Fundamentals-of-Reading-Academic-Texts.docx

**Fundamentals of Reading Academic Texts** **Academic text** is defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written by. experts or professionals in a given field using formal language. This means that. academic texts are based on facts with solid basis. Examples: - **Articles**- Published...

**Fundamentals of Reading Academic Texts** **Academic text** is defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written by. experts or professionals in a given field using formal language. This means that. academic texts are based on facts with solid basis. Examples: - **Articles**- Published by scholarly journals. It offers results of research and development that can either impact the academic community or provide relevance on nation-building. - **Conference Papers**- papers presented in scholastic conferences, and may be revised as articles for possible publication in scholarly journals. - **Reviews-** these provide evaluation or reviews of works published in scholarly journals. - **Theses and Dissertations-** These are personal researches written by a candidate for a college or university degree. **Reading Goals:** Before you read an academic text, ask yourself the following questions. 1\. Why am I reading this text? 2\. What pieces of information do I need? 3\. What do I want to learn? The following are some general purposes for reading an academic text. - To better understand an existing idea - To get ideas that can support a particular writing assignment - To gain more information - To identify gaps in existing studies - To connect new ideas to existing ones **Structure of Academic text** - It has a clear structure that helps the readers navigate and understand the contents of the texts easily. - It typically follows the Introduction- Body- Conclusion format and include information from credible sources, which are properly cited. **[Outline Format:]** Title: 1\. Introduction 1.1 Background of the topic 1.2 Thesis Statement 2\. Body 2.1 Main Idea 1 2.1.1 Supporting Idea 1 2.1.2 Supporting Idea 2 2.2 Main Idea 2 2.2.1 Supporting Idea 1 2.2.2 Supporting Idea 2 2.3 Main Idea 3 2.3.1 Supporting Idea 1 2.3.2 Supporting Idea 2 3\. Conclusion 3.1. Restatement of the Thesis Statement 3.2 Closing Statement 4\. References **[IMRaDf Format] (**Introduction-Method-Results and Discussion) -- format followed by academic text mostly published in scholarly journals **Title:** **1. Introduction** **1.1** Findings and recommendations of previous studies **1.2** Need to conduct study **1.3** Statement of the problem or objectives of the study **2. Methods** **2.1** Research Methods and materials of the study **2.2** Data Procedure **2.3** Data Analysis **3. Results** **3.1** Presentation of the findings of the study or answers to the research questions **4. Discussion** **4.1** Studies that either support or contradict the findings **4.2** Inferences of the authors **5. Conclusions** 5.1 Summary of the research problem 5.2 Inferences of the authors **6. References** **Content and Style of Academic Text** Academic texts include concepts and theories that are related to the discipline they explore. They usually exhibit all the properties of a well-written text such as organization, unity, coherence, and cohesion, as well as strict adherence to the rules and mechanics of language. In general, authors observe the following when writing academic texts. - They state critical questions and issues. - They provide facts and evidences from credible sources. - They use precise and accurate words for clarity while being mindful that jargon is not used excessively or inappropriately. - They avoid using colloquial expressions. - They take and objective point-of-view and avoid being personal and subjective - They list references. - They use hedging or cautious language to tone down their claims. **Types of Hedging Expressions:** 1\. Modal Auxiliary Verbs 2\. Lexical Verbs that doubt and evaluate rather than merely describe 3\. Probability adjectives 4\. Nouns 5\. Adverbs 6\. Indicators of degree, quantity, frequency, and time 7\. Introductory phrases 8\. "If" clauses 9\. Compound Hedges **Critical Reading Strategies** Reading academic texts requires focus and understanding. You have to interact with the text by questioning its assumptions, responding to its arguments, and connecting it to real0life experiences and applications. Critical or reflective reading helps you identify the key arguments presented by the author and analyse concepts presented in the text. To adopt a critical reading approach, practice the strategies to be employed during each stage of reading. **Before Reading** - Determine which type of academic text (article, review, thesis, etc.) you are reading. - Determine and establish your purpose or reading. - Identify the author's purpose for writing. - Predict or infer the main idea or argument of the text based on its title. - Identify your attitude towards the author and the text. - State what you already know and what you want to learn about the topic. - Determine the target audience. - Check the publication date for relevance. It should have been published at most five years earlier than the current year. - Check the reference list while making sure to consider the correctness of the formatting style. - Use a concept map or any appropriate graphic organizer to note your existing ideas and knowledge on the topic. **During Reading** - Annotate important parts of the text. Annotating a text can help you determine essential ideas or information, main ideas or arguments, and new information or ideas. Here are some ways to annotate a text. - Write key words or phrases on the margins in bullet form - Write a symbol on the page margin where important information is found. - Write a brief notes on the margin. - Write questions on information that you find confusing. - Write what you already know about the ideas. - Write the limitations of the author's arguments. - Write the notes on the reliability of the text. - Comment on the author's biases. - Use a concept map or any appropriate graphic organizer to note down the ideas being explained. - React on the arguments presented in the text. - Underline important words, phrases, or sentences. - Underline or circle meanings o definitions. - Mark or highlight relevant/essential parts of the text. - Use the headings and transition words to identify relationships in the text - Create a bank of unfamiliar or technical words - Use context clues to define unfamiliar or technical words. - Synthesize the author's arguments at the end of the chapter or section. - Determine the main idea of the text. - Identify the evidence or supporting arguments presented by the author and check their validity and relevance. - Identify the findings and note the appropriateness of the research method used. **After Reading** - Reflect on what you have read. - React on some parts of the text through writing. - Discuss some parts with your teacher or classmates. - Link the main idea of the text to what you already know. **Other Reading Strategies** In addition to the given strategies before, during and after reading, there are other reading strategies that you can employ to ensure critical reading not only of academic texts but also of other texts in general. **a. SQ3R Method --** Survey or Skim, Question Read, Recite (or Recall), Review. **Stage 1:** Survey - Skim the target text. - Check the headings and tables, diagrams, or figures presented in the text. - Read the first few and last sentences of the text to determine key information. - Get a feel of the text. **Stage 2:** Question - Annotate the headings with your questions. - Develop questions on the types of information you expect from the text. **Stage 3:** Read - Look for answers to your questions as you read the text. - Stop and slow down if the passage is not clear. - Make sure to proceed reading only when you already understand the previous text. **Stage 4:** Recite - Recount the main points of the text. - Recall by writing a summary or synthesis based on what you understand of the text. - Highlight or underline the important points you read. **Stage 5:** Review - After finishing the text, go back and re-read the questions you wrote and see if you can answer them; if not refresh your memory. - Evaluate what you learned to ensure that you are convinced and satisfied with the information presented in the text. **b. KWL Method --** what you **KNOW** about the topic; what you **WANT** to learn; what you **LEARNED.**