
research experience described earlier, and has a strong potential to deepen
our understanding of protein folding, which could eventually lead to bet-
ter treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
My colleagues and I are looking forward to working with Ms. Lee on
her planned research. However, as a highly complex and innovative proj-
ect, this work will require Ms. Lee’s full attention, making it impossible
for her to depend on other potential funding resources, such as teaching,
that require a large time commitment. Moreover, her current funding
cannot be used to support this new work. Thus, the Dissertation Fellow-
ship would play an important role in supporting this important research
Once again, I strongly recommend Robin’s application for the fellow-
ship and would be more than happy answer any additional questions you
might have.

Dr. F. Guzman
Professor, Department of Molecular Biology
Central State University

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Thinking Outside the Box

Task Twenty-Four 

Two versions of a simple submission letter follow. Compare them, discuss them
with a partner (if possible), and then try to anticipate the editor’s reactions.

Here are John’s reactions as the former editor of a journal in the ISI—
Institute for Scientific Information—database.

1. Letter A engages in a considerable amount of credentialism (e.g., “lead-

ing institution in my country”; “written several articles”).
John would agree that all of the personal information is irrelevant. The
status of the submitter would not sway him to accept the article.

2. Letter A does not give the actual title of the paper, while Letter B does.
John thinks that the title should be included.

3. The author of A suggests that the editor make any necessary corrections.
Such comments are generally ignored since the author(s) should take
ownership of the changes and not defer completely to the editor.

4. Letter B’s closing phrase is in due course, while Letter A’s is as soon as
possible.
John prefers in due course and does not appreciate the pressure tactics
from A.

5. Letter A does not clearly state that it has not been submitted elsewhere,
but Letter B does.
Letter A should have indicated that the work has not been submitted
to another journal.

6. Letter B mentions it is partly based on PhD research.

In John’s view (and like that of other editors) it does not matter
whether the work was done for a dissertation or not, but this does sug-
gest it is based on serious research.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

Task Twenty-Five 

Draft an appropriate submission letter to accompany one of your manuscripts.

Dear Dr. Johnston:

We are submitting our paper entitled “Developing Academic Corre-
spondence Skills: A Genre-Based Approach” for publication in Genre in
Academia. We confirm that this paper has not been submitted elsewhere
for publication. Dr. Irwin is the corresponding author. We are looking
forward to hearing from you at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Vera Irwin, Christine Feak, and John Swales

Task Twenty-Six 

Which of these options do you think are appropriate for a letter written to accom-
pany a reviewed and revised manuscript? Discuss with a partner if possible.

1. I have revised the manuscript according to the reviewers’ comments.

Thanks for your attention.
If this is all there is and there is no indication of what specifically has
been changed, then this is not helpful for either the editor or the
reviewers. One good point here is that it clearly states that the revi-
sions took into account the reviewers’ comments.

2. I have revised the manuscript, and below please find a summary of the
main changes made.
This is better than the first one in that there is mention of a summary
of the revisions. However, it would be good to also indicate that the
reviewers’ comments were taken into account.

3. Please find below a detailed list of the changes to the manuscript that
have been made. I hope the revision meets with your approval.
This is nearly identical to the previous statement. It mentions a sum-
mary, but fails to indicate that the reviewers’ comments were taken
into account. We do like the optimism here when the author indicates
his or her hope that the paper is fine.

© The University of Michigan Press, 2011

4. I would like to thank the reviewers for their helpful comments. In the
commentary that follows, I have addressed each of the suggested
changes and indicated how I have done this.
This one looks really good to us. The author has clearly stated that
there is an accounting of what was done. Moreover, there is an expres-
sion of gratitude for the efforts of the reviewers—something that
many reviewers would appreciate since they are not paid for reviewing
a journal manuscript. Reviewers see their work as service to the
profession.

5. I am really grateful to your excellent reviewers for their insightful com-

ments on my humble manuscript. I have worked extremely hard over the
last two weeks in order to incorporate their wonderful suggestions. As
you can see from the remainder of this response and from a re-reading of
my heavily revised manuscript, I have done my very best to follow almost
all of them. Thank you once again for giving me the opportunity to
improve my submission to your famous journal.
This is not a very good response. The expression of gratitude here is
nice, but there is far too much flattery. In fact all of the compliments
(e.g., wonderful suggestions and famous journal) do not make a very
good impression on us; nor does the modesty (e.g., humble manu-
script ). We also would like to know what changes were made since
not all of the recommendations were followed. Finally, there is no
need to mention how hard one has worked. The amount of effort will
not be taken into consideration when the work is reviewed again.
What will matter is whether the manuscript is of sufficient quality to
justify publication.

Task Twenty-Seven 

Which of the proposed responses by the authors do you prefer, and why?

A. p. 11. We have rewritten as follows: “Since it is neither practical nor eco-

nomical to recommend mediastinoscopy for all candidates for surgery, we
developed indication criteria for cervical mediastinoscopy.”
This response does not seem to address the reviewer’s challenge—that
contrary to what the authors say, the procedure is practical and justifiable.
Unfortunately, the authors seem to merely restate the position in the orig-
inal paper (that the procedure is too expensive and impractical); they then
state that criteria were developed for the procedure. This is a bit hard to
follow. If we think about this response, it should become clear that the
authors are saying that they developed criteria for when the procedure
should be done; they are not saying that the procedure should never be
done. What the authors should have added is that in their healthcare con-
text the procedure cannot be done routinely, which is why they developed
a way to determine who should undergo the procedure.

B. p. 11. Reviewer 2 objected to our statement about the justifiability of rou-

tine mediastinoscopy.

