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Stage 2, Part 1 of the Academic Writing Guide

Reading and Planning

Time to read and complete activities = 2.5 hours

So far you have analysed your title, found some useful sources and made notes on the relevance those sources have to the development of an argument for your essay. In this stage of the Academic Writing Guide you will look at your sources in more depth to help you critically evaluate how useful they will be in supporting your essay development.

AIMS

1. To learn about and practice different ways to de-code an academic essay title to help you plan the research you will do.

2. To learn about and practice using different search tools to help you find relevant and reliable sources that you can use to help inform your essay development.

3. To reflect on your learning to support the continued development of your academic skills.

OBJECTIVES

To learn about and practice how to:

  1. Read and summarise/paraphrase the line of argument of each of the 5 texts that you have found.

  2. Annotate your 5 sources, showing that you have critically evaluated each text for connections between the content and your essay question.

  3. Use a referencing system accurately.

  4. Develop a thesis statement.

  5. Plan for the length and content of your essay.

  6. Present the counter argument.

  7. Write introductions and conclusions.

  8. Reflect on what you have learned from this stage of the AWG about academic writing.

Note-making

Identifying and understanding the main argument of a text as you read is an important skill. Watch this video (3 minutes) about finding the main argument and as you listen note:

  • the definition that the speaker gives for an argument.

  • 3 things the speakers says an argument consists of.

  • 5 sections that usually feature in an academic article, and how you follow the line of argument in each.

  • what you should do once you have identified the author's main argument.

(To access the transcript click the YouTube logo at the bottom of the video. In YouTube click ‘more’ in the grey box below the video, then click the ‘show transcript’ button so that you can listen and read at the same time).

Now that you have found the five sources you need for your essay you need to read them and identify the argument that the writer is making to see if it will support the argument that you want to make in your own essay. Making notes is an important part of an active study strategy. By developing your note-making techniques you can ensure that the time you spend on taking notes is really worthwhile.

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Making notes can help you to:

 

  • improve your understanding by making you convert difficult ideas into your own words.

  • prepare for writing fuller, better-connected arguments in your essays.

  • assess your own progress as you study.

 

If you just read passively while you study, you risk 'glazing over' – your eyes seem to skate over the text without registering what it says. In contrast, material you have thought about and made notes on is much easier to remember.

 

There is no right or wrong way of making notes. However, try to keep your notes brief and succinct. There is no benefit gained from trying to write everything down - your notes should reflect the main themes and the areas you have identified as important.

Academic Writing Guide Task

TASK

Find out about a range of note-making styles by clicking on any of the links below.

Another way of making notes that many students use is the Cornell method. Watch this YouTube video (1 minute) that explains how to use Cornell Notes.

(To access the transcript click the YouTube logo at the bottom of the video. In YouTube click ‘more’ in the grey box below the video, then click the ‘show transcript’ button so that you can listen and read at the same time).

Writing an Annotated Bibliography

So far in the pre-writing process you have analysed your title, searched for suitable sources to support your thesis/argument, and read your sources in detail. In this next stage of the Academic Writing Guide you will look at how to annotate the sources that you have found by writing a concise summary or paraphrase of it, and an assessment of its value or relevance. As you write your annotations you will be refining your own position and your own thesis or argument, based on what you have read.

 

Each annotation will usually be about 50 – 100 words, although it may be longer. These annotations will allow you to develop an outline plan of how you will go about constructing your essay.

Academic Writing Guide Task

TASK

Open this link and read the definition of an annotated bibliography. Use the four clickable links at the top of the page to read and find answers to the following questions:
 

  1. What is the purpose of an annotated bibliography?

  2. What three things to you need to do when compiling an annotated bibliography?

  3. What should each citation (i.e. each entry in the annotated bibliography) include?

  4. Approximately how many words should each citation consist of?

  5. Do you write notes or full sentences?

  6. What are lecturers looking for in this type of submission?

The Information Search Skills Table for the sample essay that you downloaded in Stage 1, Part 2 contained a source by Arntz, et al. Look at the way the writer of the example essay has annotated the source (annotations in the left-hand column and an explanation of the purpose of the annotation in the right-hand column):

Arntz - from the annotated bibliography.png

Sample Annotated Bibliography

Each entry in an annotated bibliography includes the citation, or all of the information that you put into your reference list using a referencing system such as APA (American Psychological Association), for example. Simply collecting sources for a bibliography is useful, but when you additionally have to write an annotation you are obliged to read more carefully and evaluate what you are reading in order to assess how it fits into your research.

