ASSIGNMENT LECTURE 11
ACADEMIC WRITING EXERCISE
Abstract Literature review Conclusion
List of contents Case study Acknowledgements
List of tables Findings References
Introduction Discussion appendices
Find the words in the lists above that match the following definitions:
(a) A short summary that explains the paper’s purpose and main findings.
(b) A list of all the sources the writer has mentioned in the text.
(c) A section, at the end, where additional information is included.
(d) A short section where people who have helped the writer are thanked.
(e) Part of the main body in which the views of other writers on the topic are discussed.
(f) A section where one particular example is described in detail.
Study this example:
Citizenship Norms and the Expansion of Political Participation
Russell J. Dalton
A growing chorus of scholars laments the decline of political participation in America, and the negative
implications of this trend for American democracy. This article questions this position – arguing that
previous studies misdiagnosed the sources of political change and the consequences of changing norms
of citizenship for Americans’ political engagement.
Citizenship norms are shifting from a pattern of duty-based citizenship to engaged citizenship. Using data
from the 2005 ‘Citizenship, Involvement, Democracy’ survey of the Center for Democracy and Civil
Society (CDACS) I describe these two faces of citizenship, and trace their impact on political participation.
Rather than the erosion of participation, this norm shift is altering and expanding the patterns of political
participation in America.
(Dalton, R. J. (2008) Political Studies 56 (1): 76–98)
Abstracts normally have a standard structure:
(a) Background
(b) Aim and thesis of paper
(c) Method of research
(d) Results of research
Underline and label these components (a–d) in the abstract above.
(a) Between 1830 and 1850 there was very rapid development in railway construction worldwide. Two
periods of especially feverish growth were 1835–1837 and 1844–1847. It is hard to understand the
reason for this intense activity, since railways were not particularly profitable investments and some
produced no return at all (Hobsbawm, 1995: 45).
(b) There were only a few dozen miles of railways in 1830, including the Liverpool to Manchester line. But
by 1840 there were over 4,500 miles and over 23,500 by 1850. Most of them were built in large part
with British capital, British iron, machines and know-how, and most of them were projected in a few
bursts of speculative frenzy known as the ‘railway manias’ of 1835–1837 and especially in 1844–1847.
Because most yielded quite modest profits and many none at all these investment booms appear
irrational. In fact few railways were much more profitable to the investor than other forms of enterprise
(Hobsbawm, 1995: 45).
(c) As Hobsbawm (1995) argues, nineteenth century railway mania was partly irrational: ‘because in fact
few railways were much more profitable to the investor than other forms of enterprise, most yielded
quite modest profits and many none at all: in 1855 the average interest on capital sunk in the British
railways was a mere 3.7 per cent’ (Hobsbawm, 1995: 45).
(d) Globally, railway networks increased dramatically from 1830 to 1850; the majority in short periods of
‘mania’ (1835–1837 and 1844–1847). British technology and capital were responsible for much of this
growth, yet the returns on the investment were hardly any better than comparable business
opportunities (Hobsbawm, 1895: 45).
(e) The dramatic growth of railways between 1830 and 1850 was largely achieved using British
technology. However, it has been claimed that much of this development was irrational because few
railways were much more profitable to the investor than other forms of enterprise; most yielded quite
modest profits and many none at all.
Plagiarized or acceptable? reason
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Read the following paragraph, about the growing market for products designed for older people, and
underline two key points. Then choose a title for the paragraph.
Title:
The generation born after the Second World War, sometimes called the baby boomers, are now reaching
retirement age, and businesses are starting to realize that they are a wealthier market than any previous
retirement group. Financial products, travel and medicines are well-established industries that interest the
over-60s, but others are now focusing on this age group. Volkswagen, for instance, has produced a car
with raised seats and more interior space to appeal to their tastes. In Japan, with its ageing population,
companies have more experience of selling to the retired, and have been successful with unusual
products
such as a robotic seal, which serves as a pet substitute for the lonely. There are, however, certain
difficulties in selling to this market. Some customers resent being addressed as ‘old’ since they see
themselves as more youthful, while there is a huge variation in the profile of the baby boomers, ranging
from healthy and active to the bed-ridden and infirm.
Read the following text and the summaries that follow. Which is best? Give reasons.