Response: This procedure remains a point of controversy within thoracic sur-

gery. On p. 11 we have qualified our stance by saying: “It is neither practical
nor economical in Japan to recommend mediastinoscopy for all candidates
for surgery.” Regardless of opinions on this issue, we believe everyone would
agree that it is better to avoid this procedure if the same information can be
obtained non-invasively at much lower cost.
We think this is a really nice response. The author paraphrases the
reviewer’s concern, thus revealing that the criticism has been understood.
The author then explains how the original manuscript was revised and
then appeals to reason, stating that, of course, we all would want to avoid
an invasive procedure, if a reasonable alternative is available.

C. p. 11. An all-too-typical response from the American surgical establish-

ment focused, as it is, both on maximizing profits and reducing the chances
of expensive malpractice lawsuits. In international terms, we stick to our orig-
inal position.

This last response is rather confrontational and seems inappropriate to us.

An attack on the reviewer is never good form, especially when we con-
sider that the editor knows who you are—even if the reviewers do not.
When authors respond to reviewer comments, no matter how upset or
hurt they might be, they need to realize that their professional persona is
on the line. As authors, it is good to think about how we want others to
perceive us. Would we prefer professional and pleasant or antagonistic
and unpleasant? The response here would perhaps suggest that the author
falls into the latter category.

Task Twenty-Eight 

A discussion between the two corpus linguist authors led them to consider these
possible responses to the criticism from R2. Which do you prefer? And what do
you think actually happened?

Option A
We will withdraw the paper and resubmit it to a journal more open to corpus
linguistic research.
Option A seems a bit extreme since only one reviewer has raised this
problem. When deciding what to change, authors needs to consider the
reasonableness of the comments and revise those aspects that will in fact
improve the paper and ignore those that do not or will change the paper
in an undesirable way.

Option B
We will agree and, for the first time in our lives, study the writing research lit-
erature in order to try to answer the criticisms.
This will probably not work all that well. For one this would be very time
consuming. For another, it may be completely unnecessary since there is
not general agreement among the reviewers and editors that this addi-
tional information is needed.

Option C
We will accept all of R1’s suggestions, as well as some of R2’s points. But on
the major one quoted above, we will argue back and say to the editor:

We think R2 is essentially missing the point. Our main aim was not to
make any contribution to writing research theory, but to offer an introduc-
tion to useful methodological tools that may be new to many members of
the writing research community and to present a case study showing how
the tools and techniques can be implemented. We believe that the deci-
sion is yours.
This one makes the most sense to us. Authors need to be willing to make
a good case for preserving the integrity of their work and not change
aspects of the work that they think will harm their work. A well-reasoned,
respectful argument to not make a change will likely be accepted.

Option D
We will recruit a third author who is a writing research expert.
Adding another this late in the process is not necessarily a good solution.
This could cause a major delay in resubmitting the paper and may not
completely solve the problem.
The authors did indeed choose Option C and their revised version was
accepted for publication.

Task Twenty-Nine 

Here is a response letter. In your view, how well does it follow the guidelines
given?

Overall, this looks like a well-written letter. The only changes we might
suggest have to do with the discussion of the title. The authors indicate
that the title has been shortened, but do not reveal how. They could have
provided both the old and the new title for the editor to compare, since
he or she might not remember the title of the originally submitted manu-
script. We know a change was requested and rejected because of unfortu-
nately in the second point. We assume the deleted parts restate a
reviewer’s concern along with an explanation as to why no change was
made. If an explanation was not given, however, it should have been. We

really like how the issue of the figures was handled. We think the expres-
sion of gratitude for the reviewer commentary is appropriate—even if in
reality the authors were not particularly pleased about having to make
changes. We also like that the authors indicate that they are willing to
address a need for further changes in a timely manner, but still reveal
their optimism that the paper is now in good shape.

Task Thirty 

Either construct a biostatement for yourself, or edit this entry and reduce it from
its current 85 words to a 60-word maximum.

John M. Swales was the director of the English Language Institute

from 1985 to 2001. Previously, he worked at universities in Eng-
land and Africa. He officially retired as a professor of Linguistics in
2006. His most recent publications are Telling a Research Story:
Writing a Literature Review (with C. Feak) and Incidents in an
Educational Life: A Memoir (of Sorts), both published by Michi-
gan Press in 2009. He remains a faculty advisor to the MICASE
project. In 2004, he received an honors PhD from Uppsala.

Here is John’s shorter version.

John M. Swales is a Professor Emeritus of Linguistics and the former

Director of the English Language Institute at the University of
Michigan. He has published extensively on academic discourse, most
recently, Telling a Research Story: Writing a Literature Review
(with C. Feak). Although retired, John remains professionally active.
In 2004, he received an honorary PhD from Uppsala University.
(59 words)

Note how the very short biostatement is very focused on recent informa-
tion, with the exception of the honorary PhD from Uppsala University.
Including this older information suggests that John is quite honored to
have received the honor.

Task Thirty-One 

Read this acknowledgments text, and answer the questions.

1 The authors wish to thank Tom H._, Carole W.__, and

Elizabeth Z.____ for their helpful comments at various stages of this
project. 2 We thank Raymond D.____, The Center for Public Opinion
at ____, and the Election Study Center at ____ for use of their survey
data. 3 However, they bear no responsibility for our interpretation of
the data. 4 We are also indebted to the University of ___ and the John
T.___ Center for ____ for financial assistance with this project.

