Week - 2 - Structuring your text and conveying your argument

      Week 2 includes the Structuring text and conveying the arguments in essay. There were six parts of structuring process.  

     First part has been explained by Dr. Satu Mannien. She talked about argumentative writing.

1] Structuring an argument:

     First she explained what is ‘argument’? – “a heated and angry disagreement” but in academic writing it is convincing target reader and prove your point. The difference between descriptive writing and argumentative writing is that descriptive writing presents facts and argumentative writing proves the facts by claims and evidence.

The Main Claim

       The argumentative writing contains one important claim in it which is known as “Thesis statement”. It is supported by the series of sub claims, reasons and evidences.

The Counter- Claim

       Counter claim contains objections and underlying assumptions. A writer should be ready for such counter claims. It presents the writer’s knowledge of his/her topic and it shows that they have done their research well.

2] Research questions and Thesis Statements:

        Dr. Ellen Turner has explained the concept of research questions and thesis statements. She presents the difference between academic and general essays and she stated that “Academic essay deals with problems and questions”. As the writer of an academic essay writer, it is writer’s duty to identify such questions as per the understanding and need of target audience. First step is to raise a question and second step is to give a solution by the help of evidence. The questions which a writer has raised, those are Research questions.

Research Questions

- Identifies a gap between knowledge

- Leads audience to something that is ‘new’

- It should be problematic and debatable

Answers to the Research questions

- Present central idea of the essay (Thesis statement)

- It is guide of your essay to the resder

- Thesis statement is road-map, scope, purpose and direction of the essay.

3] Structuring information

      This part includes the structure of information in the essay. Dr. Ellen Turner has presented some basic steps of structuring an information which a writer has collected during the research process.

                           I.   General to specific process

- Logical way of writing

  Begin with general claim and then detailed writing with specific information

                         II.        Chronological order:

        The information should be arranged chronologically in numbers or in topic/sections with specific headings.

                        III.        Causality:

              It is the process of presenting one claim with the support of another claim.

                        IV.        Comparison and contrast :

            It is the process of differentiate one claim with the other and by comparison and contrast one claim can be proved or theses statement can be proved.

                       V.        Problem to solution process:

     It includes questions and dilemma and its answer. By this process the understanding of the reader towards the text can be increased.

               

                      VI.        Heading and Sub headings:

- Visual bookmarks

- Specific instructions

- Type of essay

- Discipline

4] Structuring the paragraphs

        Dr. Cecilia Wadso-Lecaros has explained the structure of paragraphs in academic writings. As per her the paragraph structure remains the same in all the writings.

- Paragraphs

- Each paragraph should deal with only one point

- Paragraph signals shifts from one topic to another

- Paragraph should contain one idea

- “Topic sentence” – first sentence

-      What paragraph about

-      Leads to the main point

    - Paragraph contains Controlling the idea

    - Examples and illustrations

    - Explanations

    - Definitions

    - Paragraphs and sentences should interrelated and connected with the main topic.

    - Concluding paragraph

5] IMRaD method:

         

               

This method I used for experimental papers and researches.

1) Introduction:

CARS (3) model – Creating a research space

           1.   Establish territory

                      - why this area is interesting

-      Make a claim

-      Review previous work

-      Position yourself

          2.   Establish own niche

                      -  Raise a problem

-      Indicate a gap

-      Continue to improving a writing style and methodd

          3.   Occupy your own space

                      - A statement of purpose

-      Provide outline, blueprint, abstract

-      Significant of the writing

-      Convince your reader

2) Method:

   Materials should be collected by following protocol:

     1.   What?

     2.   How?

     3.   What materials?

     4.   Problems?

STAR method -

            

MATERIALS:

- Support the claim

- Typical and representative

- Accurate and up-to-date

- Relevant to the claims

3) Results

- Present Writer’s findings

- Writer’s contribution

- What result writer wants to present and in which order?

- Use visuals: chart, table or diagram

- Comments

4) Discussion

- Discuss and interpret the findings

- Connect with previous paper

- Reset main findinds.

- 5 stages of Discussion

     i.           - Presentation of background information. 

    ii.           -- the obligatory summarizing of key results

   iii.           -  discussion of results

  iv.            - limitations of study

   v.          -  Broader implications.