LESSON 10: BOOK REVIEW OR ARTICLE CRITIQUE

BOOK REVIEW OR ARTICLE CRITIC GUIDE QUESTIONS IN WRITING A BOOK REVIEW/ARTICLE CRITIC

It is a specialized form of academic writing in which a reviewer evaluates 1. What is the topic of the book or article?
the contribution to knowledge of scholarly works such as academic 2. What is its purpose?
books and journal articles. 3. Who are its intended readers?
● Usually ranges from 250 to 750 words, is not simply a summary. It 4. Does the writer explicitly state his/her thesis statement?
is a critical assessment, analysis, or evaluation of a work. 5. What theoretical assumptions (i.e., a scientific/logical explanation
● Do not equate the word "critique" to cynicism and pessimism. without evidence) are mentioned in the book or article? Are they
● Advanced form of writing that involves your skills in critical explicitly discussed?
thinking and recognizing arguments. 6. What are the contributions of the book or article to the field (e.g.,
● It is different from a movie review that you see in newspapers. language, psychology) it is situated in?
7. What problems and issues are discussed in the book or article?
MOVIE REVIEW vs BOOK REVIEW vs BOOK REPORTS 8. What kinds of information (e.g., observation, survey, statistics,
● Movie Review – involves the analysis of a work, they are written for historical accounts) are presented in the book or article? How are
a general audience and primarily aim to offer a persuasive opinion. they used to support the arguments or thesis?
● Academic book review or article critique – addresses a more 9. Are there other ways of supporting the arguments or thesis aside
specific audience and usually offers a critical response to a from the information used in the book or article? Is the author silent
published scholarly work about these alternative ways of explanation?
● Book Reports – focus on describing the plot, characters, or idea of a 10. What is your overall reaction to the work?
certain work.
WRITING A BOOK REVIEW OR ARTICLE CRITIC
Book and article reviewers do not just share mere opinions; rather, they
use both proof and logical reasoning to substantiate their opinions. The following are some guidelines
They process ideas and theories, revisit and extend ideas in a specific 1. Read the article or book to be reviewed carefully to get its main
field of study, and present analytical responses. concept.
2. Reread it to get the arguments being presented.
STRUCTURE OF A BOOK REVIEW/ARTICLE CRITIC 3. Relate the content of the article or book to what you already know
about the topic. This will make you more engaged with the article or
book.
❖ INTRODUCTION (5% of the paper)
4. Focus on discussing how the book or article treats the topic and not
● Title of the book/article
the topic itself. Start your sentences with phrases such as "This book
● Writer’s name
presents..." and "The author argues…”
● Writer’s thesis statement
5. Situate your review. This means that your analysis should be
anchored on the theories presented by the book or article writer.
❖ SUMMARY (around 10% of the paper)
6. Examine whether the findings are adequately supported or not.
● Writer’s objective or purpose
7. Analyze the type of analysis the writer used (e.g., quantitative,
● Methods used (if applicable)
qualitative, case study) and how it supports the arguments and
● Major findings or claims
claims.
8. Suggest some ways on how the writer can improve his/her
❖ REVIEW/CRITIQUE (in no particular order, around 75% of the paper)
reasoning or explanation.
● Appropriateness of methodology to support the arguments
9. Discuss how the same topic is explained from another perspective.
● Theoretical soundness
Compare the writer's explanation of the topic to another expert from
● Soundness of explanation in relation to avail information & experts
the same field of study.
● Sufficiency of explanation
10. Point out other conclusions or interpretations that the writer
● Other perspectives in explaining the concepts and ideas
missed. Present other ideas that need to be examined.
● Coherence of ideas
11. Examine the connections between ideas and how they affect the
conclusions and findings.
❖ CONCLUSION (around 10% of the paper))
12. Show your reaction to the writer's ideas and present an explanation
● Overall impression of the work
for it. You can either agree or disagree to the ideas, as long as you
● Scholarly value of the reviewed article or book
can sufficiently support your stand.
● Benefits of the intended audience
13. Suggest some alternative methods and processes of reasoning that
● Suggestion for future direction
would result in a more conclusive interpretation
LESSON 11: LITERATURE REVIEW