1. What field do you think this text is taken from?

This is, in fact, taken from an article in political science, as revealed by
the use of data collected by the Election Study Center and The Center
for Public Opinion.
2. The people mentioned here are expressed differently than the people who
are cited in the body of a research article (RA). What is the difference—
and why?
When we refer to people in the main body of a research paper, we are
constrained by the citation rules that limit our choice to family name
in the vast majority of the cases. In the acknowledgments, however, we
can freely use first names. The use of first names also suggests that the
authors know the people they have thanked and not just their work.
3. How have the authors ordered their acknowledgments?
This support described in the acknowledgments text is organized in
the following way.
1. intellectual support
2. data support plus a disclaimer, and
3. financial support

4. How is the disclaimer expressed?

The disclaimer follows the acknowledgment of the two centers that
provided data for research (However, they bear no responsibility for our
interpretation of the data). The authors could also have said, “However,
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA 57

any remaining errors are our own.” We have even seen, “The usual dis-
claimers apply.”
5. Suppose the authors also wanted to acknowledge the reviewers. How
might they express this statement, and where might they put it?
According to our survey of acknowledgments across disciplines, this
type of information is presented at the very end and might be
expressed, for example, in the following ways.
We also benefitted significantly from the comments of the two anony-
mous reviewers and the chief editor.
The authors would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for
their thoughtful and thorough comments, which have considerably
improved this paper.
6. Suppose you want to add that an earlier version of this project was pre-
sented at a conference. What you would write, and where would you
place it?
This information would not necessarily be part of the acknowledg-
ments and might be presented as a footnote early in the paper. If the
authors decide to put it into the acknowledgments, it might appear at
the beginning, after which there may be a listing of the key people
who helped the conference presentation become a journal article.

Task Thirty-Two 

Here is a draft of the acknowledgments in a master’s thesis. Some words have
been left out; which of the choices given after the text would you recommend?
We believe the following are the best choices to complete the sentences.
1. express
2. pursue
3. be exposed
4. acknowledge
5. owe
6. has contributed
7. would like
8. completion/carrying through
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
58 O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA

Task Thirty-Three 

We think that the three extracts from these acknowledgments are each, in differ-
ent ways, not quite right. Can you identify the weaknesses in each?

Excerpt A
The author is rather formal. Most writers would use I. The phrase oral
support is rather unconventional. A better option would have been some-
thing like insightful conversations, which helped me throughout my academic
journey. Or did the author mean moral support? Frustrating period sounds
quite negative. We would suggest avoiding being overly negative.

Excerpt B
This excerpt seems to mix various types of acknowledgments, first talking
about a gratitude to people, then switching to financial support from a
fellowship, and then going back to talking about people again. Stating
that the financial support was more significant than the support of the
institute and the director seems to almost undo the thank you. The writer
should not express enormous gratitude to everyone, but needs to be more
selective.

Excerpt C
The author’s statement about having an opportunity to get to know
American people and culture during the dissertation process might imply
that this person was more interested in personal gain rather than the
intellectual achievement. This seems a bit out of balance to us.

Task Thirty-Four 

If relevant, write a draft of your acknowledgments for your thesis, dissertation, or
research paper.

Here are the acknowledgments from Vera’s dissertation.

I owe many thanks to people who made this dissertation possible. I
would like to express special gratitude to Robin Queen for her enthusi-
asm about this project, for challenging me, for providing expertise, guid-
ance, and support, and for believing that this dissertation will one day
become a reality. I am also very thankful to the members of my disserta-
tion committee, Deborah Keller-Cohen, Robert L. Kyes, and Sarah G.
Thomason for their insightful comments, feedback, and suggestions that
made this dissertation possible. I would also like to mention the faculty
and students of the Department of Linguistics who have contributed so
much to my intellectual development throughout my years at the Univer-
sity of Michigan.
I would like to thank Christine B. Feak and John M. Swales of the
University of Michigan English Language Institute. Working with them
has taught me a lot about writing, drafting, and revising, and about the
ins and outs of turning an idea into a piece of finished work.
This dissertation would not have been possible without the generous
support from the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures,
Department of Linguistics, Rackham School of Graduate Studies, Center
for the Education of Women, and Sweetland Writing Center at the Uni-
versity of Michigan. The fieldwork was made possible by the German
Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). I also thank the Otto Benecke
Foundation for their assistance and support.
I owe my greatest thanks to the participants of this research who made
this dissertation possible by so willingly sharing their amazing stories. I
would like to express my special gratitude to those who became friends
and provided me with a home away from home during my fieldwork.
My time at the University of Michigan would not have been the same
without the invaluable friendship and support of the most amazing
group of graduate students—the Department of Linguistics’ incoming
cohort of the year 2000: Nancy Perez, Jennifer Nguyen, Nick Pharris,

Carson Maynard, and Katherine Chen. It is hard to express what it meant

to have you all as a part of my life and what a difference it made to be
able to share the ups and downs of graduate school with such wonderful
friends. If one would attempt to write down all the memories we made
together over these years, it would be another dissertation.
I am also thankful to Marga Schuhwerk-Hampel for her friendship
and help with navigating the maze of graduate school. To Sun-Young
Kim, for her support, encouragement, and companionship during the
final months of the writing process. I am thankful to all friends and fam-
ily for their willingness to donate their time and effort to read and com-
ment on my writing, especially to Lisa Del Torto for her insightful
feedback and all the help.
Last, but not least, this dissertation could not have been finished with-
out the continuous support of my family. My deepest gratitude goes to
Christopher, who has been there for me all along, and to Andrei, who
reminds me every day about the most important things in life.

Vera seems to have thanked just about everyone who supported her along
the way, so hopefully nobody will be disappointed. We think Vera’s thor-
oughness is a strong quality as is her focus on finding a variety of ways to
say thank you. She gives some detail, but not too much. Many of those
thanked know what they did to help Vera and the rest of us do not really
need to know.
It might be interesting for students to look at the acknowledgments in
the main volume to see how John’s and Chris’s acknowledgments are sim-
ilar and/or different from Vera’s.

