Learning Packet

for Communication for

Academic Purposes
(Comm 01 - Purposive
Communication)

Prepared by:

Rey John C. Villanueva

Hannah Danica Pastor
Mee Jay A. Domingo
Myra Eugenia S. Castillo
Lesson Communication for Academic Purposes
Title
Introduction At the end of the lesson, the students must have:
of the
Lesson and 1. explained the concept of academic writing;
Presentation 2. compared and contrasted aim and research questions; and
of 3. discussed the structure and key features of academic texts.
Outcomes
Warm-up In the online discussion forum/group chat created by your teacher, post your answers to the
Activity following questions:

1. What do you know about academic writing?

2. Why does academic writing differ from discipline to discipline?

Central Read the following notes on academic writing published by the University of Leeds:
Activities

What is academic writing?

Academic writing is clear, concise, focussed, structured and backed up by evidence. Its

purpose is to aid the reader’s understanding. It has a formal tone and style, but it is not complex

and does not require the use of long sentences and complicated vocabulary.

Each subject discipline will have certain writing conventions, vocabulary and types of

discourse that you will become familiar with over the course of your degree. However, there are

some general characteristics of academic writing that are relevant across all disciplines.

Characteristics of academic writing

Academic writing is:

1. Planned and focused: answers the question and demonstrates an understanding of the

subject;

2. Structured: is coherent, written in a logical order, and brings together related points and
material;

3. Evidenced: demonstrates knowledge of the subject area, supports opinions and

arguments with evidence, and is referenced accurately; and

4. Formal in tone and style: uses appropriate language and tenses, and is clear, concise and
balanced.
Research Paper Writing

It should be noted that a research paper is a piece of academic writing based on its author’s

original research on a particular topic, and the analysis and interpretation of the research

findings. It can be in a form of a term paper, a master’s thesis, or a doctoral dissertation.

The following are the steps in writing a research paper:

1. Choosing a topic. Choose a topic that captures your interest. Your attitude towards the

topic may determine the amount of effort and enthusiasm that you put into your research.

You can focus on a limited aspect, e.g. narrow it down from “Disease” to COVID-19.

Select a subject you can manage and avoid subjects that are too technical, learned, or

specialized. You can also avoid topics that have only a very narrow range of source

materials.

2. Find information. For general or background information, you can check out useful

URLs, general online information, and online almanacs or encyclopedias. You can use

search engines and other search tools as a starting point. Pay attention to domain name

extensions, e.g., .edu (educational institution), .gov (government), or .org (non-profit

organization). These sites represent institutions and tend to provide reliable pieces of

information. Learning how to evaluate websites critically and to search effectively

through the Internet can help you eliminate irrelevant sites and waste less of your time.

3. Writing the thesis statement. A thesis statement is the main idea or the central point of

your research paper. The arguments you provide in your paper should be based on this

central idea. Before you write a thesis statement, you should collect, organize, and

analyze materials and your ideas. It should be noted that your thesis statement is like a

declaration of your belief. There should be an introductory statement which reflects the

main problem of the study.

4. Formulation of research title. A good research title must:

a. be reflective;
 b. list key variables;

c. be written in scientific or technical style; and

d. be concise and non-repetitive.

It must answer the following questions:

WHAT question will answer THE FOLLOWING:

What are you trying to investigate?

What are you trying to find out, determine or discover?

WHO question will answer who are the respondents or subjects of the study

WHERE question will indicate the research locale, setting or the place where the

research study is conducted.

5. Writing the outline of the research paper. Outlines provide a means of organizing your

information in an hierarchical or logical order. For research papers, a formal outline can

help you keep track of large amounts of information. To create an outline:

a. Place your thesis statement at the beginning of the outline.

b. List the major points that support your thesis statement. Label them in Roman

Numerals (I, II, III, etc.).

c. List supporting ideas or arguments for each major point. Label them in capital letters

(A, B, C, etc.).

d. If applicable, continue to sub-divide each supporting idea until your outline is fully

developed. Label them 1, 2, 3, etc., and then a, b, c, etc.

For additional information aboutwriting the outline of your paper, watch this Youtube

video by clicking the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=z5fj5LJMAG8&feature=emb_logo

The Structure of Academic Texts

Most texts use the IMRD structure – the acronym for introduction, methods and

materials, results, and discussion. The aim and research questions, which are usually found after
the introduction, together with a conclusion and references, complement the strcuture (Berger,

2016)

1. Research Aim. It expresses the intention or an aspiration of the research study; it

summarizes in a single sentence what you hope to achieve at the end of a research

project. Your aim should be specific and phrased in such a way that it is possible to

identify when it has been achieved.

Example: “To examine the features of Philippine English across regions as they are

used in Philippine colleges and universities”

2. Research Questions. It formulates a research problem that you want to investigate.

The scope of the question is informed by your research aim and your research

objectives.

Example: “Is there a significant difference between and among the Englishes used by

Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, and Hiligaynon speakers?”

3. Introduction. The introduction serves the purpose of leading the reader from a general

subject area to a particular field of research. It establishes the context of the research

being conducted by summarizing the current understanding and background

information about the topic, stating the purpose of the work in the form of the

hypothesis, question, or research problem, briefly explaining your rationale,

methodological approach, highlighting the potential outcomes your study can reveal,

and describing the remaining structure of the paper.

