EFAPP

• Building blocks in writing


  Signify the essential components of academic texts
• Paragraphs


  A collection of sentences that deal mostly with one topic or idea at a time
• Parts of a paragraph

  • Topic sentence
  • Supporting sentences
  • Concluding and/or transitional sentences
• Topic sentence


  Presents the main point of the paragraph
• Supporting sentences


  Support the main idea of the paragraph
• Transitional sentences


  Pave the way to the next idea in the next paragraph
• Concluding sentences


  Close out the main idea by summing up the main idea
• Patterns of Development of Paragraphs

  • Illustration
  • Definition
  • Classification
  • Comparison and Contrast
  • Process
• Three-Part Essay

  Composed of three basic parts: Introduction, Body, Conclusion
• Introduction


  Starts off the essay with ideas that will be discussed in the body
• Thesis statement


  Usually found at the end of the introduction and can act as a transitional sentence for the body
• Body


  The main and most substantial part of the entire essay
• Conclusion


  Restates the thesis statement and wraps up the essay
• The conclusion should not have the exact same thesis statement as the one in the introduction; it is best to reword it in the conclusion.
• IMRaD

  Stands for Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, with a Conclusion
• Methods


  Includes explanation of how aims and research questions were fulfilled and answered, methods used to collect data, and ways to analyze the said data
• Results


  Objectively presents results from the data collected and analyzed
• Discussion


  Reminds readers of the topic of the study and analyzes and discusses presented results
• Background of the study is an imperative part of the introduction.
• Paragraph development and the three-part essay are broken into the following parts: introduction, body, and conclusion.
• The IMRaD structure is broken into the following parts: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion.
• Most forms of academic writing share common traits and basic features
• Academic disciplines


  • Have various branches
  • Have their own vocabularies
  • Have their own styles
  • Have their own modes of communication
• Branches under major academic disciplines

  • Business: accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing
  • Humanities: art, creative writing, languages, literature, music, philosophy, religion, theater
  • Natural and applied sciences: biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geology, mathematics, physics, medicine
  • Social sciences: anthropology, education, geography, history, law, political science, psychology, sociology
• Each of the disciplines and their branches have their own vocabularies, styles, and modes of communication
• Different disciplines also tend to get their data and evidence from varying research methods
• Research methods

  • Biologists perform lab experiments
  • Social scientists conduct surveys and interviews
• Sources of information relevant to different disciplines

  • Business students study resumes, memos, and product descriptions
  • Humanities students study history books, literature reviews, or journals
• What the different disciplines focus on in their academic texts are also different
• Focus of academic texts

  • Social sciences emphasize the methodology and their results or findings
  • The sciences focus on the hypothesis and if the experiment proves or disproves it
• As you encounter different articles and texts in your classes, take note of the vocabulary and jargon used in various disciplines
• Framing the topic of social media

  • Business: How can social media be used to increase the efficiency of office workers?
  • Humanities: How does social media affect the evolution of language?
  • Natural and Applied Sciences: Which programming language is best used in creating a social media website?
  • Social Sciences: How can instances of cyberbullying in social media be reduced?
• There are many differences in academic writing, from cited sources to the narrative tone or the voice used by the writer
• The disciplines are not so different in their development and purpose
• Disciplines were developed and designed to help us make sense of our world and its phenomena
• Knowledge is gained when a practitioner can build on a previously established body of work from their discipline
• Research requires you to use sources that touch on a similar topic or line of thinking that you are studying
• Pay attention to details in your different classes to see if you can find similarities and connections between them
• All disciplines already have a number of debates, studies, and the like that have been going on for years
• There are existing binary oppositions in each discipline that can help you make more sense of the different issues and topics you might encounter