CVs
Our focus here is mainly on the content of CVs rather than other matters
such as formatting, the latter of which is best left to others more knowledge-
able in this area. Assistance with CV preparation is available at most U.S.
universities in the form of career centers, but, surprisingly, many of our stu-
dents are unaware that these services exist. One word of caution on the use
of career centers is in order here. Some of these centers may have more expe-
rience with resumes for undergraduate students who are looking for a job
and may have less experience with CVs. While career centers may be useful,
in the end, the best advice is likely to come from advisors and other trusted
colleagues.
Our students enjoy testing their CV knowledge in Task Thirty-Five.
While going through the task, they become aware of cultural differences,
some misconceptions they may harbor, as well as some points of strategy.

Task Thirty-Five 

Consider these talking points about CVs; in so doing, assume a U.S. destination
for your CV. Work through the points with a partner if possible. Indicate whether
you agree (A), disagree (D), or are unsure–or you and your partner disagree (?).

1. A resume and a CV are the same genre.

No. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, they are differ-
ent. A resume is usually a much shorter document (often 1 or 2 pages)
that highlights a candidate’s educational and professional experience
and is used primarily in non-academic jobs. For example, a resume
would not provide any details on a job candidate’s research interests
and publications or his or her service on academic committees and
such. It would rather focus on very specific skills directly relevant for
an advertised non-academic position.

2. You should include your date of birth, sex, and nationality.

No, for candidates seeking jobs at institutions based in the United
States. This information is not included in order to prevent discrimi-
nation on the basis of any of these facts. In some other countries, how-
ever, this information may be standard.
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
62 O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA

3. Your CV should include both your home and departmental address.

No, there is no need to have both. Many of our students say that they
include only a home address since they do not want any mail sent to
their departments; mail sent to the department could reveal informa-
tion that they do not want others to know. We recommend including
one address to which mail can comfortably be sent.

4. It is best to use reverse chronological order throughout (i.e., put the most
recent things first).
Yes. Recent educational and professional experiences are likely to mat-
ter more to a potential employer than what was done several years ago.
Also, assuming that the CV writer has maintained a good academic
trajectory, the more recent achievements are likely to be more impres-
sive than accomplishments as an undergraduate, and it is good to
showcase the best things first. Some of our students have questioned
the wisdom of reverse chronology for a rather short CV. We respond
by pointing out that a CV will grow with each academic accomplish-
ment and that at some point there may be so many entries that if
items are listed chronologically (the most recent item last) the best
things may be buried and difficult to find. Chris knows from her own
experience that reversing the order of a chronological CV is very time
consuming and frustrating; it is much easier to simply settle on reverse
chronology from the start.

5. The longer your CV, the better.

No. Although a very short CV might raise some questions, it does not
have to be overloaded with every single detail of one’s academic and
professional development (e.g., topics of the course papers you wrote).
In the case of a very long CV, it is easy for the employer to lose track
of the most important things, so it is advisable to find a good balance
between providing a detailed account of one’s career and keeping this
information well structured and visually comprehensible. If any cate-
gory becomes too long (e.g., numerous semesters of teaching), this
information can be grouped into smaller summaries.

6. Provide some information about your high school.

Generally, no. In the U.S. context, a CV would start with your first
college degree. If, however, the high school is exceptional in some way,
such as a high school for the performing arts or a highly prestigious
prep school, then it may make sense to include this information.

7. List only advanced or special courses you have taken.

Yes. If you are planning on listing any courses at all. More often, how-
ever, the information on graduate school courses is not given in a CV
since this information is available in a transcript. A question that may
come up in relation to this point is whether to include grade point
averages or grades anywhere on the CV. We usually recommend not
including this information since it, too, is available on a transcript.

8. List computer skills or expertise in using special equipment.

Yes, if these are relevant to one’s field of study and the particular job
being sought. In the past we mainly thought of computer and equip-
ment skills as relevant to the sciences; however, with the development
of technology the use of specialized programs is increasing in all disci-
plines. Consider, for example, concordancing programs in applied lin-
guistics and software in multimedia rhetoric.

9. Put your name in much larger font at the top.

No, not necessarily. One’s name does have to be at the top of the first
page, and it does have to stand out somewhat. However, it is impor-
tant to use good judgment with regard to the font size. The size of the
name should be in proportion to the font size used for other informa-
tion. One other important point on this is that it is wise to include
some form of your name on each page and include page numbers
starting with the second page. The reason for this is that pages of a CV
could become separated and it is much easier to put everything in the
proper order if this information is included.

10. Do not try to “translate” degrees that have no exact equivalent in the
United States (Diplom in Germany, D.E.A in France, M.Phil. in Britain).
Yes. The original names should be maintained, but, if necessary, they
can be clarified to show what the degree roughly corresponds to. For
instance, it is possible to write Diplom (equivalent to a B.A.).

Task Thirty-Six 

Here is a typical CV written by an American citizen in 2010 for a U.S. audi-
ence. What do you like and dislike about it? What suggestions might you make to
Robin Lee?

This CV looks okay, but it could be improved. Our students have sug-
gested that Robin consider making improvements in these areas.

1. In the section on “Research experience,” she might want to specify

what kind of responsibilities she had at the Southern State University
Biological Station. Otherwise, the reader might not have an idea of
how this experience moved her forward in her academic career.
2. When Robin mentions the courses or labs she taught, it might be ben-
eficial to know the level of these courses—were they introductory sur-
vey courses? More advanced ones?
3. It might not be important to state whether she taught in the fall or the
winter terms. It would be fine just to provide the years in which she
taught.
4. When talking about the publication in press, Robin neglects to men-
tion the name of the journal where the article is about to appear. This
should be added.
5. Since she has only received two awards, it makes sense to list them
both. In the future, however, when Robin would hopefully have more
awards and fellowships to list, she might want to remove smaller
awards, in this case the travel grant.

