Transcript NS4016: Writing the Literature Critique 1

NE4016
Academic Writing 1
Íde O’Sullivan, Lawrence Cleary
Regional Writing Centre
www.ul.ie/rwc
Workshop outline
• Introduction to a literature
review/critique
• Getting started and keeping going
• Key consideration:
– The writing process
– The rhetorical situation
• Reporting the work of others
• Academic writing style
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Writing to a prompt
• “An area of Nursing and Midwifery that I
would like to research is …“
• Keep writing non-stop for 5 minutes.
• Write in sentences.
• Do not edit or censor your writing.
• Discuss what you have written in pairs.
• Joining the conversation
• Broad and narrow conversations
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Assignment
• Literature critique
– Conduct a literature critique on a chosen
area of interest relevant to nursing and
midwifery practice.
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Context
• Final Year Project: Research Proposal
– Chapter One: Introduction
– Chapter Two: Literature Review
– Chapter Three: Research Design/
Methodology
– Chapter 4: Conclusion
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Literature review: Definition
• “A literature review is an objective,
thorough summary and critical
analysis of the relevant available
research and non-research literature
on the topic being studied”.
(Hart 1998 cited in Cronin, Ryan and Coughlan 2008:38).
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Literature review: Key skills
• Choose a research topic.
• Design and develop a research
question/problem (scope).
• Undertake literature searching and
retrieval.
• Analyse, synthesis and evaluate data.
• Present a literature critique.
• Develop good writing and reporting
skills.
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Literature review: Significance
• Fundamental to the success of academic
research (Hart 1998)
• Establishes the purpose of the research
• Ensures the feasibility of the research
• Displays an understanding of the research and
its significance
– What are the main theories, concepts and ideas?
– How have they been applied?
– What has been done? What problems/questions have
been addressed?
– How have they been researched?
– What are the key issues?
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Literature review: Qualities
• Qualities of a good literature review
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Appropriate breadth and depth
Rigour and consistency
Clarity and brevity
Effective analysis and synthesis
(Hart 1998:1)
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Questions your lit review
should answer (Murray 2006: 115)
• Why is this subject important?
• Who else thinks it is important?
• Who has worked on this subject
before?
• Who has done something similar to
what I am doing?
• What can be adapted to my own
study?
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Questions your lit review
should answer (Murray 2006: 115)
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What are the gaps in the research?
Who is going to use my material?
What use will my project be?
What will my contribution be?
What specific question will I answer?
[What specific questions will my
research not be able to address?]
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Literature review
• Organising and writing the literature
review
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Key Considerations
Key stages in the process
• Pre-writing
• Drafting
• Revision
• Editing and Proofreading
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The rhetorical situation
• Occasion
• Topic
• Audience
• Purpose
• Writer
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Organising principles
• Research question
• Thesis
• Hypothesis
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Key tasks for
academic writers
• Participating in academic conversations
• Developing and advancing balanced
arguments
• Exploring your personal writing process
• Developing strategies that work for you
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Getting Started Writing
and Keeping Going
It is not too late
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Take stock of where you are now
Outline your literature critique
Make plans based on the time that is left
Organise your time accordingly
Get writing
Keep writing
Allow time for revision and to put it all
together
• Let family and friends know
• Be selfish with your time
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Where am I?
• What writing have you done for the
literature critique, and what writing do
you need to do in order to complete the
critique on time?
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Keep writing non-stop for 5 minutes.
Write in sentences.
Do not edit or censor your writing.
Private writing -- no one will read it.
Discuss what you have written in pairs.
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‘Writing in layers’
(Murray 2006: 125-27)
• Outline the structure: write your chapter
or section heading for the Literature
Review.
• Write a sentence or two on the contents
of the chapter and each section.
• List out sub-headings for each section.
• Write an introductory paragraph for each
section.
• At the top of each section, write the word
count requirement, draft number and date.
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Writing goals
Outline
Words/Timeframe
Title
Chapter 1 (title)
Section 1 (title)
Section 2 (title)
Section 3 (title)
Chapter 2 (title)
Section 1 (title)
Section 2 (title)
Section 3 (title)
Chapter 3 … … …
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Keep writing
• Where and when do you write?
• Why are you not writing?
– “I don’t feel ready to write.”
