Academic Writing at Postgraduate Level:

Introductory focus on Process, Text Types and

Communities

Jackie Tuck/Theresa Lillis October 2014

Activity-Brainstorm: 1 what is ‘academic writing’

2 what are my views about ‘academic’ writing?

From Matt Kent (postgraduate researcher at the OU)

• http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2013/apr/19/academic-writing-first-person-singular

• http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2012/jul/25/the-art-of-academic-writing

Today’s session: focus on academic writing in terms of…

process

text types

communities

Part 1: Focus on process

How do I go about writing?

drafting

reflection

supervisor review

planning

pre-writing

additional research or idea generation

editing and proofreading

revision

generating ideas, understanding the ideas of others, collecting information, note-taking, freewriting, brainstorming

organising and focusing ideas: mind mapping, clustering, listening, outline

writing initial drafts of a text focusing mainly on the development, organisation and elaboration of ideas

letting work sit, coming back to it at a later point

focusing attention on the “surface” level features of the text

further developing and clarifying ideas, the structure of the text

feedback from others

Focusing on different aspects of the writing process (see

sheet The Process Approach to Writing)

Activity- Freewriting: write 5 minutes on one idea or issue

relating to any aspect of your post grad study that is of particular interest to you

at the moment

Activity: editing and proofreading- (see page 122

Doing postgraduate research, sheet Examples of revising).

Seeking and negotiating feedback (see sheet Seeking and Negotiating

Supervisor Feedback)

My reflections and thoughts on the material on the sheet: Jackie Tuck No. 1 reflects my strategies for "getting what I need" from sups!  I've highlighted the phrases which seemed most significant in retrospect  - orienting my supervisors to what it is we're talking about, because they are busy and I am not their only concern, and it might be a while since arrangements are made..., trying to make it clear how the attached piece of writing fits in to a bigger picture... - being specific about what I feel I need from the feedback - as a way of making feedback task seem focused and doable to supervisor, and to reflect the fact that I'd thought about it...plus also a bit of face saving here! - showing appreciation of the work involved - something I'm aware of as I am also an HE teacher myself, but that it does not do any harm to be aware of - even if essentially supervisors' workload is not supposed to be the student's problem, in practice it is... 

 

 No. 2 is a simple illustration of the fact that feedback at this level is not about getting the "answers" but also about moving towards making decisions about how to address the questions that come up. You both gave different advice here which makes it particularly obvious that I could not just do as i was told - but the same applies to feedback given by one supervisor only - it is still to some extent to be taken as a proposition rather than an instruction...this excerpt also illustrates very specific in situ request for particular info - a very useful device from my point of view. This example is where the negotation comes in - making it not just a passive process but an active one... 

Acknowledging that writing is hard work ..and not panicking too

much…

…and, sometimes, experiencing satisfaction, a sense of

achievement, and pleasure that you have communicated with your

readers.

Part 2: Focus on texts types

What types of texts am I

writing?

What types of academic texts will you be producing

over the next couple of years?

Some examples…

Sections/chunks on methods, literature, theory

Conference abstracts/proposals

Summaries for web pages

Draft chapters of thesis/dissertation

Case studies

Field notes

Journal articles

Book reviews

Thesis

Blog

Article for The Conversation

Responses to reviewers

Participant recruitment contact letters/info sheets

Different conventions for different text types?

Figure 3: Core elements of a research thesis

Core elements Main functions

Introduction To establish the significance of the general research area To locate your research within the fieldTo outline the aims and the nature of your research

Literature Review To provide an overview of relevant researchTo locate your research more specifically in relation to the literatureTo set boundaries around the ‘field’ of relevant research

Methodology To provide an overview of the methodology adoptedTo justify the choice of methodology in relation to epistemological traditions and research aims

Data analysis To offer closely argued analysis of the dataTo present findings and discuss interpretations

Conclusion To summarise the research and main findingsTo locate the findings within the field as defined earlier in the thesisTo offer a critique of the research and its limitations

(see sheet Different genres for different purposes)

Draft literature review by end April….

List methods I plan to use and brief rationale—end of this week ….

Drafting some ideas about what I think I’m researching

Write abstract for conference that I want to go to in March 2015!

Write book review…find appropriate journal

Ideally….first draft of article for academic journal by October 2014

Re read my journal for this week- and underline key tasks I need to do next…

Setting some writing priorities…public and private

What are your immediate priorities for writing?

Part 3: Focus on the community/ies

What community/ies

am I writing to/for?

Writing for a number of communities…

Alicia is a Spanish post graduate student doing a PhD in a UK institution. During her period of post graduate study she has worked on projects with academics, presented papers at conferences-as well as working on her PhD research. As part of her PhD she has spent time in Spain, England and Argentina. She hopes to work as a university lecturer when she completes her thesis.

Writing as part of Alicia’s postgraduate research activity…

• Doctoral thesis (examiners –Bernstein)

• Article in English aimed at academics…

• Article in Spanish aimed at teachers..

• Grant application (with others) to national bodies in Spanish

• Grant application (with others) to international body in English

• Conference proposals in English

• Conference proposals in Spanish

• What is/are the (sub)communities that you hope to be addressing?

• What are your short term and longer term goals in reaching these communities?

Bear in mind that…• Writing is a process and involves considerable work and time• You will be expected to write according to conventions that have

become associated with different types of texts…• but some conventions are being broken• You need to find out about the particular text types conventions in

your (sub)disciplines…(also use available resources on writing)• and to think about how you want to write..

Thank you for listening and taking part….

Theresa Lillis, t.m.lillis@open.ac.uk

PACE 2014-5

• Block 1: Academic Reading and Writing

Jackie Tuck – Oct-Nov

• Block 2: Academic Reading and Writing

Jackie Tuck – Jan-Feb

• Block 3: Academic Interaction/Presentation Skills

Jenny McMullan – Feb-March

PACE Block 1Session details Topics Writing Task

Session 1 22nd October11-1Library Presentation Room

Tackling reading, academic genres, summaries, your priorities.

Summary to Jackie by October 29th

1-1 feedback slots t.b.a.

Session 2 5th November10.30 – 12.30Library Research Meeting Room

Reading and writing conference abstracts

Abstract to Jackie by November 12th1-1 feedback slots t.b.a.

Session 3 19th November10.30 – 12.30Library Research Meeting Room

The literature review: issues of design, argument and voice

Lit review (or part) to Jackie by November 26th1-1 feedback slots t.b.a.

Session 4 3rd December10.30 – 12.30CMR11

Using your networks and other issues/genres[to be agreed]

Text to Jackie by 10th Dec or negotiated.1-1 feedback slots t.b.a.