LESSON 1

ACADEMIC TEXT STRUCTURES

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

Learning Competency 1:
Differentiates language used in academic texts from various disciplines

Learning Objectives: At the end of this lesson, the learners are expected to:

1. define academic text;

2. determine text structure of an academic text; and
3. explain the components of the three-part essay structure.

General Instructions
Now that you are holding this module, do the following:

1. Read and follow instructions carefully in each lesson.

2. Take note and record points for clarification.
3. Do the activities to fully understand each lesson.
4. Answer all the given tests and exercises.
 WHAT I KNOW

Let’s Answer This!

TRUE OR FALSE
Directions: Write T if the statement is correct and F if it is wrong. Write your answer
in your notebook.

1. Formality in academic writing requires precision to make a legitimate piece of

writing.

2. Writing is a form of communication that is shaped by the following factors: topic,

role, and audience.

3. The use of personal pronouns such as I, you, and we is acceptable in academic

writing.

4. “How can these problems be solved?” is an example of a critical question.

5. Because is an example of transitional device that expresses cause and effect.

6. An abstract is a summary of a novel.

7. The conclusion is the section that summarizes the main points of the essay.

8. A summary is a condensed form of a text which is usually half of the original

material.

9. To introduce a topic in an essay, the writer must be able to explain its details.

10. A research paper contains background of the study, body and recommendations.
 WHAT'S NEW

Let’s Move On

Directions: Below are jumbled parts of a common research paper. Put them into the
correct order by using numbers to represent the sequence. Write your answer in your
notebook.

Presentation of the Research Problem

A.

Title of the Research Paper

B.

Presentation of the Results

C.

Recommendations
D.

Overview or Scope of Research

E.

Interpretation and Discussion of Results

F.

The Reference List

G.

The Abstract
H.

Review of Past Research Relevant to the Paper

I.

Description of Methods used to Carry out the

J. Research
 WHAT IS IT

What is an Academic Text?

Academic text is defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written by
experts or professionals in a given field using formal language. This means that
academic texts are based on facts with solid basis. Academic writing, therefore, is
generally quite formal, objective (impersonal) and technical. It is formal by avoiding
casual or conversational language, such as contractions or informal vocabulary. It is
impersonal and objective by avoiding direct reference to people or feelings, and
instead emphasizing objects, facts and ideas. It is technical by using vocabulary
specific to the discipline. To be a good academic writer, you will need to learn the
specific styles and structures for your discipline, as well as for each individual writing
task. Some examples of academic writing are as follow:
Literary Analysis: A literary analysis essay examines, evaluates, and makes
an argument about a literary work. As its name suggests, a literary analysis essay
goes beyond mere summarization. It requires careful close reading of one or multiple
texts and often focuses on a specific characteristic, theme, or motif.

Research Paper: A research paper uses outside information to support a thesis

or make an argument. Research papers are written in all disciplines and may be
evaluative, analytical, or critical in nature. Common research sources include data,
primary sources (e.g., historical records), and secondary sources (e.g., peer- reviewed
scholarly articles). Writing a research paper involves synthesizing this external
information with your own ideas.

Dissertation: A dissertation (or thesis) is a document submitted at the

conclusion of a Ph.D. program. The dissertation is a book-length summarization of the
doctoral candidate’s research.
Academic papers may be done as a part of a class, in a program of study, or for
publication in an academic journal or scholarly book of articles around a theme, by
different authors.

Structure is an important feature of academic writing. A well-structured text

enables the reader to follow the argument and navigate the text. In academic writing
a clear structure and a logical flow are imperative to a cohesive text. These are the
two common structures of academic texts that you need to learn which depends on
the type of assignment you are required: the three-part essay structure and the
IMRaD structure.
The Three-Part Essay Structure
The three-part essay structure is a basic structure that consists of
introduction, body and conclusion. The introduction and the conclusion should be
shorter than the body of the text. For shorter essays, one or two paragraphs for each
of these sections can be appropriate. For longer texts or theses, they may be several
pages long.

