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

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

3. 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

4. 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?

5. #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

6. #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?

7. 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

8. 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 for more examples

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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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),

13. Questions?