L7 WRITING STRATEGIES FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL TEXT

TALOSIG, FRANZ RUSSELL

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G WHAT IS AN ESSAY?
Derived from the Latin verb exigere,
GETTING IDEAS ON WHAT TO WRITE
- Read texts related to your topic.
- Discuss the issue with the others.
which means to:
- Research the topic.
Examine Test Drive Out
- Use brainstorming techniques like:
- A piece of writing that informs and
• Listing ideas
persuades its audience by reasoning.
• Clustering or mind mapping
PURPOSES OF WRITING AN • Free writing
ACADEMIC ESSAY
1. Discover knowledge. DEVELOPING A THESIS STATEMENT
2. Make a point. - A thesis statement comes at the end
3. Persuade the reader. of the introduction section of your

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4.
5.
Share information.
Synthesize the information.
paper.
- It lets the reader know exactly what
overall point you are trying to make.
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6.
7.
Analyze a topic.
Document observations. - It should be specific, not general.

GTHREE-PART ESSAY STRUCTURE

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DEVELOPING AN OUTLINE
An outline will:
INTRODUCTION • Help you organize your ideas.
- Provides the reader with a clear idea • Keep you focused.
of the focus and aim of the text. • Save time.
- Presents the topic of the essay or - For every main point, you’ll need
article. several supporting details.
- often accompanied by a thesis
statement WORKING ON A ROUGH DRAFT
- Provides the context or background of - As you write your rough draft, keep the
the argument. following strategies in mind:
- Introduces the theoretical • Organize information in your body
perspective, terminologies, etc. that paragraphs.
will be used in the text. • Hook the reader in the introduction.
- Explains how the writing will be • Keep your paper coherent with
organized. transition words and sentences.
• Wrap up your paper with a strong
BODY closing.
- Where the essays or article’s
argument, ideas, and results are WRITING AN INTRODUCTION
developed and discussed. 1. Hook the reader.
2. Contextualize your argument or
CONCLUSION
- Should not contain any new facts or topic.
ideas, but rather function as a brief 3. Provide necessary background
statement of the main arguments information about the topic.
and facts that have been treated in the - STRATEGIES TO HOOK READERS:
essay/article. QUESTION HOOK
- Ask a question that Relates to your
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO WRITING AN
Paper. Your reader Should read the
ACADEMIC ESSAY
Essay to know the answer.
 L7 WRITING STRATEGIES FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL TEXT
TALOSIG, FRANZ RUSSELL

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G STRONG STATEMENT HOOK
Write a sentence that makes an
WRITING A CONCLUSION
- Restate your thesis statement in a
assertive claim about your topic. it different way.
should be connected to the thesis - Make a strong closing statement.
statement. - Leave the reader with a closing
thought.
STATISTIC OR FACT HOOK
- The essay should be started with a fact ACADEMIC CONVENTION
or statistic related to your topic. for this, DOs DONTs
use only credible sources. 1. Address both 1. Avoid using
sides of the personal
SIMILE OR METAPHOR HOOK
argument. pronouns
Your hook should contain a comparison
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2. Cite sources 2. Avoid using
between your topic and something 3. Use a formal tone contractions
else. 4. Take a stand 3. Avoid slang
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include words: “like”, and “as” in your
comparison.
5. Use concrete
details

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A vivid description can draw readers’
THINGS TO REMEMBER:
1. every writing assignment is practiced
attention to your essay. it should be for next one.
tied to the rest of your paper. 2. writing takes time.
3. go through every step of the process.
QUOTATION HOOK 4. focus your ideas first.
- A memorable quotation can be a great 5. focus on grammar and spelling last.
hook for your essay. make sure it is 6. get feedback from a peer, instructor, or
relevant to the topic. tutor.
PIE METHOD
POINT ILLUSTRATION EXPLANATION
The A quote, Meaning or
Main example, or details
Idea paraphrased
text

WRITING A BODY
- Use transition words to create
coherence and bridge ideas so the
reader does not get confused.
• First, second. . .
• In addition. . .
• Nevertheless. . .
• In contrast. . .
• Furthermore. . .
• Therefore. . .
 L8 WRITING THE CRITIQUE/REACTION/REVIEW PAPER
TALOSIG, FRANZ RUSSELL

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G WHAT IS A CRITIQUE PAPER
A critique is a genre of academic
- The writers analyze scenes or events
and create commentary argument
regarding the topic.
writing that briefly summarizes and
- Reaction or response papers are
critically evaluates a work or concept.
designed so that you'll consider
- Critiques can be used to carefully
carefully what you think or feel about
analyze a variety of works such as:
something you've read.
• Creative Works - novels,
- The prompt may be a question, a
exhibits, films, images
current, event, or a form of media,
• Research - monographs,
including movies or video clips.
journal articles, reviews
• Media - news reports, feature HOW TO WRITE A REACTION PAPER?