Introduction. Its purpose is to clearly tell the reader the topic, purpose and structure
of the paper. As a rough guide, an introduction might be between 10 and 20 percent
of the length of the whole paper and has three main parts:

A. The most general information, such as background and/or definitions.

B. The core of the introduction, where you show the overall topic, purpose, your
point of view, hypotheses and/or research questions (depending on what
kind of paper it is).
C. The most specific information, describing the scope and structure of your
paper.
You should write your introduction after you know both your overall point of
view (if it is a persuasive paper) and the whole structure of your paper. You should
then revise the introduction when you have completed the main body.

The Body. It develops the question, “What is the topic about?”. It may elaborate
directly on the topic sentence by giving definitions, classifications, explanations,
contrasts, examples and evidence. This is considered as the heart of the essay
because it expounds the specific ideas for the readers to have a better understanding
of the topic. It usually is the largest part of the essay.

Conclusion. The conclusion is closely related to the introduction and is often

described as its ‘mirror image’. This means that if the introduction begins with general
information and ends with specific information, the conclusion moves in the opposite
direction. The conclusion usually begins by briefly summarizing the main scope or
structure of the paper, confirms the topic that was given in the introduction, ends with
a more general statement about how this topic relates to its context. This may take the
form of an evaluation of the importance of the topic, implications for future research or a
recommendation about theory or practice.

The IMRaD Structure

The sections of the IMRaD structure are Introduction, Methods, Results and
Discussion. The Introduction usually depicts the background of the topic and the
central focus of the study. The Methodology lets your readers know your data
collection methods, research instrument employed, sample size and so on. Results
and Discussion states the brief summary of the key findings or the results of your
study.
 WHAT'S MORE

Let’s Practice!

Directions: Read the Article written by Sharon Housley in 2012. Then, extract the
essential statements of the Introduction, Body and Conclusion. Write them in your
notebook. Follow the format below.

Impact of Technology on Politics

The continued growth of technology has had a significant impact on the political
ratings that candidates achieve. The article Impact of Technology on Politics attempts
to analyze how these two spheres of modern life, technology and politics, interrelate
and what the outcomes are of this interrelationship.

Political candidates use technology in many ways. Different communication

channels provided by the Internet have the power to influence the growth of different
individuals in their respective spheres. The likes of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube
are powerful communication media platforms that can easily raise the ratings of
political candidates. Housley claims that whether we acknowledge it or not, technology
is a deciding factor in most political races. Through technology, politicians are able to
access funds, gain political pundits, and spend less on campaigning and pushing their
candidacy.

One of the ways in which technology influences politics is the financial side.
Raising funds to use for campaigning is an important factor for political candidates. It
comes with the need to create a vertical response to the whole country or target region.
This is a major hurdle experienced by political candidates. The Internet aided Howard
Dean to get donations that he required to gain access to a large part of the campaign
region. By broadcasting through technological marketing, candidates get suitable
donors to support different parts of their campaigns. Publicity on the Internet is a cheap
method, as they do not have to re-publish, unlike what is provided by the print media.
This is placed in various commonly-accessed links (Housley, Par. 1).

The Internet enables politicians to use podcasting. The act of podcasting can
make anyone a journalist. Through podcasting, politicians are able to portray a
journalistic stature, thereby ensuring that the information is considered credible. Self-
proclamation of politicians through pundits is easily spread through messages. It is,
however, difficult for politicians to guarantee the integrity of the information posted.
The Internet can be accessed by anyone and podcasts can be posted by anyone. The
integrity of information is therefore difficult to preserve, hence, many potential
candidates may have to establish a verifiable connection with various achievements.
All in all, gaining political publicity through podcasts is a common but expensive
method to use, Housley admits. However, it is logical to assume that when correctly
utilized, this is an extremely powerful political tool that pays off completely.

According to Housley, the impact of technology is great on a given generation.