Task Thirty-Seven 

Take this short text that focuses on teaching experience, and rewrite it so that it
would be suitable for a CV. Be sure to make up a subheading, too.

One question that our students regularly ask is whether tutoring counts
as teaching. The tutoring listed in the short text was clearly done in a uni-
versity context and was a paid position. Thus, the student was deemed to
have the qualifications necessary to perform this work. Private tutoring,
however, is a different matter. While private tutoring is a form of teach-
ing, it generally carries little, if any, weight in demonstrating teaching
ability or experience.

Name
Address
Education:
2007–present PhD student, Department of Chemistry,
Central University
Projected degree completion: 2012
Teaching experience:
2007–2008 Tutor, Chemistry Tutorial Center, Central
University
Individual tutoring for student taking
Chem 100: Introduction to Chemistry
Chem 415: Senior Level Organic Chemistry
2008–2011 Teaching assistant. Department of Chemistry,
Central University
Courses taught:
Chem 125: General Chemistry
Chem 130: Inorganic Chemistry
Chem 210: Structure and Reactivity. Full
teaching responsibilities for my section of Chem
210 in 2010–2011.
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
66 O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA

Our students and workshop participants really like Task Thirty-Eight

since it raises some interesting issues regarding CV content. Some of the
situations are fairly common, such as guest lecturing and poster presenta-
tions, and many students want to include these on their CVs. Other situ-
ations are not so common (e.g., a New York Times article), but they do
help students think a bit more creatively about what might be included
on their CVs.

Task Thirty-Eight 

How would you handle the following (if at all)? Work with a partner, if possible.
1. Your advisor asks you to give a talk based on your research to her gradu-
ate level class. She asks you to fill the full 50-minute period. If you decide
to do so, how would you enter it on the CV?
We think that this can be considered a guest lecture and would recom-
mend including it along with other presentations, but labeled as a
guest lecture.

2. Your advisor asks you to give a 20-minute talk on your experiences as a

new graduate student. How might this be entered on the CV, if at all?
We would suggest not including this. A 20-minute talk about personal
experiences is not the same as a talk based on research.

3. The final session of an advanced class or seminar is a poster session where

all students showcase their work. Friends, colleagues, and all members of
the department are also invited to attend. Is this a publication? A presen-
tation? How would you include this?
Our students disagree on this one. Some argue that this is a research-
based poster and should be included; others say that class assignments
do not belong on a CV. John, however, thinks that since there is an
invited audience, the poster session would qualify as a presentation.
Chris would disagree. She thinks that unless it represents something
truly outstanding, coursework is best left off a CV.

4. Your university sponsors a biannual, informal poster session that provides

an opportunity for doctoral students to present their dissertation ideas
and research. Students must submit a poster proposal that is reviewed by

a university-wide committee. Should this be considered a publication or a

presentation? How would you include this?
Since it was reviewed and chosen for the session the poster can be con-
sidered a presentation and included as such on a CV. We do not think
it qualifies as a publication.

5. The 200-word abstract of your conference presentation appears in the

glossy conference program. Is this a publication? And if so, how will you
cite it?
No, it is not a publication. Only the conference presentation should
be part of a CV.

6. A 500-word report of the research you presented at a conference appears

in the New York Times. How will you deal with this, if at all?
This one is hard for us to judge, but we lean toward including it and so
do our students since the New York Times is read nationally and often
covers research of broad importance and public interest. The report per-
haps could be added under a category entitled Special Recognition or
maybe Miscellaneous. However, neither John nor Chris would include
this on their own CVs, instead saving this and other similar interesting
developments for conversation with friends and colleagues.

7. A student reporter from the university newspaper visits the lab where you
work and discusses in some detail the work that you have been doing.
Would you include this? If so, how?
We would not recommend including this since the newspaper is local
and not all that important outside the university.

8. You translate one of your published papers into your own language for a
journal in your home country. In so doing, you make a few small changes
to make it more accessible for the local readership. Is this a separate pub-
lication? What advice would you offer here?
We do not consider this to be a separate publication since the content
is nearly identical to the original. However, it makes sense to us to add
a reference to the translation in parentheses next to the original ver-
sion. For example, this parenthetical could look something like this:
(Revised Japanese language version appeared in NAME of JOURNAL
in YEAR of PUBLICATION).
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
68 O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA

External Job Applications

Any of the ten items on page 90 of the main volume could be included in an
application for an assistant professor position. However, Item 3, the short,
half-page cover letter, is not something we frequently see. Most of our stu-
dents have cover letters that are closer to two pages. Of importance here is
that the applicant read the job posting carefully and send everything that is
requested.
Although our students find it very helpful to see how Sandra Pomona
crafted the cover letter to accompany her job application, they do express
some concern about the length, wondering whether there is too much detail.
We see their point since much of the information in the letter would likely
be available in other documents. Nevertheless, this is what Sandra wrote and
it did result in a successful interview.

Task Thirty-Nine 

If relevant, write an application letter for a position that you are or might later
be interested in. If this is not relevant, give Sandra some advice about her use of
the letter for other job applications.

Here is a response written by our assistant, Vera.

Hi Sandra,
I think your letter has lots of information that should be kept, but, of
course, the focus now should be on your research. I would move the
fourth paragraph to the front and expand it (or even turn it into several)
in order to talk about your research in detail. I think you have to describe
exactly your dissertation research and what other interests or research
trends you are pursuing. Also, you mention in your letter that you started
to publish your research—be more specific about that; tell them what
publications you have in press (if you have any) and what has already
been published. What might be very important with respect to research is
to show how this postdoc position at the Institute would propel your fur-
ther research—is there anything that you know about their resources or
people who work there?