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Formal writing with an IBC format.
- PART 1: Prewriting and Actively
Reading
However, the body of a critique • You must understand the purpose of
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includes a summary of the work and a a reaction paper.
detailed evaluation. • Reaction or response papers are
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The purpose of an evaluation is to
understand the usefulness or impact of
assigned after reading a text, you
will think carefully about what you
a work in a particular field. feel or think about the text.
- PART 2: Figure out what the
HOW TO WRITE A CRITIQUE PAPER?
assignment is asking.
- Before you start writing, it is important
• Before you start writing your paper,
to have a thorough understanding of
you must figure out exactly what
the work that will be critiqued.
your teacher or professor is looking
• Study the work under discussion.
for.
• Make notes on key parts of the
- PART 3: Read the text you are
work.
assigned right after it is assigned.
• Develop an understanding of the
• A reaction paper is a process of
main argument or purpose being
exploring the texts, which means
expressed in the work.
you take the information you read
• Consider how the work relates to a and bring it together so you can
broader issue or context. analyze and evaluate.
CRITICAL APPROACHES IN WRITING • “You have to take your time to do
A CRITIQUE PAPER the readings, but more importantly,
1. Formalism to understand what you've read so
2. Structuralism you can put the ideas together.”
3. Gender Criticism - PART 4: Annotate the text as you
4. Historicism read.
5. Marxism • As you read through the text,
6. Media Criticism annotate it.
7. Reader’s Response • Annotating in the margins of the
text allows you to easily locate
WHAT IS A REACTION PAPER quotations, plot lines, character
- Reaction paper is a form of academic development, or reactions to the
writing that allows the writer to share text.
their thoughts and ideas on what
they have seen or read.
 L8 WRITING THE CRITIQUE/REACTION/REVIEW PAPER
TALOSIG, FRANZ RUSSELL
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PART 5: Question as you read.
• As you read the text, you must start
• You can start with what the author
says and follow that with your
reaction.
questioning what you are reading.
- PART 12: Keep it short.
• This is where your evaluation of the
• The topic sentence should put
material and your reaction begins.
forward your intention without
- PART 6: Free write.
forcing your reader to hunt it down;
• You can start your reaction paper
keeping it short will help keep
by doing free writing. Write your
your intention clear.
reactions and evaluations of the
- PART 13: Avoid introducing
author's ideas.
yourself.
• Try to put into words what you think
• Never use statements such as “I
G the author is trying to do and
whether you agree or disagree.
am going to tell you…” or “My
paper is about…” or “I studied [this]
- PART 7: Decide on your angle.
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• Reaction papers must be critical
and have some evaluation of the
which is important because of
[this]”.
PART 14: Avoid starting with a
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text. Otherwise, you are just
quotation.
summarizing what you read.
• The topic sentence should
- PART 8: Determine your thesis.
introduce the paragraph and
• Now that you have completed your
include your opinion, not
free writing and found your angle,
someone else’s.
you can shape this into an
• If the quote is opinion-based,
argument.
substitute it for your own opinion.
• Start to state why your reaction is
interesting and important. This is WHAT IS A REVIEW PAPER
the core of your reaction paper. - The purpose of a review paper is to
Take all your points, opinions, succinctly review recent progress in a
and observations, and combine particular topic.
them into one claim that you will - Overall, this paper summarizes the
prove. current state of knowledge of the topic.
- PART 9: Organize your paper. - It creates and understanding of the
• Your paper should follow the basic topic for the reader by discussing the
essay format. It needs an findings presented in recent research
introduction, body paragraphs, papers.
and a conclusion.
- PART 10: Gather quotations. REVIEW PAPER VS RESEARCH PAPER
• After you organize your ideas into - REVIEW PAPER does not describe
paragraphs, go back to your original research conducted by the
annotation and find a quotation or author(s). Instead, it gives an overview
statement that will support your of a specific subject by examining
points. previously published studies on the
• You must back up your claims with topic. The author searches for and
evidence from the text. selects studies on the subject and then
- PART 11: Structure your paragraphs. tries to make sense of their findings.
• Your paragraphs should always - RESEARCH PAPER, on the other
start with a topic sentence. hand, contains original research work
• by the author.
 L8 WRITING THE CRITIQUE/REACTION/REVIEW PAPER
TALOSIG, FRANZ RUSSELL

G SECTIONS OF A REVIEW PAPER

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REFERENCES
Your instructor will give you a minimum
ABSTRACT number of references that you must
- A contextual sentence about your use and cite in your paper.
motivation behind your research topic. - Typically, at least 8-10 references are
- Your thesis statements. required.
- A descriptive statement about the types - APA 7th Edition
of
- literature used in the review.
- Summarize your findings.
- Conclusion(s) based upon your
findings.
G INTRODUCTION
- Make it brief (1/5 of the paper’s total

