Guiyab, Nicole Jade M.
ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND
PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
Ma’am, Margery G. Valdez
LESSON 1: The Nature of Academic Texts
ACADEMIC TEXT- Academic text/writing
is clear, concise, focused, structured and backed
up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader's
understanding. It has a formal tone and style, but
it is not complex and does not require the use of
long sentences and complicated vocabulary.
*Components of Academic Texts
1. PURPOSE- “Purpose” means why you are
writing, and what effect you hope to have. The
most common purpose in academic writing is
to explain some idea or research finding and
to persuade readers that your explanation or
theory is the correct one. Most academic writing
shares certain key principles intended to help
convey information as effectively as possible.
2. WRITER AND TARGET AUDIENCE- A
“writer” of an academic text must be an expert
in a certain discipline to be certain that they will
produce a credible academic text. It is expected
that technical terms will be present in the text as
the writer is communicating more specialized
content and is expecting their readers --- other
specialists --- to share a similar level of expertise
and interest towards the topic.
- A student can also be a writer of an academic
text as he already learned at least the basic
concept of whatever field he is writing about. It
may be less complex in comparison to an
expert’s work, nevertheless, student writers are
likewise advised to think of their readers as
researchers in a related field who know the
basics of the discipline, but are not that familiar
with the more technical topics.
- “Audience” means the people who will read
your paper. Some academic writing, such as a
term paper or a thesis, is written for an instructor
or a committee of professors. More commonly, a
paper is written for colleagues in your field, other
people who study some of the same things you
do. Sometimes academic writing can also be
addressed to an audience outside your field. In
every case, thinking about who will read the
paper changes what you write and how you write
it.
3. TEXT TYPE
- ESSAY- A fairly short, self-contained argument,
often using sources from a class in response to a
question provided by an instructor.
- RESEARCH PAPER- A more in-dept
investigation based on independent research,
often in response to a question chosen by the
student.
- THESIS/DISSERTATION- The large final
research project undertaken at the end of a
degree, usually on a topic of the student’s choice.
-RESEARCH PROPOSAL- An outline of a potential
topic and plan for a future dissertation or
research project.
-LITERATURE REVIEW- A critical synthesis of
existing research on a topic, usually written in
order to inform the approach of a new piece of
research.
-LAB REPORT- A write-up of the aims, methods,
results and conclusions of a lab experiment.
1
 Guiyab, Nicole Jade M.

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND

PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
Ma’am, Margery G. Valdez

-ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY- A list of source

references with a short description or evaluation Common Text Structures
of each source. A. CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER- It is also known
Examples of Non-academic Texts as time order. This structure is organized from
• Personal journal entries. one point in time to another.
• Memoirs. B. SEQUENCE - Steps described in the order
• Autobiographical writing. they occur. It does not take place in a specific
• Letters. point in time.
• E-mails. C. CAUSE-EFFECT- This structure shows how
• Text messages. one or more causes led to one or more effects.
D. PROBLEM-SOLUTION- The text structure
4. STYLE-Generally, academic texts use formal presents a problem, and shows how it can be (or
language. has been) solved.
-Academic texts generally sound more E. COMPARE-CONTRAST- This text structure
impersonal; thus, writers usually use the third shows how two or more ideas or items are
person point of view and the passive voice. similar or different
F1. EXEMPLIFICATION- An exemplification
Academic Writing is…
paragraph develops a general statement--the
• Formal and unbiased
• Clear and precise topic sentence--with one or more specific
• Focused and well structured examples.
• Well sourced
F2. CLASSIFICATION- A classification
• Correct and consistent
paragraph divides ideas into groups, classes, or
Academic Writing is not… categories. It also organizes ideas into divisions
• Personal based on criteria or standards.
• Long-winded
• Emotive and grandiose G. PERSUASION- This text structure convinces
readers to agree to an argument or claim about a
particular topic.
LESSON 2: Text Structures
LESSON 3: EFFECTIVE THESIS STATEMENT
TEXT STRUCTURES- A text structure refers to
the internal organization of a text. According to THESIS STATEMENT- A sentence that sums up
Meyer (1985), as authors write a text a text to the central point of your paper or essay. The
communicate an idea, they will use a structure thesis statement should always clearly state the
that goes along with the idea. main idea you want to get across. Everything
else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

