Academic Reading : Towards Coherence David MacKinnon, Assistant Director UNF Writing Program & Center Fall 2017

Itinerary Making Academic Reading Easier Annotations, Summarizing, Synthesis Modelling Coherence

Functions of Reading Leisure v. Instrumental Reading How do you read for entertainment? Word for word, top to bottom, chronologically, forward, eyes only, often quickly and to fully understand and digest the content/plot. How do you read for class or research? Maybe word for word, circularly, with breaks, looking up unknown words, actively engaging text with highlighting, marginal notes, across multiple read-throughs

Features of Academic Writing AKA why you probably don’t read lit reviews at the beach Academic/scholastic writing tends to be: Mechanical Formulaic, predictable Jargon-rich Tiny-audience specific Consider purpose here. But why?

#1 Rhetorical Reading Notes Reflection How many of these questions do you already ask? Which questions position you to analyze the text? Which questions position you to synthesize from the text? Figure 1. RRN for Nutrition

#2 Box Annotations Reflection How many of these questions do you already ask? Which questions position you to analyze the text? Which questions position you to synthesize from the text?

Synthetic observation Towards Synthesis Literature reviews combine summary and synthesis Synthetic observation Tet 3 claim Text 1 claim Text 2 claim Synthesis: in academic writing, placing texts into conversation to build a new observation Compare with analysis: taking apart one text to examine its parts

Common Synthesis Patterns Addition Agreement Consequence Contradictions Examples Limitations Opposition Sequential As well as, in addition, moreover Corresponding, likewise, similarly Consequently, for that reason, therefore On one hand/on the other hand For instance, in this case, that is to say Although, even though, notwithstanding Despite, in the contrary, whereas In the meantime, since, up to the present See http://www.smart-words.org/linking-words/transition-words.html for more examples

Example Synthesis Excerpted from Morgan, L., Hampton, S., Gibbs, M., & Arendt, J. (2003). Circadian aspects of postprandial metabolism. Chronobiology international, 20(5), 799-802.

Reading and Writing Scholarship Coherence: connection and arrangement of ideas to move reader forward Cohesion: connection and arrangement of words and sentences Reading (and, in turn, Writing) Tips Underline first sentence of the paragraph Circle the subject of each sentence Underline its verb Underline the final sentence of the paragraph Ask yourself how the paragraph topic sentence relates to each subsequent sentence and its purpose

Cohesion as a Scale Subjects Achievement by merit This Ivan VI Elizabeth Succession … authority Selecting the … son Conspirators Subjects Peter Many tsars Tsarina Anna Elizabeth many aristocrats Paul I Conspirators Verbs was made resulted was defeated/ascended became Strangled Verbs terminated failed appointed defeated/ascended disputed codified strangled

Reading for Coherence Focus This subject Most nightshift workers Exceptions These Some schedules others Verbs has aroused adapt are include show Excerpted from Morgan, L., Hampton, S., Gibbs, M., & Arendt, J. (2003). Circadian aspects of postprandial metabolism. Chronobiology international, 20(5), 799-802.

Questions?