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length.
Grab the reader’s interest while

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introducing the topic.
Explain
- Provide the necessary background
information.
- Write your thesis statement.
BODY/DISCUSSION
- Experimental Evidence: Describe
important results from recent primary
literature articles and:
• Explain how those results shape
our current understanding of the
topic.
• Mention the types of experiments
done and their corresponding data.
- Example: Point out and address any
controversies in the field.
• Use figures and/or tables to present
your own synthesis of the original
data or to show key data taken
directly from the original papers.
CONCLUSION
- Succinctly summarizes your major
points.
- Point out the significance of these
results.
- Discuss the questions that remain in
the area.
- Keep it brief.
 L9 WRITING A POSITION PAPER
TALOSIG, FRANZ RUSSELL

WHAT IS A POSITION PAPER WRITING WITH STYLE AND CLARITY

- You may have some great ideas in
- Position paper is an essay or report
your paper but if you cannot effectively
that expresses a position, conclusion,
communicate them, you will not receive
or recommendation concerning a
a very good mark.
contested issue or undecided
question. Keep the following in mind when writing
- Its purpose is to generate support on your paper:
an issue.
- It describes a position on an issue and 1. Diction

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the rationale for that position.
It is based on facts that provide a solid
2.
3.
Paragraphs
Transition
4. Grammar and Spelling
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foundation for your arguments.

TECHNIQUES IN WRITING A POSITION

5. Plagiarism and Academic Honesty

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ISSUE CRITERIA
- Choose an issue where there is a clear
division of opinion, and which is
arguable with facts and inductive
reasoning.
ANALYZING AN ISSUE AND
DEVELOPING AN ARGUMENT
- Once your topic is selected, you should
do some research on the subject
matter and provide supporting
evidence.
CONSIDERING YOUR AUDIENCE AND
DETERMINING YOUR VIEWPOINT
- Considering your audience, as well as
your own viewpoint, choose the
position you will take.
ORGANIZATION
- Introduction
- Body
- Conclusion
STATING YOUR THESIS
- A thesis is a one-sentence statement
about your topic.
- It's an assertion about your topic,
something you claim to be true.
- Notice that a topic alone makes no
such claim; it merely defines an area to
be covered.
 L10 LOGICAL FALLACIES
TALOSIG, FRANZ RUSSELL

WHAT IS A LOGICAL FALLACY? - An appeal to ignorance doesn't prove

anything. Instead, it shifts the need for
- Logical fallacies are flawed, deceptive,
proof away from the person making a
or false arguments that can be proven
claim.
wrong with reasoning.
- Fallacies are common errors in FALSE DILEMMA/FALSE DICHOTOMY
reasoning that will undermine the logic - A false dilemma or false dichotomy
of your argument. presents limited options — typically by
- Fallacies can be either illegitimate focusing on two extremes — when in
arguments or irrelevant points and are fact more possibilities exist.
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often identified because they lack
evidence that supports their claim.
- The phrase "America: Love it or leave
it" is an example of a false dilemma.
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Avoid these common fallacies in your
arguments.
- The false dilemma fallacy is a
manipulative tool designed to polarize
the audience, promoting one side and
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15 TYPES OF LOGICAL FALLACIES
demonizing another. It's common in
political discourse as a way of strong-
AD HOMINEM
- An ad hominem fallacy uses personal arming the public into supporting
attacks rather than logic. This fallacy controversial legislation or policies.
occurs when someone rejects or SLIPPERY SLOPE
criticizes another point of view based - A slippery slope argument assumes
on the personal characteristics, ethnic that a certain course of action will
background, physical appearance, or necessarily lead to a chain of future
other non-relevant traits of the person events. The slippery slope fallacy takes
who holds it. a benign premise or starting point and
- Ad hominem arguments are often used suggests that it will lead to unlikely or
in politics, where they are often called ridiculous outcomes with no supporting
"mudslinging." They are considered evidence.
unethical because politicians can use - You may have used this fallacy on your
them to manipulate voters' opinions parents as a teenager:
against an opponent without "But you have to let me go to the party!
addressing core issues. If I don't go to the party, I'll be a loser
APPEAL TO IGNORANCE with no friends. Next thing you know, I'll
- An appeal to ignorance argues that a end up alone and jobless, living in your
proposition must be true because it has basement when I'm 30!"
not been proven false or there is no STRAW MAN
evidence against it. - A straw man argument attacks a
- The argument can be used to bolster different subject rather than the topic
multiple contradictory conclusions at being discussed — often a more
once, such as the following two claims: extreme version of the counter
1. "No one has ever been able to prove argument. The purpose of this
that extraterrestrials exist, so they must misdirection is to make one's position
not be real." look stronger than it is.
2. "No one has ever been able to prove - The straw man argument is
that extraterrestrials do not exist, so appropriately named after a harmless,
they must be real.“ lifeless scarecrow. Instead of
contending with the actual argument,
 L10 LOGICAL FALLACIES
TALOSIG, FRANZ RUSSELL
- Red herrings are a common
they attack the equivalent of a lifeless diversionary tactic when someone
bundle of straw — an easily defeated wants to shift the focus of an argument
puppet that the opponent was never to something easier or safer to
arguing for in the first place. address. But red herrings can also be
CIRCULAR ARGUMENTS unintentional.
- Circular arguments occur when a
APPEAL TO HYPOCRISY
person's argument repeats what they - An appeal to hypocrisy — also known
already assumed before without as the tu quoque fallacy — focuses
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arriving at a new conclusion.
For example, if someone says,
on the hypocrisy of an opponent. The
tu quoque fallacy deflects criticism
"According to my brain, my brain is