The young, educated, and affluent will relate to technological innovations. A proper
presentation will gain ratings for candidates. Using the most recent technology will
surely attract the youth. The older generation may not impact the raising of presidential
bids, especially if they are done through social media. The older generation uses the
Internet much less. The younger generation relates easily to these media platforms.
This differentiation is used by politicians to gain advantage in their political bids.
Politicians use technology to raise their bids among the youth, while traditional
methods are used for the older generation.

Another way to look at the matter is in relation to thinking about the Internet as
a tool for free advertising. It is no secret that presidential bids are the most expensive,
as they are run to cover the whole region. On the other hand, political videos easily
generate online rating gains, and such political Internet advertisement will reach the
target audience if launched properly. Individuals perform the needed publicity as each
person shares the video, and so on. The extra generated videos are not paid for, while
on social networks even the original posting is free.

It is clear that gaining political publicity through the use of technology has
become easier, especially since technological devices are so accessible and
widespread. The article analyzed is prudent in arranging technological tools into
separate groups that work as a effective means of communicating between a political
figure and the target audience. However, with the use of the Internet, any political
figure can become recognizable within just a few minutes. In only a few hours, public
opinion on a particular political figure is already formed within one of the social groups
of voters. Not just the good, but also a bad reputation can be formed in a blink of an
eye using modern technology. It often happens that the bad “gossip” spreads much
faster. With the huge impact that technology has on societies and public opinion in
particular, it is crucial to be cautious in the use of information about any political figure,
or you risk making a positive advertisement into a negative advertisement with just
one click.
 STRUCTURE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON POLITICS

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

WHAT I CAN DO

Let’s Do It!

Directions: Read carefully the article, “The Future Gender Equality”. Respond to the
article by writing an essay. Use the Three-part structure you have learned in the lesson.
Write your response to the article in your notebook.
 POST ASSESSMENT

Let’s Answer This!

Multiple Choice
Directions: Choose the letter that best answers the given question. Write the letter of
your answer in your notebook.

1. Who are the target readers of an academic essay?

A. Parents, workers, teachers
B. Teachers, students, academic community
C. Students, out-of-school youth, government officials
D. None of the above

2. What are the purposes of doing an academic writing?

A. To settle, to negotiate and to inform
B. To defend, to challenge and to question
C. To inform, to persuade and to argue a specific point
D. To guess, to hypothesize and to make conclusions

3. Writing academic papers requires deliberate, thorough and careful thought.

Therefore, what should one do to achieve a well-crafted academic essay?
A. One must depend on his/her own opinions alone.
B. One must conduct a research on the topic at hand.
C. One must not consult the Internet for unsure sources.
D. One must depend highly on the Internet for easy information
access.

4. An academic essay must use appropriate vocabulary words but not too pretentious,
highfalutin words. Which among these words is the simplified version of the term,
"supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"?

A. beautiful; pretty
B. exquisite; one-of-a-kind
C. extraordinarily good; wonderful
D. hardworking; industrious

5. What are the three main parts of an essay?

A. The hook, the main idea and the conclusion.

B. The introduction, the body and the conclusion.
C. The topic sentence, the body and the conclusion.
D. None of the above
6. What is the purpose of the topic sentence?
A. To give coherence to the paragraph.
B. To help with the flow of sentences.
C. To help the reader understand what the paragraph will be about.
D. None of the above

7. What is 'academic writing'?

A. A technique to write balanced, accurate and
professional assignments
B. An old-fashioned way of writing.
C. How university professors write.
D. The writing you find in textbooks

8. Choose three words to describe academic writing:

A. Talented, stylish, inspiring
B. Precise, clear, objective
C. Decisive, divisive, derisive
D. Subjective, obscure, vague

9. What is true of the introductory paragraph?

A. ends with the thesis.
B. introduces the big idea of the essay
C. starts with a hook
D. all of these

10. What is the sequence of an essay?

A. Introduction, Body Paragraph, Body Paragraph, Conclusion

B. Body Paragraph, Introduction, Conclusion, Body Paragraph
C. Introduction, Body Paragraph, Conclusion, Body Paragraph
D. Conclusion, Introduction, Body Paragraph, Body Paragraph