Reading and Writing

• How do we characterize good writing? We consider a text well written when it is free of errors in grammar and punctuation, when it clearly conveys the purpose for writing, when it develops thoughts and arguments clearly, when it conforms to writing conventions of its discipline, and when it is at par with the level of formality required.
• Sooner or later, you will pursue a degree that requires writing tasks as course requirements. This unit provides an overview of the writing genres that you will most likely encounter in three academic disciplines, namely, the sciences, business, and humanities. Also, it includes a discussion of the American Psychological Association and Modern Language Association citation guides, which are methods to acknowledge sources properly and to avoid committing plagiarism.
• If your long-term goal is to become a doctor or a scientist, it is not enough to be knowledgeable on the subject. People in the science field also often have to write research papers, document the results of experiments, and the like.
• Warm-up! Triad Activity


  1. Form a group of three

  2. Search the library or the internet for an example of a lab report

  3. Read and examine the text

  4. Answer the questions

  5. Present your answers in front of the class
• OJHR


  What constitute a good scientific text
• Objectivity


  Science revolves around recording scientific observations. Recording observations means you must write objectively. Any written scientific content must focus on facts and must not be influenced by personal views or opinions.
• Jargon


  Technical terminology or characteristic idiom of a special activity or group
• Hypothesis


  An idea or a theory that is not yet proven, supported by concrete evidence or experiments to test its viability and efficiency
• Research


  Painstaking research is essential in writing scientific papers. You must collect quantitative information. Once you feel you have gathered enough data, you can proceed to analyzing and interpreting these data to come to a conclusion.
• Common Types of Scientific Text

  • Case study
  • Laboratory report
  • Field report
• Case study


  A careful and intensive study of a specific subject or variable in which scientists or researchers identify what leads to its success or failure
• Laboratory report


  A formal documentation of an experiment, which includes the objectives, methods, and results
• Field report


  Writing commonly done in the social sciences, aims to analyze behavior patterns manifested by the subject based on specific theories, descriptive in nature as it provides a detailed account of what the researcher has observed among the subjects and his or her analysis of the situation
• In the previous lesson, you learned about writing in the sciences. You saw how scientific text is objective, detailed, and analytic. This lesson will focus on the second discipline of this unit, which is business. The formats that you will learn in this lesson will assist you when you wish to apply for a job or when you would like to perform well in the workplace.
• Purposes of Business Writing

  • To incite action
  • To elicit responses
• Characteristics of Business Writing

  • It has a strict format
  • It is objective
  • It is formal
• Memorandum


  A form of written communication in a corporate setting, its main purpose is to inform or convey messages to concerned people or departments, it may also be used to solve problems in the business
• Memos must establish your purpose by having a clear heading. Clear headings are those that contain pertinent details such as to whom the memo is for, who sent out the memo, the date that the memo was sent out, and the subject of the memo. Memos may convey positive or negative communication.
• In the letter, an employee has been tardy many times in a month. The sender is usually a person of authority, like a human resource officer or manager, with expertise on the rules of the company. He or she is in charge of upholding the rules and making sure that every employee conforms. Also, the language used in the letter is strictly formal.
• Résumé


  A short document that shows a person's educational and professional background. It gives brief but detailed information about an applicant's employment or work history. An applicant may include a list of references or people who can tell about the applicant's character and abilities.
• Components of a Good Résumé

  • Work history
  • Educational history
  • Achievements, formal trainings attended, and organizations
  • Contact information
  • References
• When writing a résumé, you should double check the information you provide. Include your mobile number, mailing address, and e-mail address.
• A letter of request is persuasive in nature. It aims to convince a person in authority or in charge to grant permission for an action to be done or accomplished. In this letter, the requester explicitly states the purpose of the request.
• The language used in the letter is semiformal and conversational. The sender uses the first-person point of view in stating the purpose of her request.
• Humanities is a collective term for the arts, languages, and philosophies. It also involves literature, music, film, and history.
• Purposes of the Humanities

  • To mediate objects of human culture for its audience
  • To convince or persuade
• Characteristics of a Humanities-Related Text

  • It contains topics or claims that are debatable
  • It may cause counterarguments
  • It uses abstract nouns and less specific word choice
  • It may have both denotations and connotations
  • It uses first-person and/or third-person pronouns
• Common Writings in the Humanities

  • Critique
  • Review
• Critiques contain an in-depth analysis of a work or theory. They are often written by subject-matter experts also known as critics of the relevant field. The writer is usually knowledgeable of certain theories or approaches which serve as a basis of his or her review.
• Reviews may assess a particular work, such as a movie, book, or music. A review may simply convey a reviewer's opinion on the subject, which means reviews are not considered as reliable as critiques. They do not entail as much analysis as a critique.
• t the human state of mind," writes Graham. "I see this unfolding phenomenon as one of the many storm clouds hovering over a lost and dying world.
• To help people weather today's economic and cultural climate, Graham has completely revised his book "Storm Warning" which was originally written and published in 1992, in response to the fall of Communism and the Gulf War.
• This new edition of "Storm Warning" offers Graham's perspective on the post-9/11 world. "We felt that in light of recent developments since 9/11 it might be helpful to reprint the book, bringing it up to date since the turn of the century," writes Graham's son, Franklin, in the book's foreword.
• The book looks at current events and how they relate to Biblical prophecy, especially a small part of the book of Revelations. "Scripture speaks of earthquakes, wars, and rumors of wars, and warns us with urgency to prepare for the storms to come," writes Graham.
• God may bring storms, Graham posits, but He also offers shelter. "Just as a laser pen helps focus attention on vital aspects of a business presentation, in this book, I hope to use God's Word—His laser beam—to shed light on His revealed plan to save the human race from the explosive clouds rumbling through our world."
• The review is on Billy Graham's Storm Warning. It contains brief information about the book (see the first and third paragraphs) as well as several citations from the book. It merely summarizes what Billy Graham says in his book and does not include any strong opinion or counterargument that the reviewer might have. Also, it uses formal language in general.
• Cohn, Rachel, and David Levithan. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Ember-Penguin Random House, 2008.
• Periodicals


  Commonly refer to magazines, news articles, and scholarly journals
• Journals


  Cater to a specific audience
• APA format for journals

  • Indicate the author's last name and the initial of the first name. Enclose the issue date in parentheses by stating the year first followed by the month and the day. Specify the title of the article in sentence case, followed by the title of the periodical. Set the title of the periodical in italics and include the volume, issue (in parenthesis), and page range.