MECHANICAL PICKERS
Although harvesting cereal crops such as wheat and barley has been done for many years by large
machines known as combine harvesters, mechanizing the picking of fruit crops such as tomatoes or
apples has proved more difficult. Farmers have generally relied on human labor to harvest these, but in
wealthy countries it has become increasingly difficult to find people willing to work for the wages farmers
are able to pay. This is partly because the demand for labor is seasonal, usually in the autumn, and also
because the work is hard. As a result, in areas such as California part of the fruit harvest is often unpicked
and left to rot. There are several obvious reasons why developing mechanical pickers is challenging. Fruit
such as grapes or strawberries comes in a variety of shapes and does not always ripen at the same time.
Outdoors, the ground conditions can vary from dry to muddy, and wind may move branches around.
Clearly each crop requires its own solution: machines may be towed through orchards by tractors or move
around by themselves, using sensors to detect the ripest fruit. This new generation of fruit harvesters is
possible due to advances in computing power and sensing ability. Such devices will inevitably be
expensive, but will save farmers from the difficulty of managing a labor force. In addition, the more
intelligent pickers should be able to develop a database of information on the health of each individual
plant, enabling the grower to provide it with fertilizer and water to maintain its maximum productivity.
(a) Fruit crops have usually been picked by hand, as it is difficult to mechanize the process. But in rich
countries it has become hard to find affordable pickers at the right time, so fruit is often wasted.
Therefore, intelligent machines have been developed that can overcome the technical problems
involved, and also provide farmers with useful data about the plants.
(b) Developing machines that can pick fruit such as tomatoes or apples is a challenging task, due to the
complexity of locating ripe fruit in an unpredictable outdoor environment, where difficult conditions can
be produced by wind or water. But recent developments in computing ability mean that growers can
now automate this process, which should save them money and increase their profits.
(c) Strawberries and grapes are the kind of crops that have always been handpicked. But many farmers,
for example in California, now find it increasingly difficult to attract enough pickers when the fruit is
ripe. However, computing advances have produced a solution to this problem that will save farmers
from worrying about the pickers, and also collect vital data.
1)
2)
3)
(a) Read the following text and underline the key points.
WEALTH AND FERTILITY
For most of the past century an inverse correlation between human fertility and economic development
has been found. This means that as a country got richer, the average number of children born to each
woman got smaller. While in the poorest countries women often have eight children, the rate fell as low as
1.3 children per woman in some European countries such as Italy, which is below the replacement rate.
Such a low rate has two likely negative consequences: the population will fall in the long-term, and a
growing number of old people will have to be supported by a shrinking number of young.
But a recent study by researchers from Pennsylvania University suggests that this pattern may be
changing. They related a country’s fertility rates to its human development index (HDI), a figure with a
maximum value of 1.0 which assesses life expectancy, average income and education level. Over 20
countries now have an HDI of more than 0.9, and in a majority of these the fertility rate has started to
increase, and in some is approaching two children per woman. Although there are exceptions such as
Japan, it appears that rising levels of wealth and education eventually translate into a desire for more
children.
(b) Complete the notes of the key points below.
(i) Falling levels of fertility have generally been found
(ii) In some, number of children born
(iii) Two results: smaller populations and
(iv) Recent research claims that
(v) Comparison of HDI (human development index: life expectancy/income/
education) with fertility rate found that in most highly rated (+ 0.9) countries,
(c) Join the notes together and expand them to make the final summary. Check that the meaning is clear
and no important points have been left out. Find a suitable title.
Title:
This summary is about 35 per cent of the original length, but it could be summarized further.
Read the following text.
BRAINS AND SEX
It is widely agreed that men and women think and act in different ways. Women appear to have better
memories, better social skills and are more competent at multitasking. Men, in contrast, seem to focus
better on issues and have superior motor and spatial skills, although clearly many people are exceptions
to these patterns.
These differences have been explained as behavior adopted thousands of years ago, when the men went
hunting while the women stayed at home and cared for their children. But another approach is to see the
behavior as a result of the way our brains function.
Recent research by Ragini Verma’s team at the University of Pennsylvania has used brain scans to
compare 428 men and 521 women. They tracked the pathways of water molecules around the brain area,
and found fascinating differences.
The top half of the brain is called the cerebrum, and it is divided into a left and a right half. The left
hemisphere is thought to be the home of logic and the right is the center of intuition. Dr Verma found that
with women most of the pathways went between the two halves, while with men they stayed inside the
hemispheres. She believes that these results explain the gender differences in ability, such as women’s
social competence compared to men’s more intense focus.