Sample Annotated Bibliography

Academic Writing Guide Quiz

QUIZ

Open the 'sample annotated bibliography' document. Read the annotations that the writer has produced for their chosen sources for the example essay on phobias, and then complete the quiz below. Keep the annotated bibliography open while you complete the quiz.

REFLECTION

Stop and reflect on what you have learned so far in this stage. How will what you have learned support your continued essay writing development? Are there any skills you have identified at this stage that you can do well or need to improve on?

Critically Evaluating the Text

Watch the video where Milan talks about critical thinking and make a note of all the questions he suggests you can ask yourself as you read. Then look at the checklist from the University of Sussex Skills Hub to make sure that you recorded all of them. 

Critical Thinking Checklist

(To access the transcript click the YouTube logo at the bottom of the video. In YouTube click ‘more’ in the grey box below the video, then click the ‘show transcript’ button so that you can listen and read at the same time).

Use the information from the video, and the checklist, to help you begin developing your own critical commentaries about the texts in the annotated bibliography you are going to write.

Summarising & Paraphrasing

Distinguish Between a Summary and a Paraphrase

Summarising and paraphrasing are key academic skills. The ability to summarise and paraphrase effectively is essential in academic writing. Summarising what you have read is a good active reading strategy. It encourages you to focus as you read and to remember key points. When writing an essay you will often need to briefly summarise an author's argument in your own words to support your own argument or to provide a counter-argument. You will need to summarise or paraphrase your source in each annotation in your annotated bibliography.
 

Summarising and paraphrasing are two distinct skills. As Neville (2007, p.36) states:

'Summarizing involves writing an account, in one’s own words, of the main, broad and general meanings of a text', whereas 'paraphrasing involves paying close attention to a particular section of text and attempting, in one’s own words, to capture the essence of the original'. Paraphrasing, in other words, involves taking a section of a text and re-stating it in your own words. Neville continues, 'it can be sometimes difficult, if not impossible, to avoid using some of the author’s original words, particularly those that describe or label phenomena. However, when you are paraphrasing you need to simply avoid copying out what the author said, word for word. Choose words that you feel give a true impression of the author’s original ideas or actions.’

From: Neville, C. (2007) The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism. Berkshire: OUP.

Over to you

If you are using the AWG to help you write a discursive essay of your own, take time to write an annotated bibliography for your essay. Open a Word document and create a table for the 5 sources you have found that are suitable for use in your essay. For each of your 5 sources, write about 80-100 words in total, making sure you do the following:
 

  • write a short summary (in your own words) of the main ideas/arguments in the text

  • critically analyse the content of the text in terms of any of the following: value, relevance, reliability or your conclusions about the topic mentioned.

  • comment on the usefulness of the source in relation to your essay's argument, or to help answer a part of the essay question.

  • give the full bibliographic details of the 5 sources (in alphabetical order).

Developing a thesis statement

The introduction to your essay will include your thesis statement. This is a sentence or two that outlines what you will be arguing and shows the reader what your position is in relation to the title. The thesis statement is your interpretation of the subject, not the subject itself. A thesis is not just a topic, but rather the writer's comment or interpretation of the question or subject; the 'What do I want to say about it?’ sentence. It is the controlling idea in the essay and everything you say will be dictated by it. Very often the thesis statement will also determine how you structure your essay. 

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Look at and analyse the thesis statement for the sample essay: 'Critically consider psychological explanations for the acquisition of phobias. Justify your answer with reference to theoretical and empirical evidence from relevant literature.'

