Week 3 - Using Sources in Academic Writing.

Week 3 is about Using Sources in Academic Writing.

     Dr. Cecilia Wadso-Lecaros has first of all explained reading strategies for academic writing.

1] Reading strategies for academic writing

            1)   Anatomy of Text:

-       Structures

-       Related parts

-       Functions

-       Book volums

-       Introductory chapters – for arguments, structure

-       Scholarly artical

           2)   Predatory Reading:

          

         This strategy of writing is used when the reader wants to identify the central concepts and get a first overview.

          3)   Close reading:

-       Analytical level reading

-       Make notes

-       Write annotations

-       Identify Parallels

-       Presentation of arguments

-       References which have been used in the text

2] Integrating sources: positioning and stance

         Dr. Ellen Turner has introduced that how a writer can use secondary sources to support the arguments. As academic essay is not personal writing, so we have to give evidences.

Why referencing?

-      Demonstrating knowledge

-      Relating our ideas with other’s

Reliable sources:

        Which can be a reliable source? A blog? NO. Blog represents the personal views of a person though he/she is the professor at university. Here are some examples of reliable source,

-      Published sources

-      Editorial process

-      Peer review process

-      Backed up by reliable evidence

-      University library

       A reliable source cannot be a relevant source. The relevance is depended upon the subject, topic and content of the essay and its relation with the source.

Relevant source:

-      Similar to writer’s language discipline

-      Appropriate to writer’s level of writing and understanding

     After learning the techniques of using references, now the main point of learning is how to use others ides, the content of their writing. 

Use of other’s ideas:

-      Show the knowledge are

-      Present your self

-      As background section

Presentation of secondary material (sources) 
  
         When a writer uses the secondary material, there should be a proper presentation of the writer of that text. If a writer used other writer’s quotation or statement then the name of original writer should be mentioned with the name of that work in which the statement is written.

         By giving references the writer can guide the reader to the various works which supports the idea of writer. It is about positioning of oneself in the field of academics. The reference should contain title of the work, name of an author, year of publication, edition number, publisher and place of publication. The system of referencing is parenthesis or footnotes.