2
 Guiyab, Nicole Jade M.
ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND
PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
Ma’am, Margery G. Valdez
-A controlling idea about the topic that the
writer is attempting to prove. It is usually found
at the beginning of the text or at the end of it.
-The central idea of a multiple-paragraph
composition. A one-sentence summary that
guides, controls, and unifies ideas when writing
a paper. In simple terms, all other ideas present
in a text revolve around the thesis statement.
-The thesis statement may be expressed or
implied.
Why do we have to write a thesis statement?
-to summarize your ideas by narrowing them
into a sentence or two
-to better organize and develop argument
-to provide the reader with “guide” to the
argument
What are the characteristics of a good thesis
statement?
-A good thesis statement takes a stand on the
prompt.
-A good thesis statement is specific.
-A strong thesis statement takes a stand on the
prompt.
a. There are some negative and positive
aspects to industrialization.
b. Because industrialization damaged the
environment and exploited workers, its
effects were more negative than positive.
A strong thesis statement is specific.
a. The Crusades were fought because of
religion.
b. b. The Crusades were fought due to
religious fanaticism and a struggle for
power in the Holy Land.
-A good thesis statement is unified and
expresses one main idea.
-A good thesis statement does not simply state a
fact but sets the stage for analysis of a topic.
-A strong thesis statement is unified, and
expresses one main idea.
a. Although some people believe that George
Washington was the best president,
Abraham Lincoln was much better.
b. Abraham Lincoln was the best president
because he fought to keep the country
together and fought for the elimination of
slavery.
A strong thesis statement does not simply state a
fact, but sets the stage for analysis of a topic.
a. The Civil War took place between 1861-
1865.
b. The Civil War, which took place between
1861-1865, was the most devastating war
in United States history.
How to write an effective thesis statement:
1. IT SHOULD BE WRITTEN IN A COMPLETE
SENTENCE WITH CLEARLY STATED SUBJECT.
2. IT SHOULD NOT BE TOO NARROW NOR
TOO BROAD, AND IT SHOULD CONTAIN AT
LEAST TWO DETAILS. If the details you
generate are already definite examples, then
your thesis statement is too specific. If you can
only write general statements because there are
3
 Guiyab, Nicole Jade M.
ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND
PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
Ma’am, Margery G. Valdez
too many details, then it should be broad. You
can also try to list ideas to check the scope of
your topic. If you cannot list at least two details,
it is too narrow; if you list too many information
to be able to discuss it well your topic is too
broad.
3. AVOID AN AWKWARD THESIS STATEMENT
WHICH STATES THE OBVIOUS. These
statements usually start with the phrase “I will
tell you…” or “I will talk about…”
4. ENUMERATED DETAILS SHOULD HAVE
THE SAME LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE. If one of
the details can be classified under another
detail, you can just omit it.
5. IT SHOULD NOT STATE AN ABSOLUTE
FACT, because it will not present any central
idea that can developed further. It should have a
point.
Supporting Details to develop a Thesis
Statement:
-These details are pieces of information
necessary to better understand the main idea.
-They can be facts, reasons, testimonies,
statistics, and experiments that support the
topic sentence.
-Major Details directly support the topic
sentence
-Minor Details directly support the major details
LESSON 4: Summarizing and Paraphrasing
SUMMARIZING- It is a condensed form of the
written text in your own words with only the
highlights of the text.
How to Summarize?
1. Read and annotate the text.
2. Locate the thesis statement.
(A thesis statement is a sentence that states the topic
and purpose of your paper.)
3. Prepare a reading outline.
OUTLINING- An outline is a map of your essay. It
shows what information each section or paragraph
will contain and in what order.
4
 Guiyab, Nicole Jade M.

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND

PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
Ma’am, Margery G. Valdez

SOMEBODY WANTED BUT SO THEN- Each word
represents a key question related to a text’s
essential elements:
5W’s, 1 H- This technique relies on six crucial
questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How.
These questions make it easy to identify the main
character, important details and main idea. Your
summary may not necessarily follow this order as
long as it contains all of these information.
FIRST THEN FINALLY- This technique helps
summarize events or steps in chronological order or
in sequence.
2. Take note of the keywords and check if they can be
expressed using a different word or phrase.
3. Make sure that you understand the content or what
the material means. On a scratch paper, write some
notes to show the relationship of ideas among the
thought groups.
4. Once you have confirmed that your reduced version
of ideas agrees with the original material, set aside the
original passage and use only your notes to come up
with a paraphrase. Avoid the same grammatical
structures used in the thought groups to avoid
following the writer’s line of thinking.
5. Check if the paraphrased version carries the same
idea as the original source. You may change words or
phrases that do not capture the essence of the
keywords, or completely revise if you deem it
necessary.
The Strategy for Effective Paraphrasing

4. WRITE THE SUMMARY.

PARAPHRASING- It is like grabbing the idea

about a topic from another writer’s work then Techniques for Paraphrasing:
transforming it into your own method of thoughts 1. USING SYNONYMS (WORDS THAT MEAN
and words. THE SAME)

How to Paraphrase?
1. Break down the selected materials into thought
groups, or simply, phrases or clauses that are
formed when speakers naturally pause at specific
points in the sentence.

5
 Guiyab, Nicole Jade M.
ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND
PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
Ma’am, Margery G. Valdez
2. CHANGING THE FORM OF WORDS
3. CHANGING THE GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE
4. USING SEVERAL TECHNIQUES
NOTE: Successful paraphrasing requires the use of
multiple techniques each time. It is not sufficient to
simply replace the keywords with synonyms and in fact
this is a common mistake among students learning to
paraphrase. Changing the structure of the sentence is
also important to fit the sentence into your paragraph
effectively.
LESSON 5: Outlining Reading Texts
What is an outline?
-It is a tool we use in the writing process to help
organize our ideas, visualize our paper’s
potential structure, and to further flesh out and
develop points.
Steps in creating a Reading Outline:
1. Read the entire text first. Skim the text
afterward.
2. Locate the thesis statement of the whole text.
3. Look for key phrases in each paragraph of the
text
4. Locate the topic sentence of each paragraph.
5. Look at the topic sentences and group these
with related ideas together.
6. Arrange the contents according to levels.
7. Evaluate the supporting details.
8. Go back to the text to check whether you have
followed the sequence closely and you have not
missed any important information.
Types of Outlines According to Structure:
1. TOPIC OUTLINE- An outline that consists of a
short phrase. It provides a quick overview of topics to
be included in an essay. After each heading in a topic
outline for an essay, a maximum of several words is
6
 Guiyab, Nicole Jade M.

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND

PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
Ma’am, Margery G. Valdez

used to identify the topic or idea that will be discussed

under the given heading.

2. SENTENCE OUTLINE- An outline that is done in

full sentence. Each sentence in a sentence outline is
the first sentence of a paragraph as it will appear in
the paper, and it shows exactly what the author will
say.

“When you feel like giving up,

remember why you started”