Also, if you want to keep information about your teaching, I would

present it in a way that shows how your research interests are applicable
to today’s higher education and how your experience during this post-
doc position would inform not only your research but also your future
teaching.
I hope this helps. Let me know if I could be more helpful.
Vera

We think Vera has given some very good advice. The take-home message
here is that it is likely that a new letter will need to be drafted for each
application. As we can see from Vera’s response, it is important to tailor
the content of the letter to the position and the institution to demon-
strate a good fit.

Task Forty 

Read these short paragraph-length extracts from Statements of Teaching Philoso-
phy, and then consider these two questions.

1. In which of the six categories would you place each extract?

2. If you were chair of the search committee in your current institution,

would you rate each extract as (a) very impressive (just what you are look-
ing for); (b) adequate, but not very attention-getting; or (c) really very
ordinary?
Extract A seems to fit two categories. It falls within Number 1 because it
describes the circumstances in which students would be most interested
in the material. It also is consistent with Number 3 since it paints the
ultimate learning goal for students—to be able to learn something appli-
cable in their future professions.
We would rate the extract as adequate since it seems a little too general,
given the focus on the beliefs of the author and the lack of any practical
examples that would show that this instructor does implement his or her
beliefs into teaching practice. Of course, as with the other extracts, this
extract is presented without a context, which likely affects our reading.
Extract B seems to be a good candidate for Category Number 2 since
it describes instructional strategies and methods that could facilitate

student learning. This kind of reflection is possible when one has some
teaching experience.
We give this a rating of very impressive. We like how the author man-
ages in one paragraph to talk about teaching as an active dialogue, the ori-
gins of this belief, namely, the author’s teaching experience, and the
enactment of this belief in teaching.
Extract C falls into Category 4. It is readable, but seems to go around
in circles, the main point being research and teaching are connected.
While this is a reasonable point to make, it should be supported with
something more concrete.
We would rate this as rather ordinary. The main point does not neces-
sarily seem to be based on teaching experience. On the contrary, it could
have pulled from course readings or lectures. As such, it is not likely to
make a strong positive impression on readers.
Extract D has elements of Categories 3 and 4. The author indicates
that he or she has some teaching experience and gained some insight as a
result and will implement some new teaching strategies in the future.
Specifically, the author will try to be more focused on implementing
teaching methods that address different kinds of learners.
The extract is adequate, but nothing all too memorable, with the
exception of the bolted-down seats. This paragraph seems to develop an
earlier point in the teaching philosophy, thus showing a logical connec-
tion between the parts of the text as well as movement forward. As
already mentioned, the extract suggests that the author has teaching expe-
rience and has thought about teaching techniques. However, the writer
does not come across as very creative in the final sentence.
Extract E nicely falls under Category 3. The excerpt creates a larger
framework for teaching and learning as an activity. In doing so, it defines
the ultimate goals of the teaching process.
We rate this extract as very impressive. The strong opening sentence sets
the tone for the paragraph and sets up the repeated as-phrases. This para-
graph shows that the author thought deeply about teaching and the con-
nection between the teachers and the learner. The author considers not
only the goals of the learning process, but also the practical side of being
in the classroom and having tools to manage the participants in this
learning process. Despite the lack of concrete examples, it very much
© The University of Michigan Press, 2011
Navigating Academia: Writing Supporting Genres
John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=3073304
Michigan ELT, 2011
O NLINE C OMMENTARY FOR N AVIGATING A CADEMIA 71

seems that the teaching philosophy has emerged from experience. As

readers, we could also expect these views on teaching to be developed
later in the text, perhaps through the use of examples.
To fully exploit the extracts, students can be given this additional task.
You are a member of a search committee looking for an assistant pro-
fessor for a new interdisciplinary program. Which of the extracts would
seem most attractive to a search committee at a major research university?
Which would appeal most strongly to a university focused more on teach-
ing rather than research?

Our Responses
Vera chose Extract C as the one that would appeal to a research university.
Although we did rate it as rather ordinary, she thinks the strong connec-
tion between research and teaching may be consistent with the interests
of a research university. Chris, on the other hand, thinks that Extract E
may be the one that those at a research university would like since it sug-
gests the author has experience, is strongly committed to teaching beliefs,
and took a bit of a risk with the strong opening statement. There may be
an interesting scholar behind the text.
For a teaching university, Vera leans toward A, since for smaller teach-
ing universities, the real-world application of knowledge is an important
issue. However, Extracts B and E reveal a good teacher who thinks a lot
about teaching. John and Chris agree that Extracts B and E suggest a per-
son who might be a good fit with a university that more strongly empha-
sizes teaching than research.