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reliable," that's a circular argument.
Circular arguments often use a claim
away from oneself by accusing the
other person of the same problem or
something comparable.
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as both a premise and a conclusion.
This fallacy only appears to be an
- The tu quoque fallacy is an attempt to
divert blame. The fallacy usually occurs
argument when in fact it's just restating when the arguer uses apparent
one's assumptions. hypocrisy to neutralize criticism and
HASTY GENERALIZATION distract from the issue.
- A hasty generalization is a claim based CAUSAL FALLACIES
on a few examples rather than - Causal fallacies are informal fallacies
substantial proof. Arguments based on that occur when an argument
hasty generalizations often don't hold incorrectly concludes that a cause is
up due to a lack of supporting related to an effect. Think of the causal
evidence: The claim might be true in fallacy as a parent category for other
one case, but that doesn't mean it's fallacies about unproven causes.
always true. - One example is the false cause fallacy,
- Hasty generalizations are common in which is when you draw a conclusion
arguments because there's a wide about what the cause was without
range of what's acceptable for enough evidence to do so. Another is
"sufficient" evidence. The rules for the post hoc fallacy, which is when you
evidence can change based on the mistake something for the cause
claim you're making and the because it came first — not because it
environment where you are making it caused the effect.
— whether it's rooted in philosophy, the
sciences, a political debate, or SUNK COST
discussing house rules for using the - A sunk cost fallacy is when someone
kitchen. continues doing something because of
the effort they already put in it,
RED HERRING regardless of whether the additional
- A red herring is an argument that uses costs outweigh the potential benefits.
confusion or distraction to shift "Sunk cost" is an economic term for
attention away from a topic and toward any past expenses that can no longer
a false conclusion. Red herrings be recovered.
usually contain an unimportant fact, - For example: Imagine that after
idea, or event that has little relevance watching the first six episodes of a TV
to the real issue. show, you decide the show isn't for
 L10 LOGICAL FALLACIES
TALOSIG, FRANZ RUSSELL
you. Those six episodes are your "sunk BANDWAGON FALLAC Y
cost." A sunk cost fallacy would be - The bandwagon fallacy assumes
deciding to finish watching anyway something is true (or right or good)
because you've already invested because others agree with it. In other
roughly six hours of your life in it. words, the fallacy argues that if
everyone thinks a certain way, then you
APPEAL TO AUTHORITY should, too.
- Appeal to authority is the misuse of an - One problem with this kind of
authority's opinion to support an reasoning is that the broad acceptance
argument. While an authority's opinion of a claim or action doesn't mean that
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can represent evidence and data, it
becomes a fallacy if their expertise or
it's factually justified. People can be
mistaken, confused, deceived, or even
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authority is overstated, illegitimate, or
irrelevant to the topic.
willfully irrational in their opinions, so
using them to make an argument is

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- For example, citing a foot doctor when flawed.
trying to prove something related to
psychiatry would be an appeal to
authority fallacy.
EQUIVOCATION
- Equivocation happens when a word,
phrase, or sentence is used
deliberately to confuse, deceive, or
mislead. In other words, saying one
thing but meaning another.
- When it's poetic or comical, we call this
a "play on words." But when it's done in
a political speech, an ethics debate, or
an economics report — and it's
designed to make the audience think
you're saying something you're not —
that's when it becomes a fallacy.
APPEAL TO PITY
- An appeal to pity relies on provoking
your emotions to win an argument
rather than factual evidence. Appealing
to pity attempts to pull on an
audience's heartstrings, distract them,
and support their point of view.
- Someone accused of a crime using a
cane or walker to appear feebler in
front of a jury is one example of appeal
to pity. The appearance of disability
isn't an argument on the merits of the
case, but it's intended to sway the
jury's opinion anyway.