Find synonyms for the words underlined. Rewrite the paragraph using these.
It is widely agreed that men and women think and act in different ways. Women appear to have
better memories, better social skills and are more competent at multi-tasking. Men, in contrast,
seem to focus better on issues and have superior motor and spatial skills, although clearly many
people are exceptions to these patterns.
Change the word class of the underlined words. Rewrite the paragraph using the changes.
These differences have been explained as behavior adopted thousands of years ago, when the
men went hunting while the women stayed at home and cared for their children. But another
approach is to see the behavior as a result of the way our brains function.
Change the word order of these sentences, rewriting the paragraph so that the meaning stays the same.
Recent research into brain functioning by Ragini Verma’s team at the University of Pennsylvania
has used brain scans to compare 428 men and 521 women. They tracked the pathways of water
molecules around the brain area, and found fascinating differences.
(a) The sentences below form the third paragraph of the same essay, but they have been mixed up. Use
the table to put them in the correct order.
(i) When this burst, millions of people lost their homes, which for many had contained their savings.
(ii) These mortgages had been developed to allow higher-risk poorer families to buy their own homes, but
this contributed to a property price bubble.
(iii) Many economists now argue that there is a maximum level of home ownership which should not be
exceeded.
(iv) All these claims were challenged by the economic crash of 2008, which was largely caused by
defaults on American sub-prime mortgages.
(v) Even households that had positive equity still felt poorer and reduced their spending.
(vi) Others were trapped in their houses by negative equity, in other words their houses were worth less
than they had paid for them.
Topic sentence All these claims were challenged by the economic crash of
2008, which was largely caused by defaults of American
sub-prime mortgages.
Definition
Result 1
Result 2
Result 3
Conclusion
(b) Underline the phrase used to link the paragraph to the previous one.
(c) Underline the words and phrases used to link the sentences together.
EVALUATE THE EXPERIENCE OF E-LEARNING FOR STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
There is a range of definitions of this term, but in this paper ‘e-learning’ refers to any type of
learning situation where content is delivered via the Internet. Learning is one of the most vital
components of the contemporary knowledge-based economy. With the development of
computing power and technology, the Internet has become an essential medium for knowledge
transfer. Various researchers (Webb and Kirstin, 2003; Honig et al., 2006) have evaluated e-
learning in a health care and business context, but little attention so far has been paid to the
reactions of students in higher education (HE) to this method of teaching. The purpose of this
study was to examine students’ experience of e-learning in an HE context.
A range of studies was first reviewed, and then a survey of 200 students was conducted to
assess their experience of e-learning. Clearly, a study of this type is inevitably restricted by
various constraints, notably the size of the student sample, and this was limited to students of
Pharmacy and Agriculture. The paper is structured as follows. The first section presents an
analysis of the relevant research, focusing on the current limited knowledge regarding the
student experience. The second part presents the methodology of the survey and an analysis of
the findings, and the final section considers the implications of the results for the delivery of e-
learning programs.
(225 words)
The following sentences form the conclusion to the essay titled ‘Evaluate the experience of e-learning for
students in higher education’, whose introduction was given above, but they have been mixed-up. Put
them into a logical order (1–5).
(a) This finding was clear, despite the agreed convenience of e-learning.
(b) Given the constraints of the small and limited sample, there is clearly room for further research in this
field.
(c) However, our survey of nearly 200 students found a strong preference for traditional classroom
teaching.
(d) But, in general, it would appear that e-learning is unlikely to be acceptable as a primary teaching
method in higher education.
(e) This study found that little relevant research on the HE student experience of e-learning has been
conducted, and the research that has been reported indicates a mixed reaction to it.
Examples of the most common types of error in student writing are shown below. In each case, underline
the error and correct it.
(i) Factual: corruption is a problem in many countries such as Africa
(ii) Word ending: she was young and innocence
(iii) Punctuation: What is the optimum size for a research team
(iv) Tense: Since 2005 there were three major earthquakes in the region
(v) Vocabulary: …… vital to the successfulness of a company operating in China
(vi) Spelling: pervious experience can sometimes give researchers ……
(vii) Singular/plural: one of the largest company in Asia
(viii) Style: …… finally, the essay will conclude with a conclusion
(ix) Missing word: an idea established by David Ricardo in nineteenth century
(x) Word order: a rule of marketing which states that consumers when go out shopping ……