Quality Assurance in Translation
No ratings yet
Quality Assurance in Translation
150 pages
Handbook of Second and Foreign Language Writing: Rosa M. Manchón and Paul Kei Matsuda
No ratings yet
Handbook of Second and Foreign Language Writing: Rosa M. Manchón and Paul Kei Matsuda
670 pages
Your Academic Writing Trouble (And How To Fix It)
No ratings yet
Your Academic Writing Trouble (And How To Fix It)
52 pages
253. Giáo Trình Tiếng Anh Chuyên Ngành Điện - Điện Tử
No ratings yet
253. Giáo Trình Tiếng Anh Chuyên Ngành Điện - Điện Tử
165 pages
Tesis de Maestría, Milton Armando Núñez
No ratings yet
Tesis de Maestría, Milton Armando Núñez
150 pages
Gender and Criminality in Bangla Crime Narratives - Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
No ratings yet
Gender and Criminality in Bangla Crime Narratives - Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
252 pages
The One Big Beautiful Bill Section by Section
100% (1)
The One Big Beautiful Bill Section by Section
47 pages
Academic Words Booklet - Chapter 3
No ratings yet
Academic Words Booklet - Chapter 3
31 pages
Real Test Bank Theatre Brief Loose Leaf 11th Edition Robert Cohen Donovan Sherman ISBN10 125944001X ISBN13 9781259440014 Digital Bundle
No ratings yet
Real Test Bank Theatre Brief Loose Leaf 11th Edition Robert Cohen Donovan Sherman ISBN10 125944001X ISBN13 9781259440014 Digital Bundle
330 pages
Sex Differences in Cognitive Abilities, 4th Ed (Diane F. Halpern)
No ratings yet
Sex Differences in Cognitive Abilities, 4th Ed (Diane F. Halpern)
481 pages
Academic Writing - Background To Writing & Critical Reading
No ratings yet
Academic Writing - Background To Writing & Critical Reading
18 pages
C.A. Breckenridge - The Aesthetics and Politics of Colonial Collecting - India at World Fairs (1989)
No ratings yet
C.A. Breckenridge - The Aesthetics and Politics of Colonial Collecting - India at World Fairs (1989)
23 pages
NLP Students Manual
No ratings yet
NLP Students Manual
42 pages
How To Write A Research Paper in 9 Steps
No ratings yet
How To Write A Research Paper in 9 Steps
10 pages
Academic Writing
No ratings yet
Academic Writing
14 pages
Exercise - Sentence Variety. Accessible
No ratings yet
Exercise - Sentence Variety. Accessible
7 pages
SY 2024 2025 OPCR of School Heads With WFP
No ratings yet
SY 2024 2025 OPCR of School Heads With WFP
77 pages
Module 2
No ratings yet
Module 2
9 pages
Violin Homework Sheets
50% (2)
Violin Homework Sheets
5 pages
Academic Writing 1 Outline - Semester 1 2022 - 2023
No ratings yet
Academic Writing 1 Outline - Semester 1 2022 - 2023
11 pages
Midterm 2 Practice Test 1
No ratings yet
Midterm 2 Practice Test 1
8 pages
Sanskrit Research Journals
100% (1)
Sanskrit Research Journals
13 pages
Timeline of Steve Jobs Life and Career
No ratings yet
Timeline of Steve Jobs Life and Career
1 page
JVVD Universities
No ratings yet
JVVD Universities
6 pages
Sociolinguistics
50% (2)
Sociolinguistics
37 pages
Successful Writing - Intermediate SB Selected
No ratings yet
Successful Writing - Intermediate SB Selected
28 pages
TranslatoLogicaVol2 2018a
No ratings yet
TranslatoLogicaVol2 2018a
179 pages
Argumentative Essay Example
No ratings yet
Argumentative Essay Example
1 page
New PreIntermedie English
No ratings yet
New PreIntermedie English
170 pages
B2 W9 - Lesson 3 - Poster Presentation
No ratings yet
B2 W9 - Lesson 3 - Poster Presentation
23 pages
Testing
No ratings yet
Testing
66 pages
How Phones Are Designed To Addict V5
No ratings yet
How Phones Are Designed To Addict V5
5 pages
English Conversation I PDF
No ratings yet
English Conversation I PDF
33 pages
Unseen P Unseen P Unseen P Unseen P Unseen Passages Assages Assages Assages Assages
No ratings yet
Unseen P Unseen P Unseen P Unseen P Unseen Passages Assages Assages Assages Assages
94 pages
ENGLISH and MAPEH V - Week 3 and 4
No ratings yet
ENGLISH and MAPEH V - Week 3 and 4
19 pages
Ba English
No ratings yet
Ba English
15 pages
ICSSR Sponsored Ten Days Research Methodology Course For M.Phil - Ph.D. - PDF Scholars
No ratings yet
ICSSR Sponsored Ten Days Research Methodology Course For M.Phil - Ph.D. - PDF Scholars
8 pages
Hedging Use of Cautious Language TASKS
No ratings yet
Hedging Use of Cautious Language TASKS
6 pages
Writing Book Reviews
No ratings yet
Writing Book Reviews
2 pages
Latin Suffixes Definition(s) Example(s) : Latin Word Elements in English Edition-01
No ratings yet
Latin Suffixes Definition(s) Example(s) : Latin Word Elements in English Edition-01
3 pages
"Homeless": An Exploration of The Author's Viewpoint
No ratings yet
"Homeless": An Exploration of The Author's Viewpoint
24 pages
English Language Revision Booklet v2 PDF
No ratings yet
English Language Revision Booklet v2 PDF
28 pages
Future Demand For English in Europe 2025 and Beyond British Council 2018
No ratings yet
Future Demand For English in Europe 2025 and Beyond British Council 2018
86 pages
The Complex Nature of Autonomy
No ratings yet
The Complex Nature of Autonomy
28 pages
Practice Test 71
No ratings yet
Practice Test 71
8 pages
Tips For IELTS
No ratings yet
Tips For IELTS
33 pages
An Inquiry by Email
100% (1)
An Inquiry by Email
4 pages
Courseguide Language and Media
No ratings yet
Courseguide Language and Media
12 pages
SEC CPC Training - Coaching in Organizations
No ratings yet
SEC CPC Training - Coaching in Organizations
78 pages
47 Phạm Việt Anh NNVH
No ratings yet
47 Phạm Việt Anh NNVH
10 pages
Informational Text q2w1