LITERATURE REVIEW WRITING A LITERATURE REVIEW

It is a type of academic writing that provides an overview of a specific LITERATURE SEARCH

topic. 1. Review the documentation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) that you
● It surveys scholarly work such as academic books (but not will adopt and be familiar with its format in relation to writing a
textbooks), computerized databases, conference proceedings, literature review.
dissertations/theses, empirical studies, government reports, 2. Choose and focus on a topic that you will explain.
historical records, journal articles, monographs, statistical 3. Determine the kind and number of sources you will be using. Will
handbooks. your literature review be exclusive to articles or will it include other
● Advanced form of academic writing that critically analyzes the documents? Will you focus on experimental studies or will you also
relationship among different scholarly works and the current work. include theoretical papers?
● It can be written as a stand-alone paper or as part of a research 4. Survey the available online databases relevant to your topic. These
paper explaining a theoretical framework and related studies. include Proquest, ScienceDirect, JSTOR, or Google Scholar. Include
● Combines both summary and synthesis (linking different sources). only the references published by top journals and publishers.
5. Use relevant keywords when searching for scholarly documents or
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN articles.
6. Always include landmark studies or papers (i.e., studies which have
remarkably changed the field) related to your topic.
7. Always evaluate the sources for coverage and currency. Include only
those articles directly related to your topic.

EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS OF ARTICLES

1. Skim the articles and read their abstract.
FUNCTIONS OF A LITERATURE REVIEW
2. Group the articles and other documents according to their
categories.
RULES OF A LITERATURE REVIEW 3. Take down notes. Focus on the research questions, methodology
● Justifies a research question, method, or theoretical and conceptual used, mair findings and their explanations, and conclusion.
framework. 4. Summarize the details using a concept map. In this way, you will see
● Establishes the relevance of the topic. the relationship, similarities, and differences among the articles.
● Provides necessary information to better understand a specific 5. Write a synthesis of the references you have read before writing the
topic actual literature review.
● Shows reviewers familiarity and mastery of the topic. 6. Create an outline.
● Establishes the niche of the study.
● Resolves conflict among contradictory studies. WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW
1. State clearly your thesis of main argument and be guided by it
accordingly.
STRUCTURE OF A LITERATURE REVIEW
2. If you say that no studies have been conducted on one aspect of
your topic, justify it.
❖ INTRODUCTION 3. Direct the readers to other related literature reviews that cover
● Purpose for writing the literature review & importance of the topic items which you do not intend to cover. You may use the citation
● Scope of the review format "(see Author, year)" or follow the format prescribed by your
● Criteria used for selecting the literature chosen documentation style.
● Organizational pattern of the review 4. Never treat a literature review as a series of annotated bibliography.
5. Use headings and subheadings to classify the parts of your topic. For
❖ BODY each topic heading, analyze the differences among studies and look
● Historical background for gaps. Each paragraph should focus on one aspect of the topic.
● Relevant theories 6. Use effective transitions to make your review easier to understand.
● Relationship among the studies, how each study advanced a theory 7. The body of the literature review can be organized thematically,
● Strengths and weaknesses of each study methodological, or chronologically.
● Various viewpoints on the topic 8. Use direct quotations sparingly.
9. Clarify important definitions.
LESSON 12: RESEARCH REPORT

