Academic Writing for Graduate Students ESSENTIAL TASKS AND SKILLS SECOND EDITION John M. Swales and Christine B. Feak SS[3A,_ MiciicAN sents IN ENGLISH ror SSM cence ores The University of Michigan Press Ann Arbor‘Yasuftumi Iseki for "Reducing Air Pollut Planners” {in Urban Areas: The Role of Urban -Tiyoung Lee for “Comparison of the Actual CO, Levels with the Model Predictions.” Abdul Malik for his textual outline. Pierre Martin for his textual outline. ‘Diane Martindale for “Sweating the Small Stuff” Scientific American, February 2001:52-53. Copyright © 2001 Diane Martindale, Reprinted with permission, William §, Martinus and Allen Kurta for “Eastern Pipistrelle in Ottawa Co., ML" Michigan Birds and Natural History 8, 188-35, © 2001. Reprinted with permission, ‘Mei-Lan for her interview Oxford University Press for material adapted from The birds of Egypt, edited by Steven Goodman, Peter Meininger, et al., copyright © 1989, Physical Review for “Nuclear-Structure Correction to the Lamb Shift,” by Krzysztof Pachucki, Dietrich Liebfried, and Ted W. Hansch, Physical Review A, 48, pp. 1, July 1998, Copyright © 1993. Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studios, University of Michigan, for data for table 14, Years to Doctorate for Doctoral Programs at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, for Academic Years 1996-2001." Riley Publications, Inc, for “University-Community Ageney Collaboration: ‘Human Service Agency Workers’ Views” by Mojisola F. Tiamiyu, Journal of Multicultural Nursing and Health 6, 29-36, © 2000. Reprinted with permission, Hiroe Saruya for her description of nationalism, ‘Taylor & Francis Ltd for igure adapted from “The effects of phase control ‘materials on hand skin temperature within gloves of soccer goallcopors,” by A.J. Purvis and N.T. Cable, Ergonomics, Vol. 43, No. 10, p. 1484, copyright © 2000; and for figure adapted from “Exercise and Cold” by T. D. Noakes, Ergonomics, Val. 43, No. 10, p. 1473, copyright © 2000. htep://waw:tand. cou journals ¢f/00140139.htmt. Reprinted with permission. John Wiley & Sons Limited for “Procrastinators lack a broad action perspective” from European wJournal of Personality by 8, Dewitte and W. Lens. Copyright © 2000, John Wiley & Sons Limited. Reproduced with permission. David Wilson for “Phe Englishisation of academe: a Finnish perspective,” copyright © 2002. Jyviiskyla: University Printing House. Reprinted with permission. dun Yang for “Binding Assay and Down Regulation Study” Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders for permission to reprint borrowed material. We regret any oversights that may have occurred ‘and will rectify them in future printings of this book. Contents Introduction to the Second Edition 1 Unit One: An Approach to Academic Writing 7 Audience 8 Purpose and Strategy 10 Organization 12 Style 16 Language Focus: The Voeabulary Shift 18 Language Focus: Formal Grammar Style 22 Flow 26 Language Focus: Linking Words and Phrases 27 Language Focus: this + Summary Word 32 Presentation 40 Positioning 42 Unit Two: Writing General-Specific Texts 44 General Statements 47 Definitions 49 Language Focus: The Language of Defining and Naming 51 Formal Sentence Definitions 55 ‘Language Focus: The Grammar of Definitions 57 Extended Definitions 67 ‘Competing Definitions 73 Contrastive Definitions 75 Comparative Definitions 80 Unit Three: Problem, Process, and Solution 83 ‘The Structure of Problem-Solution Texts 83 Language Focus: Midposition Adverbs 86 Procedures and Processes 88 Language Focus: Verbs and Agents in the Solution 91 Language Focus: ing Clauses of Result 102 Language Focus: Indirect Questions 107 Unit Four: Data Commentary 112 Strength of Claim 112 Structure of Data Commentary 116 Language Focus: Verbs in Indicative and Informative Summaries 119 Language Focus: Linking as-Clauses 122vill Contents Language Focus: Qualifications and Strength of Claim 125 Language Focus: Qualifying Comparisons» 132 ‘Language Focus: Dealing with “Problems” 138 Language Focus: Referring to Lines on Graphs 141 Language Focus: Propositions of'Time 145 Unit Five: Writing Summaries 147 Writing an Assignment Summary 148 Language Focus: Identifying the Source in a Summary 162 Language Focus: Nominal that-Clauses 165 Language Focus: Summary Reminder Phrases 168 Some Notes on Plagiarism 172 Comparative Summaries 174 Language Focus: Showing Similarities and Differences 177 Unit Six: Writing Critiques 180 Book Reviews 181 Language Focus: Evaluative Language 158 Evaluating an Article 190 Language Focus: Unreal Conditionals 198, Language Focus: Evaluative Language Revisited 195 Critical Reading 197 Language Focus: Beginning the Critique 207 Language Focus: Inversions (emphatic sentences) 208, Language Focus: Special Verb Agreements 209 Reaction Papers 210 Language Focus: Scare Quotes 213 ‘A Few Thoughts on Manuscript Reviews 214 Unit Seven: Constructing a Research Paper! 215 ‘Types of Serial Research Publication 215 Short Communications (SCs) 217 Longer Research Papers 220 Methods 224 Language Focus: Linking Phrases in Extended Methods 228 ‘Language Focus: Hyphens in Noun Phrases in Condensed Methods 230 Results 232 Unit Eight: Constructing a Research Paper 242 Introduction Sections 242 Creating a Research Space 243, Language Focus: Claiming Centrality 250 Reviewing the Literature 251 Language Focus: Citation and’Tense 254 ‘Move 2—Establishing a Niche 257 Language Focus: Nogative Openings in Move 2 258 Occupying the Niche 262 ‘Language Focus: Tense and Purpose Statements 263 Contents ix Discussion Sections 268 Language Focus: Levels of Generalization 274 Language Focus: Expressions of Limitation 275 Cycles of Moves 277 Unfinished Business 278 ‘Appencixes 287 ‘Appendix One: Articles in Academie Writing 289 ‘Appendix Two: Academic English and Latin Phrases 302 “Appendix Three: E-Mail 306 Appendix Four: Writing Up a Small Research Project 315 References 325 Index 327