– Writers’ block
• Getting unstuck
– Writing to prompts/freewriting (write
anything)
– Set writing goals
– Write regularly
– Integrate writing into your thinking
– Break it down into a manageable process
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Keep writing
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Be patient
Be creative
Taking pleasure in writing
Be proud of your writing
Get stuck in
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Reporting the Work of
Others
Reporting the work of others
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Making use of the ideas of other people is
one of the most important aspects of
academic writing because
it shows awareness of other people’s work;
it shows that you can use their ideas and
findings;
it shows you have read and understood the
material you are reading;
it shows where your contribution fits in;
it supports the points you are making.
(Gillet 2008)
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Reporting the work of others
• We report another author’s ideas by using
paraphrase, summary, quotation and
synthesis, and we use introductory phrases
and reporting verbs to communicate our
relationship to the ideas that we are
reporting.
• Compare, for example:
– Brown (1983, p.231) claims that a far
more effective approach is ...
– Brown (1983, p.231) points out that a
far more effective approach is ...
– A far more effective approach is ...
(Brown 1983, p.231)
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Reporting the work of others
• Reporting the work of others:
– Integral
– Non-integral
• Language for reporting:
•
•
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•
•
http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm
Short quotations (quotations in text)
Long quotations (block quotations)
Omitting words […]
Using the abbreviation et al.
Secondary sources
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Paraphrasing
‘Paraphrasing is writing the ideas of
another person in your own words.
You need to change the words and
the structure but keep the meaning
the same’ (Gillet 2008).
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Paraphrasing
Example:
• Original Text:
•
 Memory is the capacity for storing and
retrieving information.
Paraphrase:
 Memory is the facility for keeping and
recovering data.
(Gillet 2008)
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Paraphrase
“…the UN Food and Agriculture
Organisation's (FAO) high-level summit
on world food security, climate change
and bio-energy… blames weather
conditions in major grain-producing
regions (mainly Australia and Canada) for
the spike in prices. It also fingers
population growth, higher oil prices,
changing dietary habits as well as demand
for bio-fuels” (Gibbons 2008).
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Changing words
The UN Food and Agriculture
Organisation's (FAO) high-level summit
on world food security, climate change
and bio-energy… implicates changing
climactic norms in agricultural centres
(chiefly Australia and Canada) for sharp
price increases. It also identifies
increases in populations, elevations in the
price of oil, modifications in what people
eat as well as an insistence a supply of
bio-fuels be made available (Gibbons
2008).
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Summary
‘A summary is a shortened version of
a text. It contains the main points in
the text and is written in your own
words. It is a mixture of reducing a
long text to a short text and
selecting relevant information. A
good summary shows that you have
understood the text’ (Gillet 2008).
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Summary
Example:
• Original text:
•
People whose professional activity lies
in the field of politics are not, on the
whole, conspicuous for their respect
for factual accuracy.
Summary:
Politicians often lie.
(Gillet 2008)
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Example:
(Meei-Fang et al. 2007, p.471)
People with dementia are particularly vulnerable to
malnutrition: they have a decreased ability to understand
directions and to express their needs verbally, are easily
distracted from eating, prone to become agitated, and may
use utensils incorrectly. Inability to feed oneself (eating
dependency) is a major risk factor for malnutrition among
older people living in long-term care settings (Abbasi &
Rudman 1994, Durnbaugh et al. 1996). When people with
dementia can no longer take food voluntarily, assistance is
required although, as the disease progresses, even taking
food with assistance can become difficult and, in some
instances, tube-feeding may be required to supply nutrition.
This form of feeding can, however, cause distress and
anxiety, not only for the person being fed, but also for
caregivers (Akerlund & Norberg 1985, Burgener & Shimer
1993).
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Peer review
• Did the writer cover the main points?
• Does the summary give a good, brief
overview of what the article is about?
• Is it written in complete sentences?
• Is it accurate?
• Was it sourced? How?
• Can you introduce your summary with
one of the phrases covered earlier?
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Synthesis
• A synthesis is a combination, usually a shortened
version, of several texts made into one. It
contains the important points in the text and is
written in your own words.
• To make a synthesis you need to find suitable
sources, and then to select the relevant parts in
those sources. You will then use your paraphrase
and summary skills to write the information in
your own words. The information from all the
sources has to fit together into one continuous
text.