○ Related studies: based on previously conducted studies directly

RESEARCH REPORT related to the paper. Both the related concepts and studies will
help the writer explain the phenomena that may arise in the
It is an expanded paper that presents interpretations and analyses of a study.
phenomenon based on experiments and previous information so that ○ Last section: contains the synthesis of the related studies and
readers can better understand it. puts the study in context.
● It is a laborious work produced through formal investigation and ● It shows how your study is positioned among the available related
scientific inquiry. studies. Your last few sentences should present your general and
specific research questions.
PARTS OF A RESEARCH REPORT ● Length: 2 to 3 pages. Note that in some cases, the literature review
is integrated in the introduction section.
1. TITLE PAGE
● Contains informative title that describes the content of the paper, 5. METHODOLOGY
name of author/s, addresses/affiliations, date of submission. ● Describes how the experiments or tests in the research were
● Ex: Effects of Facebook on the Academic Achievement of First Year conducted.
Students ● Presents the context within which the study was conducted, the
participants, the instruments used, the data gathering procedure,
2. ABSTRACT and the data analysis.
● Contains the summary of the research findings and conclusions. ○ Discussing the context of the study and the participants: the
● Briefly presents the context of the study, research questions of number and the demographic profiles of the participants are
objectives, methodology, major findings, conclusions, and explained as well as the place where the study was conducted.
sometimes implications. ○ Discussion of the instrument: used presents the tools in
● Does not contain any citation or a great deal of statistical results. gathering data.
● Length: 100 to 250 words. ■ May be in the form of a questionnaire, interview, focus
group discussion, survey, and tests among others.
3. INTRODUCTION ■ All of the instruments used should be described in detail,
● Explains the current state of the field and identifies research gaps. along with the explanation on how they were validated.
● Research focus is presented by addressing the identified gaps in ○ Data gathering section: presents the details on how the data
the topic. It puts the research topic in context. were collected
● Length: 3 to 5 paragraphs long. ○ Data analysis section: presents how the data were analyzed,
○ 1st paragraph: talks about the current state of the field of either qualitatively (i.e., coding scheme) or quantitatively (i.e.,
study and explains that the chosen topic is still a relevant one. statistical tools).
○ 2nd paragraph: talks about the issue/s that pushed you to ● The past tense is used in writing the methodology.
conduct the study.
○ 3rd paragraph: explains the conventional and current 6. RESULTS
practices used to address the issue/s ● It factually describes the data gathered and the tables and graphs
○ Last paragraph: explains how the current and conventional that summarize the collected data. Along with the tables and
practices fail to address the issue/s and how you would graphs are their respective interpretations.
address the issues through your research. ● The flow of the results section should follow the flow of the
● The last few sentences present the transition to your research research or r questions/problems/objectives.
topic. You may use the phrase "Hence, this study sought to....” ● It is expected that for each research problem of objective,
corresponding results are presented.
4. LITERATURE REVIEW
● Contains the summary and synthesis of all available sources 7. DISCUSSION
directly related to the study. ● It provides an explanation of all the results in relation to the
● THREE SECTIONS: previous ban in studies presented in the literature review.
○ Related concepts: present some of the fundamental concepts ● The research problems or objectives, as well as the major findings,
needed by the readers to better understand the study. are restated in the first paragraph.
Concepts and theories are defined, explained, and described. ● Succeeding paragraphs should explain whether the study supports
or rejects the previous findings and explain the reasons for this.
 ● New findings uncovered in the research should also be stated. 8. Gather the data using the identified instruments
Similar to the flow of the results, the discussion part follows the 9. Process the data and present them in graphical forms if applicable
flow of the research problems or objectives. 10. Interpret the gathered data
11. Write the methodology and results sections
8. CONCLUSION 12. Write the introduction and literature review
● It contains the restatement of the major findings, the limitations 13. Write the discussion. Link the lit review to the discussion section
of algo the study, the recommendations, and the implications. 14. Write the conclusion
● Note! In some cases, the conclusion is integrated into the 15. Prepare the reference list. Be sure to list all items cited in the body of
discussion. your paper. It is useful to keep a separate word docu or physical
notebook to put references. This helps to not leave anything out
9. REFERENCES 16. Edit and format your paper. Observe proper mechanics
● It contains the different sources used in the study.
● These may be academic books, journals, and other online sources.
● Its format depends on the school, teacher, or field of study. WRITING A RESEARCH REPORT

STEPS IN WRITING A RESEARCH REPORT 1. 50-60% of the paper should be devoted to results and discussion.
2. Be sure to cite all your sources whether they are paraphrased or
1. Select and narrow down the topic. Use any of your preferred directly quoted.
prewriting activities to generate ideas. 3. As with the previous types of written works, use direct quotations
2. Conduct a preliminary research by gathering the initial references. sparing, paraphrase as much as possible.
3. Formulate the thesis statement and research questions. A good 4. Strictly follow the required documentation style.
thesis statement effectively guides and controls the flow of your 5. Topics should be relevant, interesting, current, and manageable in
paper. terms of resources, skills needed, and time. They should not be too
4. Prepare a preliminary outline. sensitive and too controversial.
5. Gather additional references. Use the preliminary outline as a guide 6. Research questions should directly address the given topic or thesis
for this stage. statement.
6. Prepare the pre final outline.
7. Prepare your instruments, such as your questionnaire. Below are
some guidelines in preparing a survey instrument.
LESSON 13: PROJECT PROPOSAL

