COR 002: READING AND WRITING SKILLS

ADVISER: MS. JENNINA COLINA VILLAMOR

SAS 13-14: WRITING AN ARTICLE CRITIQUE

An article critique is a genre of academic writing that provides critical evaluation through intensive analysis of an article, which involves giving a summary of the
article. Reading an article critique helps an audience to understand the key points of the article, and the author’s ideas and intentions.

THE MAIN PURPOSES OF WRITING AN ARTICLE CRITIQUE ARE TO:

1. Describe the main ideas and what the author wants to express.
2. Analyze each important and interesting point and develop an explanation of the article
3. Interpret the author’s intention
4. Summarize and evaluate the value of an article, stating whether you agree or disagree with the author, with supporting evidence

TIPS IN WRITING AN ARTICLE CRITIQUE

- Good critique includes both positive and negative criticism for a particular work.
- Use direct quotations of the author’s work where appropriate to avoid accusations of plagiarism
- Write the critique in the third person (Example: He, She, It, They)

STEP 1: Pick an article

STEP 2: Read chosen article to understand its main ideas. Reread if not understood clearly.
STEP 3: Read the article again and make notes. Interesting sentences or paragraphs that should be discussed, must be quoted as evidence to support the discussion.
STEP 4: From the notes, analyze and discuss each important point. Can give comments and opinions on stage.
STEP 5: Summarize and provide a conclusion regarding whether you like or dislike the article. Support ideas with the evidence found.
STEP 6: Outline ideas. (Can use topic or sentence outline) (Can add sub-topics or sub sub-topics if wanted)

FOUR MAIN PARTS

I. Introduction

A. Author’s name and title of article

B. Author’s main point
C. Thesis statement that previews your analysis

II. Summary

A. Main pints of article

B. Arguments presented in the article
C. Findings of the article

III. Critique

A. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the article that was noted
B. State informed opinions about clarity, relevancy, and accuracy of the article, using specific examples from the article to support your statements

IV. Conclusion

A. Summarize key points in the article, as well key pints from your own analysis
B. Close with a comment about significance of the research or statement of future research needed in the field.

STEP 7: Outlining ideas, start writing your article

STEP 8: Included and quoted information and ideas from a book, website, or any reading material to make argument strong and valid, don’t forget to cite references
An APA in-text citation includes 3 items:

- Last name(s) of the author(s)

- Year source was published
- Page or location of the information, or full title of the source or URL or page range

SAS 15: PROPERTIES OF A WELL – WRITTEN TEXT (COHERENCE AND COHESION)

A well-written text is
 - The writer’s knowledge of the fundamental properties of grammar
- Built around effective paragraphing, on coherence and on established conventions
- The properties that show the interplay of both physical aspects of organization and deeper textual aspects
- Constitutes proper paragraphing and logical order of presentation of ideas

Property of a well-written text refers to the connection of ideas and connection between sentence and paragraphs is Coherence and Cohesion
Property of a well-written text constitutes proper paragraphing and logical order of presentation of ideas is Organization
Paragraph is a series of sentences that are organized, coherent, and are all related to a single topic.
Coherence and Cohesion make your text easier for your readers to follow and understand. Cohesion is the connection of ideas to the central concept of a text coherence
is the relationship of ideas between sentences.

3WAYS OF ORGANIZING DETAILS:

1. Chronological – details are arranged in order in which they happened.
2. Spatial – sentences of a paragraph are arranged according to geographical location, such as nearest to farthest, inside to outside, left to right, and other relating to
space.
3. Emphatic – information found in a paragraph is arranged to emphasize certain points depending on writer’s purpose. Coherence is established in 1 of 2 ways (a) from
least to most important, or (b) from most to least important.

Difference between coherence and cohesion in writing?

Cohesion is just the individual parts that are collected together and are stick together for representation. Cohesion is the attribute that is decided by the end-user or
reader which determines whether the content seems meaningful, understanding, and useful.

Should a written text be cohesive or coherent?

Coherence is an essential quality for good academic writing. The flow of ideas from one sentence to the next should be smooth and logical. Without cohesion, reader
will not understand the main points that you are trying to make.

SAS 16: PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT (APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE USE)

Appropriate Language use allows you to capture the message that you want to convey to your reader.

