Ⅳ Academic Writing Skills
In this book, you will not only acquire the knowledge of academic writing, but also writing skills; you will not only practice writing individual components of a paper, but also go through the whole process of doing your own research, based on which you will be able to produce a real research paper and make an oral presentation at the end of the semester as a learning outcome. Please go to Appendix 2 (on Pages 155–156) for a suggested schedule for a short-term research.
A. Selecting a Topic
Select a topic you really like, are curious about, or are an expert on. You are like a traveler who is choosing where to go. If it is a place you like, you'll enjoy getting there. But if it turns out to be somewhere you do not like, getting there would be a misery for you. So make sure that this topic is interesting to you.
Task
The following is a list of topics that you may be interested in. Choose three topics and discuss whether they are suitable for your group project with your teammates. You can also propose your own.
B. Formulating the Focus
The generalized idea that you select as a research topic should be narrowed down and developed to a specifically defined written document and oral presentation. The topic starts where the area of specialization left off and digs deeper into those themes by refining what is known about your particular area, identifying the methods used to investigate those themes,and highlighting what remains unknown. So determiners or modifiers are usually added to the first version of the topic.
Task
Narrow down the three topics in the table on Pages 33–34 that you are most interested in by limiting them to some aspects, e.g., to a certain population,theoretical foundation or methodology.
1)____________________________________________________________________
2)_____________________________________________________________________
3)____________________________________________________________________
C. Establishing a Working Title
A working title is a title you initially think of in order to establish a focus for your research and writing. As you read and become more involved in the subject of your project, your viewpoint may change. For example, the following is James' working title and the process of refinement.
Task
The following is Eric's research topic. Fill in the blanks to show a possible process of refinement of his working title.
(1)* See Appendix 1 on Pages 143–154 for a sample research proposal.