No ratings yet
Informational Text q2w1
12 pages
International-Students-Application-For-Admission-And-Scholarships Murdoch Uni
No ratings yet
International-Students-Application-For-Admission-And-Scholarships Murdoch Uni
9 pages
NSERC Tips To Writing The Outline of Proposed Research
No ratings yet
NSERC Tips To Writing The Outline of Proposed Research
3 pages
Analyzing The Role of Social Media in The Development of English Vocabulary at University Level For Foreign Language Learners
No ratings yet
Analyzing The Role of Social Media in The Development of English Vocabulary at University Level For Foreign Language Learners
10 pages
Lesson 2 Preoccupations in Quantitative Research
0% (1)
Lesson 2 Preoccupations in Quantitative Research
5 pages
MANEB Brochure
No ratings yet
MANEB Brochure
2 pages
Change The Sentences Into Passive Form: Soal Latihan Active - Passive Voice Pilihan Ganda
No ratings yet
Change The Sentences Into Passive Form: Soal Latihan Active - Passive Voice Pilihan Ganda
9 pages
Telling A Research Story Writing A Literature Review
100% (1)
Telling A Research Story Writing A Literature Review
38 pages
S5 T2 Writing Exam - Sample Writing PDF
No ratings yet
S5 T2 Writing Exam - Sample Writing PDF
9 pages
Feminists and Science Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India 1st Edition Sumi Krishna (Editor) PDF Download
No ratings yet
Feminists and Science Critiques and Changing Perspectives in India 1st Edition Sumi Krishna (Editor) PDF Download
52 pages
Chanon Adsanatham: Academic Appointments
No ratings yet
Chanon Adsanatham: Academic Appointments
8 pages
Starting Strong - Direct Instruction
No ratings yet
Starting Strong - Direct Instruction
6 pages
June 2016 Question Paper 31
No ratings yet
June 2016 Question Paper 31
8 pages
Collins Get Ready For IELTS Student's Book
No ratings yet
Collins Get Ready For IELTS Student's Book
2 pages
Aims and Objectives - This Research Program Has Two Broad Aims: (1) To Further Develop Preliminary
No ratings yet
Aims and Objectives - This Research Program Has Two Broad Aims: (1) To Further Develop Preliminary
4 pages
Appendix 1: SAGE Harvard Reference Style: General
No ratings yet
Appendix 1: SAGE Harvard Reference Style: General
5 pages
Objective Advanced Unit 13
No ratings yet
Objective Advanced Unit 13
4 pages
Mary Harper Eim 551 Lesson Plan Updated
No ratings yet
Mary Harper Eim 551 Lesson Plan Updated
3 pages
Academic Writing Guide
No ratings yet
Academic Writing Guide
5 pages
12th ENGLISH
No ratings yet
12th ENGLISH
7 pages
Directions: Your Essay Will Be Graded Based On This Rubric. Consequently, Use This Rubric As A Guide When
No ratings yet
Directions: Your Essay Will Be Graded Based On This Rubric. Consequently, Use This Rubric As A Guide When
1 page
P24 2013-12-11 My Glacier Cave Discoveries - Eddy Cartaya
No ratings yet
P24 2013-12-11 My Glacier Cave Discoveries - Eddy Cartaya
2 pages
Snow and Ice
No ratings yet
Snow and Ice
4 pages
Career Day Is Typically Designed To Help Senior High Students Decide What To Study in College For We Believe That
No ratings yet
Career Day Is Typically Designed To Help Senior High Students Decide What To Study in College For We Believe That
2 pages
Shalu Application
No ratings yet
Shalu Application
7 pages
Resume Paul Reyburn English
No ratings yet
Resume Paul Reyburn English
1 page
Why Economics Is Boring
No ratings yet
Why Economics Is Boring
5 pages
The Effect of Gender Stereotypes On Expl
No ratings yet
The Effect of Gender Stereotypes On Expl
22 pages
Appendices Portfolio
No ratings yet
Appendices Portfolio
30 pages
Understand Research
No ratings yet
Understand Research
6 pages
Scrum Roles & Principles: Team - 4
No ratings yet
Scrum Roles & Principles: Team - 4
27 pages
Ausc Regional Strategy 2021 - 2027
No ratings yet
Ausc Regional Strategy 2021 - 2027
19 pages
Exploring Midwifery Students' Experiences & Perceptions of Preceptorship Project
No ratings yet
Exploring Midwifery Students' Experiences & Perceptions of Preceptorship Project
9 pages
ENMA604 Deliverable 1 Marina Barth
No ratings yet
ENMA604 Deliverable 1 Marina Barth
5 pages
Bahasa Inggeris Year 2: Week Date DAY Time
No ratings yet
Bahasa Inggeris Year 2: Week Date DAY Time
2 pages
P17 2013-11-13 The Chemical Reaction That Feeds The World - Daniel D. Dulek
No ratings yet
P17 2013-11-13 The Chemical Reaction That Feeds The World - Daniel D. Dulek
2 pages
P2 2013-10-03 Why Extremophiles Bode Well For Life Beyond Earth - Louisa Preston
No ratings yet
P2 2013-10-03 Why Extremophiles Bode Well For Life Beyond Earth - Louisa Preston
1 page
P43 2014-01-31 Pixar - The Math Behind The Movies - Tony DeRose
No ratings yet
P43 2014-01-31 Pixar - The Math Behind The Movies - Tony DeRose
2 pages
Ankit Singh: Intern
No ratings yet
Ankit Singh: Intern
3 pages
Ethnographic Research Proposal Final Draft
No ratings yet
Ethnographic Research Proposal Final Draft
3 pages
The Lumads of Mindanao and The IP in The Philippines
No ratings yet
The Lumads of Mindanao and The IP in The Philippines
1 page
Bus 139: Entrepreneurship I: Course Description
No ratings yet
Bus 139: Entrepreneurship I: Course Description
2 pages
Health Symposium Meeting 1
No ratings yet
Health Symposium Meeting 1
4 pages
Pathways Through Academia
From Everand
Pathways Through Academia
Steven M. Cahn
No ratings yet
Working with Faculty Writers
From Everand
Working with Faculty Writers
Anne Ellen Geller
No ratings yet