Academic Writing for Graduate Students Instructor: Sonja Follett November 18, 2009

Questions:  What do you find difficult about Academic Writing?  What do you know about writing in your field?  What do you need to know? Please take a couple of minutes to discuss with your neighbors and then share… Source: Swales and Feak (2009) Academic Writing For Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Structure and Language in Academic Writing  Writing Introductions - the CARS Model  Writing Abstracts  Writing Resources Source: Swales and Feak (2009) Academic Writing For Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

I. The CARS Model  The Introduction section of research papers typically follows a specific pattern  This rhetorical pattern is referred to as the create-a-research- space (CARS) Model  In this model, the work of others and/or what is known about the topic is primary and your own work is secondary  This is also called a background/foreground relationship Source: Swales and Feak (2009) Academic Writing For Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

3 Moves  The CARS model has 3 rhetorical moves: Move 1: Establishing a research territory Move 2: Establishing a niche Move 3: Occupying the niche Source: Swales and Feak (2009) Academic Writing For Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

Move 1: Establishing a research territory  a. show that the general area is important, problematic, or relevant in some way (optional)  Language examples:  Recently, there has been a growing interest in…  The development of …is a classic problem in…  A central issue is…  The relationship between…and…has been investigated by many researchers Source: Swales and Feak (2009) Academic Writing For Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

Move 1: Establishing a research territory  b. introduce and review items of previous research in the area (obligatory) The literature review can be organized: 1)Beginning with established major theories then moving to theories associated with individual authors 2)In chronological order 3)According to the theories topics or findings Source: Swales and Feak (2009) Academic Writing For Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

Move 2: Establishing a niche  Indicate a gap in the previous research, or extend previous knowledge in some way (obligatory)  Language examples  However, little information…(attention, work, data, research, few studies, investigations, researchers, attempts)  The research tended to focus on…  These studies have emphasized,…as opposed to… Source: Swales and Feak (2009) Academic Writing For Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

Move 3: Occupying the niche  a. outline purposes or state the nature of present research (obligatory)  b. list research questions or hypothesis  c. announce principal findings  d. state the value of the present research  e. indicate the structure of the research paper Source: Swales and Feak (2009) Academic Writing For Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

III. Writing Resources  English Language Center (writing advisors, writing course: ELC 061)  Writing Center (UMBC library)  Graduate Student Association (writing advisor)  OWLS (Online Writing Labs – Purdue University)  Texts – “Academic Writing for Graduate Students”  Peers and Colleagues (create writing groups) Source: Swales and Feak (2009) Academic Writing For Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

Works Cited  Swales, John M. and Christine B. Feak Academic Writing for Graduate Students 2nd ed. Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press. Source: Swales and Feak (2009) Academic Writing For Graduate Students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press