Organising Arguments in Academic Writing Research discussions 5th March 2018 Richard Watson Todd

(A)IMRD structure Argumentation crucial in Introduction (plus Literature review), Discussion and Abstract

Why focus on Introduction/Literature review?

What is the Introduction? “The main purpose of the Introduction is to provide the rationale for the paper, moving from general discussion of the topic to the particular question or hypothesis being investigated. A secondary purpose is to attract interest in the topic – and hence readers” (Swales and Feak, 1994)

What is the Introduction? “The main purpose of the Introduction is to provide the rationale for the paper, moving from general discussion of the topic to the particular question or hypothesis being investigated. A secondary purpose is to attract interest in the topic – and hence readers” (Swales and Feak, 1994)

The rationale Need to build to the rationale Don’t start “The purpose of this paper is to …” Identify a gap and justify why the gap is worth filling “There is almost no research which examines how Vietnamese students use citation in their M.A. theses.”

What is the Introduction? “The main purpose of the Introduction is to provide the rationale for the paper, moving from general discussion of the topic to the particular question or hypothesis being investigated. A secondary purpose is to attract interest in the topic – and hence readers” (Swales and Feak, 1994)

The organisation of the Introduction General patterns General to specific Familiar to unfamiliar / Known to unknown Problem to solution Chronological

The organization of the Introduction Moves in the Introduction Move 1: Establish a research territory Show the importance of the general area Introduce relevant previous research Move 2: Establish a niche Indicate a gap in previous work Move 3: Occupy the niche Outline purposes

What is the Introduction? “The main purpose of the Introduction is to provide the rationale for the paper, moving from general discussion of the topic to the particular question or hypothesis being investigated. A secondary purpose is to attract interest in the topic – and hence readers” (Swales and Feak, 1994)

Clarifying the focus The introduction (and literature review) is an argument justifying the focus (not a review of the literature) From the general patterns, the focus is specific unfamiliar / unknown the proposed solution the most recent The focus must be highlighted in the middle of the abstract

What is the Introduction? “The main purpose of the Introduction is to provide the rationale for the paper, moving from general discussion of the topic to the particular question or hypothesis being investigated. A secondary purpose is to attract interest in the topic – and hence readers” (Swales and Feak, 1994)

Catering to the audience Addressing your audience’s knowledge Who are the following addressed to? Writing is defined as “to describe or record (ideas, experiences, etc.) in a sequence of symbols”. Writing is probably the least practiced and most problematic skill for Thai students. Writing involves a complex synthesis of cognitive processes, while also accounting for social factors.

Catering to the audience Addressing your audience’s interest What are the purposes of conference abstracts? Creating a research space Impressing the conference review committee Attracting an audience for your presentation Writing a good title Which of the following do you prefer and why? Why were there so many misunderstandings? An investigation of social disconnections in dialogic interactions following microteaching When things go wrong: Feedback on teaching practice in TESOL

3 case studies of improving organisation in academic writing