4. Methods and Materials. The methods and materials section of the research paper

should be concise. The audience reading the paper will always want to know what

materials or methods that were used. The methods and materials may be under sub-

headings in the section or incorporated together. The main objective for these sections

is to provide specialized materials, general procedures, and methods to judge the

scientific value of the paper. The following are the various reasons why you should
 state all the materials and methods in detail:

a. it enables the readers to evaluate the appropriateness of your research

methodology;

b. it helps you prove the reliability and validity of your results; and

c. it enables other researchers to replicate your research exactly the same way you

did it.

5. Results. The results section of the research paper is where you report the findings of

your study based upon the information gathered as a result of the methodology [or

methodologies] you applied. The results section should simply state the findings,

without bias or interpretation, and arranged in a logical sequence. The results section

should always be written in the past tense. A section describing results [a.k.a.,

"findings"] is particularly necessary if your paper includes data generated from your

own research.

6. Discussion. The purpose of the discussion is to interpret and describe the significance

of your findings in light of what was already known about the research problem being

investigated, and to explain any new understanding or fresh insights about the

problem after you've taken the findings into consideration. The discussion will always

connect to the introduction by way of the research questions or hypotheses you posed

and the literature you reviewed, but it does not simply repeat or rearrange the

introduction; the discussion should always explain how your study has moved the

reader's understanding of the research problem forward from where you left them at

the end of the introduction.

a. First paragraph: Repeat the aim and give the importance of the study to the field.

For instance, you can say “This is the first study to examine the features of

Philippine English across regions.” Then, you briefly account for the most

important parts of your results, perhaps linking them to your hypothesis if you
 have one.

b. The rest of the discussion analyzes and interprets the reults. These questions can

help you.

 What do your results mean?

 How do they relate to previous research? What are the reasons for potential

differences between your study and previous research? What do potential

similarities indicate?

 How may your method have affected your results?

 What are the strengths and weaknesses of the study? How do they affect your

results?

 How are your results important to future developments? What are the

pedagogical implications, for example?

 What kind of research is needed in the field in the future, and why?

7. Conclusion. The conclusion is intended to help the reader understand why your

research should matter to them after they have finished reading the paper. A

conclusion is not merely a summary of your points or a re-statement of your research

problem but a synthesis of key points. For most essays, one well-developed paragraph

is sufficient for a conclusion, although in some cases, a two-or-three paragraph

conclusion may be required.

8. References. Indicate all cited sources of data, and use the American Psychological

Association (APA) style of documentation. For additional information about the latest

edition (7th) of APA, click the link below.

https://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa
Formats of Research or Scholarly and Professional Reports

Research/Scholarly Report (Treadwell, 2017)

Title Page

Abstract

Introduction

 Goals and Significance of Research

 Literature Review

 Aim and Research Questions and/or Hypothesis

Method and Materials

 Participants or Sampling

 Procedure Used

 Measures Used (if quantitative study)

Results

Discussion

 Analysis and Interpretation of Results

 Conclusions

 Recommendations for Future Research

References

Appendices
 Professional Report (Treadwell, 2017)
Title Page
Table of Contents (if necessary)
Executive Summary
Introduction
Body of Report
(The headings used depend on the length, purpose, and intended audience of the report.)
(A professional report may or may not contain the sections expected for a research report)
Recommendations
Appendices

Key Features of Academic Texts

Whatever format is followed for the presentation of ideas, the various academic texts are
identified through their basic features (Bullock & Weinberg, 2009).

1. Literacy Narrative (well-told story, vivid detail, clear significance)

2. Article/Book Review (a summary of text, attention to context, a clear interpretation,

support for your conclusions)

3. Research Report (a tightly focused topic, well-researched information, various

writing strategies, clear definitions, appropriate design)

4. Position Paper ( a clear and arguable position, background information, good reasons,
convincing evidence, appeals to readers, a trsutworthy tone, consideration of any
other positions)

5. Abstract (a summary of basic information, objective description, brevity)

6. Evaluation (a concise description of the subject, clearly defined criteria, a

knowldegeable discussion, a balanced and fair assessment, well-supported reasons)

7. Laboratory Report (an explicit title, abstract, purpose, methods, results and
discussion, references, appendices, appropriate format)

8. Literary Analysis (an arguable thesis, careful attention to the langauge of the text,
attention to patterns or themes, a clear interpretation)

9. Proposal (a well-defined problem, a recommended solution, a convincing argument

for your solution, possible questions, a call for action, an appropriate tone)

In the online discussion forum/group chat created by your teacher, state the similarities
(comparison) and differences (contrast) between scholarly report and professional report.
Wrap-up Answer the following questions and share your answers with your classmates through the online
Activity discussion forum/group chat created by your teacher:

1. What does the acronym IMRD stand for?

2. How does ‘aim’ differ from ‘research questions’?

3. What does ‘key features’ mean?

Assessment To ensure student comprehension of the unit, assessment tasks will be uploaded in the online
discussion forum/group chat and a long exam will be provided in the mVLE platform.