 

Although the characteristics of phobias have been well established and defined, there are various theoretical perspectives in the literature as to how phobias are acquired. This essay will critically consider the key psychological explanations in terms of the behaviourist and biological perspective. It will explore areas such as classical conditioning, modelling and evolutionary predispositions, highlighting that there is not one definitive explanation for the acquisition of phobias.

 

The writer is arguing that there is a range of perspectives on the acquisition of phobias, and the structure of the essay will be affected by this thesis, and will probably follow this pattern: 

  • Consider the arguments and evidence for a behaviourist explanation for the acquisition of phobias.

  • Consider the arguments and evidence against a behaviourist explanation of phobias.

  • Present the counter-argument: biological perspective.

  • Consider the arguments and evidence for a biological explanation for the acquisition of phobias.

  • Consider the arguments and evidence against a biological explanation of phobias.

  • Sum up the key points, and emphasise there is not one single explanation.

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Academic Writing Guide Task

TASK

Watch the video (4 mins) from the University of Sussex Skills Hub which explains how to develop an argument. Make notes as you listen.

(To access the transcript click the YouTube logo at the bottom of the video. In YouTube click ‘more’ in the grey box below the video, then click the ‘show transcript’ button so that you can listen and read at the same time).

Over to you

If you are using the AWG to help you write a discursive essay of your own, take time to write an annotated bibliography for your essay. Open a Word document and create a table for the 5 sources you have found that are suitable for use in your essay. For each of your 5 sources, write about 80-100 words in total, making sure you do the following:
 

  • write a short summary (in your own words) of the main ideas/arguments in the text

  • critically analyse the content of the text in terms of any of the following: value, relevance, reliability or your conclusions about the topic mentioned.

  • comment on the usefulness of the source in relation to your essay's argument, or to help answer a part of the essay question.

  • give the full bibliographic details of the 5 sources (in alphabetical order).

Using a Referencing System

In the process of researching and writing a discursive essay you will need to draw on the work of other academics to support your argument. This 'standing on the shoulders of giants’ (Sir Isaac Newton) will help you support your view in a compelling way. Acknowledging the work of others is an essential part of the process and allows you to maintain academic integrity. Using a referencing system allows you to:
 

  • substantiate the knowledge and theories that you present in your work.

  • show that you have researched your material, and that the ideas you present have been considered in the light of documented material on the subject.

  • demonstrate that you have read a range of sources.

  • allow your readers to identify and retrieve your sources for their own use.

  • avoid plagiarism.

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You’ll include a References section at the end of your essay, which shows your reader all of the texts you used to create your new text. It is the textual DNA of your essay. You can practice as you compile the full bibliographic reference for each citation in your annotated bibliography.

 

In the sample essay the writer is using the APA style of referencing as this is a style commonly used in the discipline of Psychology. However, if you are a student using the Academic Writing Guide to help you as you develop your own essay it is essential that you find out what referencing style your lecturer wants you to use, as they may prefer a different one

REFLECTION

Stop and reflect on what you have learned so far in this stage. How will what you have learned support your continued essay writing development? Are there any skills you have identified at this stage that you can do well or need to improve on?

Academic Writing Guide Task

TASK

Access this page on the University of Sussex Skills Hub and choose the APA referencing style listed below the video. Click on the link and find out how to compile a list of Works Cited or a Bibliography for each of the 3 sources listed below:

 

  • a book

  • a chapter in a book

  • a journal


You will need to compile the full bibliographic reference for each citation in your annotated bibliography, using the appropriate referencing style.

 

Stop and reflect on what you have learned. How will what you have learned here support your continued essay writing development? Are there any skills you have identified at this stage that you can do well or need to improve on?

Integrating sources into your essay

When you have found and critically evaluated your sources, annotating them to make a note of the parts that will help you build your argument in your own essay, you need to decide what role each of your sources will play in your argument, or what you're going to do with the source in your essay.
 

Access this link and read more about how to use your sources in your essay.
 

In Stage 2, Part 2 you will draw up a plan for your essay, noting where and how you will use your sources.

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