PROJECT PROPOSAL PARTS OF A PROJECT PROPOSAL

A highly persuasive and informative document that aims to address a 1) COVER LETTER
particular problem or issue. ● Introduces the proposal to the reader.
● It is a bid or offer to initiate a project for my individual or a group. ● States the project proposal title, the date of the request for
● It usually ranges from 1,000 to 2,500 words depending on the proposal (if solicited), the general purpose and scope of the
complexity of the project being proposed. proposal, and an acknowledgment of people who have
contributed to the completion of the proposal.
→ A good project proposal specifies the following items: ● Includes the highlights of the proposal and directs the readers to
● goals and objectives that the project wants to accomplish; these highlights.
● project plan that details how the set goals and objectives will be
accomplished; 2) TITLE PAGE
● financial, human (e.B. experts, consultants), and technical (e.g., ● Includes the project title that is concise and informative.
equipment and facilities) resources useful in implementing the ● Includes the lead organization, place and date of project, client's or
project; and donor's name, proponent's name and the department or
● budget that specifies how much money is needed and for what organization he/she represents, and date of submission.
purpose it will be spent.
3) ABSTRACT OR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
● Includes the objectives, the implementing organization, the major
4 TYPES OF PROJECT PROPOSAL project activities, and the total project cost.
● Is usually composed of 200 to 250 words and highlights only the
1. SOLICITED INTERNAL major points; some abstracts may be longer depending on the
● It is used when the target reader is within the organization. culture of the funding agency.
● It responds to a specific request within the organization. ● Uses a paragraph format.
● The problem has been identified within the organization and the
decision to solve it has been made. 4) CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL
● Describes the socio-economic, cultural, and political background in
2. UNSOLICITED INTERNAL which the proposal is situated.
● It is used when the target reader is within the organization. ● Presents data collected from other sources that are relevant to the
● It is a self-initiated proposal that no one asked for. planning stage.
● The target reader has not yet identified that a problem exists
within the organization; hence, no decision has been made to 5) PROJECT JUSTIFICATION
solve the problem. ● Provides a rationale for the project
● Includes a problem statement that specifies the problem addressed
3. SOLICITED EXTERNAL ● Points out why the problem is an issue that requires immediate
● It is used when the target reader is not within the organization. attention
● It responds to a specific request from someone who is not within ● Specifies the target group's needs that arise from the adverse
the company. effect of the described problem.
● The problem has been identified and the decision to solve it has ● Presents the approach or strategy that will be used to address the
been made. problem.
● Describes the capability of the implementing organization or group
4. UNSOLICITED EXTERNAL by stating its track record.
● It is used when the target reader is not within the organization. ● Note! When writing this section, justify why your organization or
● It is a self-initiated proposal that no one asked for, group is the best group to implement the project.
● The target reader has not yet identified that a problem exists;
hence, no decision has been made to solve the problem. 6) PERSONNEL INVOLVED
● Lists the people involved in the project, their corresponding roles,
and their summary of qualifications.
7) PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION 11) Always put yourself in the shoes of the receiver of the proj.
● It is a divided plan which specifies the schedule of activities and a prop.
resource plan which specifies items needed to implement the
project. WRITING A PROJECT PROPOSAL
● Describes the activities and resource allocation in detail, as well
as the person in charge of executing the activities. 1. The title page must be unnumbered but it is considered page t;
● Indicates the time and place of activities. The back page of the title page is unnumbered as well; but it is
considered page It.
8) BUDGET The abstract, which follows after the title page, is considered page 1
● Presents the expected income and expenses over a specified time and must already be numbered.
period. 2. Do not use abbreviations in the title page.
● Itemizes the budget.
3. Attach the curriculum vitae of the personnel who are part of the
9) MONITORING AND EVALUATION team.
● Specifies when and how the team will monitor the progress of the 4. In the project implementation section, use a Gantt chart (i.e., a
project. horizontal bar graph designed to present a project schedule) to
● Specifies the method for monitoring and evaluation. present the time frame.
● Specifies the personnel in charge of monitoring and evaluation.

