AcademicWriting forGraduateStudentsESSENTIAL TASKS AND SKILLS

3RDEDITION

John M. Swales &Christine B. Feak

-UIA MICHIGAN SERIES IN ENGLlSH FOR=pu. ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

The University of Michigan PressAnn Arbor

Contents

Introduction to the Third Edition Vll

UNIT ONE: An Approach to Academic Writing 1

Audience 4Purpose and Strategy 6Organization 8Style 14

Language Focus: The Vocabulary Shift-Verbs 17Language Foeus: The Voeabulary Shift-Nouns and 20

Other Parts of SpeechLanguage Foeus: Other Srylistic Features 22

Flow 30Language Foeus: Linking Words and Phrases 37Presentation 48

Positioning 53

UNIT TWO: General-Specific and Specific-General Texts 55

Opening with General Statements 61Opening wich Statistics 64Opening with Definitions 65Writing aDefinition 65Some Comrnon Ways ro Define in Academic Writing 67

Language Foeus: Verbs in Defining and Naming 68A Brief Look at the Elements of Formal Sentenee Definitions 71Extended Definitions 74Variations in Definitions 84

Discussions of Schools ofThought 89Specific-to-General Organization 92

UI\lIT THREE: Problem, Process, and Solution 100The Structure of Problem-Solution Texts 101Language Foeus: Mid-Position Adverbs 105

Proeedures and Processes 108Language Foeus: -ingClauses to Indicate Cause and Effect 115Language Foeus: PassiveVoice 119Flow ofIdeas in a Proeess Description 125

IV

Language Foeus: Indireet QuestionsIntrodueing the Solution

CONTENTS

133137

UNIT FOUR: Data Commentary 139Srrength of Claim 139Strucrure of Data Commenrary 144Location Elements and Summaries 147Language Foeus: Verbs in Indicative and Informative 149

Location Statements

Language Focus: Linking asClauses 152, Highlighting Statements 156

Language Foeus: An Introducnon to Qualifications and 156Strength of Claim

Language Foeus: Speei6e Ways of Moderating or QualifYing 159a Claim

Organization 165Language Foeus: Comparisons 167

Concluding a Commentary 172Language Foeus: Dealing with Unexpeeted Outcomes or "Problems" 174Dealing with Graphs 177Dealing with Chronologieal Data 181Language Foeus: Preposirions ofTime 183

UI\lIT FIVE: Writing Summaries 188

Considerations before Writing a Summary 189Some Notes on Plagiarism 196Paraphrasing 202Careful Use of Synonyms 206

Language Foeus: Identifying the Souree 211Language Foeus: Summary Reminder Phrases 216Syntheses of More than One Souree 220Language Foeus: Showing Similarities and Differenees 225

UNIT SIX: Writing Critiques 228

Book Reviews 230Language Foeus: Srating Opinions 239Language Foeus: Evaluative Language 242Evaluating a Published Article 248

Language Foeus: Unreal Conditionals 260Language Foeus: Evaluative Language Revisited 262

CONTENTS v

Critical Reading 265Language Focus: Beginning the Critique 268Language Focus: Inversions 269Reaction Papers 270Language Focus: Non-Standard Quotation Marks (Scare Quotes) 274A FewThoughts on Manuscript Reviews for a Journal 276

UNIT SEVEN: Constructing a Research Paper I 277Types of Journal Publication 278ShoreCommunications (SCs) in Disciplines that Repore Fieldwork 280Longer Research Papers 284Methods Seceions 289Language Focus: Linking Phrases in Methods Seetions 301Results Sections 305Language Focus: Another Look at Location Statements 309Language Focus: Special Verb Agreements 314Language Focus: Making Comparisons 316

UNIT EICHT: Constructing a Research Paper 11 327Introducrions 327Creating a Research Space 331Language Focus: Citation and Tense 344Language Focus: Negative Openings in Move 2 350Language Focus: Purpose Statements and Tense 356Discussion Sections 363Language Focus: Levels of Generalization 371Language Focus: Expressions of Limitation 372Unfinished Business 378

Appendixes 390Appendix One: The Grammar of Definitions 390Appendix Two: Artides in Academic Wrieing 395Appendix Three: Academic English and Latin Phrases 403

References 407

Index 415