ELEMENTS A WRITER SHOULD CONSIDER

1. Misused Words – occurs when the word doesn’t mean what the writer thinks it does. Be certain of the definition of a word, often happens with words that
sound or look alike.
2. Words with Unwanted Connotations – words that take on a meaning specific to a context. Writer ends up suing language that is unintentionally confusing,
comical or offensive to reader.
3. Technical or Highfalutin Words – writer might want to sound smart by using words that are very technical or have deep meanings.
4. Formal-Informal Language – informal language is usually used in writing for oneself or in writing to family, friends and colleagues. Formal language used in
writing academic, business and official text
5. Direct and Simple Sentences – use direct and simple rather than complicated so readers would easily understand
6. Unbiased Language – free of racial bias, free of religious bias, and free of gender bias or any kind of biased language that can offend any individual or
particular group of people.

LANGUAGE USE TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE WRITING

1. Use clear concise sentences. On average, a sentence is 18 words long.

2. Avoid redundancies, wordiness, cliches and high fault in language.
3. Avoid excessive us of “there” and “it” structures.
4. Use precise vocabulary. Be accurate and condense lengthy phrases into fewer words.
5. Be consistent with your pronoun’s point of view.
6. Avoid sexist language
7. Use appropriate level of formality.

Appropriate language use in the properties of a well-written text? Language use is one of the clearest indicators of a well-text. Enables writers to effectively
communicate ideas without confusing readers. An effective language is: Specific, Concise, Familiar, Correct, and Appropriate Levels of language in Language use 1.

Writing text is important? It equips us with communication and thinking skills, expresses who we are as a people, makes our thinking and learning visible and
permanent, and fosters our ability to explain and refine our ideas to other and ourselves.

SAS 19: RESUME WRITING

A resume is written compilation of your education, work experience, credentials, and accomplishments. Resume comes from French means summary. Resumes are the
first thing the prospective employer sees about you.

Purpose of a resume is it is a self-advertisement that sums up your experience on one page. It gives hiring manager an overview of the qualifications you have for this
job for which you’re applying

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN A RESUME?

Personal Details – name. number, email address, and optionally relevant social media handles
Career Objective or Summary - don’t have much professional experience yet, begin your resume with a career objective, as sentence or two outlining your skills and
your work ambitions. Have experience in the workforce, might want to include short summary instead describing your experience and where you’re aiming to go next in
your career. Next, include your education or work experience, start whichever is more recent.
Education – list latest education experience includes courses or qualifications you’ve completed at university
Work Experience – list most recent job s including title of position, name and location of the company or organization and the dates you worked there. Under ach job
use bullet points to give brief overview of your responsibilities and achievements, weaving in skills you used.
HOW LONG SHOULD MY RESUME BE?
Keep resume short and to the point. Consider making your resume one or two pages if you have less than 10 years of professional experience. Senior executives or
academics may like to have resumes that are three or more pages long.

Skills and Strengths – could create headings for these topics and list information that’s relevant to the job you’re applying for. Highlight any relevant professional
memberships. According statistics, a well-crafted key skill section can boost your chances of getting a new job by 59%.
References – require references from people you know professionally who can vouch for your skills and abilities. Could include contact and company details for a
former employer, manager, or an academic advisor if they agree to be the referee. Include full name, number, and their position and company.

CONSIDER ADDING ONE OF THESE RESUMES NICE-TO-HAVES:

Certifications and licenses, awards and distinctions, volunteer work, hobbies and interests, publications, freelance work experience

WHAT TO LEAVE OUT:

No need to list every job you’ve ever heard especially a job isn’t relevant to the role you’re applying for now. Don’t include salary expectations or previous salaries
you’ve received.

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE?

Must be neat and clean. Use one or two clear fonts and use headings, bullet points and paragraphs to split up text.

- Your resume should just be 1-2 pages long

- Short bond paper
- Consistent spacing throughout, evenly sized margins, spacing should be single (1)
- Stick to easy-to-read fonts and formats (Good fonts include: Verdana, Arial, Century Gothic, Calibri)
- Font size should be 11 or 12
- Don’t overcrowd your resume
- Don’t overuse capitalization, italics, underlines, or other emphasizing features