(Gillet 2008)
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Quotation
• Quoting a person means writing down the
words of that person exactly as you find
them and enclosing those words between
inverted commas:
“There is no such thing as a free lunch”
(Gibbons 2008).
• The context for the quote should be part
of the introduction to the quote:
Gibbons (2008) tells us that the current
food crisis illustrates that “there is no
such thing as a free lunch”.
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Direct quotation
• The text quoted is sacrosanct.
– Do not change spelling (i.e. American to
British) or punctuation.
– Do not correct spelling and punctuation.
– Sic enclosed in square brackets, [sic], is
inserted into the quote, after the error,
to indicate to the reader that the error
was not yours.
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Academic Writing Style
Academic writing
• People always say things like “Why it’s
academic, my dear Watson”, as if to
suggest that the solution is simple.
• What makes some writing academic and
other writing…not? Is it easy to suss?
• Writing Prompt:
– What distinguishes the writing in your
discipline from other kinds of writing?
• Its purposes…
• The evidence that support its claims…
• Its features…
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Our boys may be facing real war –
and I for one am scared
By Kevin Myers
Irish Independent, Wednesday October 31 2007
Look, I'm not trying to rock the boat here, but I
can't be alone in worrying about the Army's new
mission in Chad. I don't worry about the capability of
the Army itself, for it is composed of the best
people in Ireland: I admire patriotism, and the
soldiers of the Army are true patriots who loyally
serve their country and their flag.
But who will they end up serving in Chad? Because it
seems to me that a mightily complex command-chain
is involved here. This, after all, is a UN-authorised
EU operation, under the command of our own Major
General Pat Nash. However, Pat will be based in Paris
and the French have been involved in the region for
over a century.
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Features of academic
writing
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Complexity
Formality
Precision
Objectivity
Explicitness
Accuracy
Hedging
Responsibility
(Gillet, 2008)
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Academic writing style
• Academic writing is clear, concise and
comprehensive
• Clarity of expression
– ‘Clear writing is direct, orderly, and
precise’ (Ebest et al. 1997).
– Logical method of development
– Effective transition signals
– Good signposting
– Coherent
– Consistent point of view
– Conciseness (careful word choice)
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Academic writing style
• Clarity of expression
– Avoid repetition of words
– Avoid repetition of ideas
– Delete redundant words
– Be direct: avoid using too many words
– Avoid ambiguity
– Avoid unclear pronoun reference
– Choose strong active verbs
– Use parallel constructions
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Academic writing style
• Hedge. Distinguish between absolutes
and probabilities. Absolutes are 100%
certain. Probabilities are less than
100% certain.
• Be responsible. Provide traceable
evidence and justifications for any
claims you make or any opinions you
have formed as a result of your
research.
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Persuasion and truth in
academic writing
• Because they are argumentative, academic
writing tends to be persuasive.
• An argument should be persuasive, but
don’t sacrifice truth in favour of
persuasion.
• Academic inquiry is a truth-seeking
pursuit.
• facts are distinguished from opinions.
• relative truths are distinguished from
absolute truths.
• The integrity of the conclusions reached in
an academic essay or report is based on its
honest pursuit of truth.
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Resources
• Shannon Consortium Regional Writing
Centre, UL http://www.ul.ie/rwc/
• Using English for Academic Purposes
http://www.uefap.com/index.htm
• The Writer’s Garden http://www.
cyberlyber.com/writermain.htm
• The OWL at Purdue
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
• The Writing Center at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill
http://www.unc.edu/depts
/wcweb/handouts/index.html
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Works cited
• Gibbons, J. (2008) ‘Sustainable production can end
food shortages’, The Irish Times, 05 Jun, available:
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/opinion/2008/060
5/1212602149337.html [accessed 05 June, 2008].
• Gillet, A. (2008) ‘Academic writing: Reporting paraphrase, summary & synthesis’, Using English for
Academic Purposes: A Guide for International
Students [online], available:
http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm
[accessed 05 June, 2008].
• Hart, C. (1998) Doing a Literature Review: Releasing
the Social Science Research Imagination. Los Angeles:
Sage.
• Leedy, P.D. and Ormrod, J.E. (2005) Practical
Research: Planning and Design, 8th ed. Upper Saddle
River, N.J.: Pearson
• Murray, R. (2006) How to Write a Thesis. UK: Open
University Press.
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