10) REPORTING SCHEME

● Specifies the schedule for reporting the finances and progress of
the project.

11) CONCLUSION
● Briefly describes the project, the problem it addresses, and its
benefits to stakeholders through a summary.
● Directs the readers back to the good features of the project. 5. Write the abstract only after you have completed the report.
● Urges the readers to contact the proponent to work out the 6. Study other successful proposals that are similar to yours.
details of the project proposal. 7. Be factual but use technical terms sparingly.
8. Choose a reader-friendly format.
12) REFERENCES 9. Use action words to make your proposal more dynamic.
● Lists all the references used in drafting the project proposal using
the format required by the funding agency.

PREPARING FOR A PROJECT PROPOSAL

1) Decide what the problem is and prepare a rough idea on how this
problem can be addressed.
2) Develop or select a framework that will help you organize your ideas
systematically.
3) Identify your specific activities, outputs, resources, and
methodologies.
4) Build your project proposal team and appoint a project leader who
is responsible for coordinating activities and communicating with the
funding agency.
5) Identify the organization that will probably fund your project. These
can be government agencies, non governmental organizations,
private companies and foundations, and international funding
agencies.
6) Hold an initial meeting with your team to discuss the plans in
preparing the project
7) Allot sufficient time for planning.
8) Involve all the team members by assigning specific responsibilities
to them.
9) Be realistic with your project proposal. Make sure that your
objectives and activities are within the given time and resources.
10) Contact the funding agency if some items and requirements are
not clear to you.
LESSON 14: POSITION PAPER

8) Summarize the other side's counterarguments and refute

POSITION PAPER them with evidence and logic.
9) Define unfamiliar terms at first mention.
It is a type of academic writing that presents one's stand or viewpoint on 10) Use an active voice as much as possible. This will make your
a particular issue. tone dynamic and firm.
● The main objective of writing a position paper is to take part in 11) Arrange your evidence logically using an inductive or deductive
a larger debate by stating your arguments and proposed course approach.
of action. 12) Check your paper for fallacies and revise accordingly.
13) Use ethical, logical, and emotional appeals.
STRUCTURE OF A POSITION PAPER a) Ethical appeal: relates to your credibility and
competence as a writer.
1. INTRODUCTION b) Logical appeal: refers to the rational approach in
● Uses a lead that grabs the attention of readers developing an argument.
● Defines the issue and provides a thorough background c) Emotional appeal: pertains to using arguments that
● Provides a general statement of the writer's position through a evoke feelings.
thesis statement → Make sure to check your appeals to ensure that they
are not fallacious.
2. BODY
● States the writer's main arguments and provides sufficient
evidence (e.g., statistics, interviews with experts, and testimonies)
for each argument.
● Provides counterarguments against possible weaknesses of the
arguments presented in the paper.

3. CONCLUSION
● Restates the writer's position and main arguments.
● Suggests a course of action
● Explains why the writer's position is better than any other
position.
● Ends with a powerful closing statement (e.g., a quotation, a
challenge, or a question)

Choosing an Issue
1. The issue should be debatable. You cannot take any position if the
topic is not debatable.
2. The issue should be current and relevant.
3. The issue should be written in question form and answerable by
yes or no.
4. The issue should be specific and manageable.

WRITING A POSITION PAPER

1) Begin the writing process with in-depth research about the issue at
hand.
2) Be aware of the various positions about the issue and explain and
analyze them objectively.
3) Reflect on your position and identify its weaknesses.
4) Establish your credibility by citing reliable sources,
5) Present a unique way of approaching the issue.
6) Limit your position paper to two pages,
7) Analyze your target readers and align your arguments to their beliefs,
needs, interests, and motivations.
LESSON 15: LETTERS, MEMOS, AND ELECTRONIC MAILS

5) SALUTATION – It refers to the writer's formal greeting to the reader.

BUSINESS LETTERS Formats:
Dear Sir:
An effective business letter elicits the expected response from the Sir:
readers. Dear Mr. Garcia:
● This can be achieved through a concise, tactful, and accurate
writing style. 6) BODY – It contains the message of the letter. Paragraphs are single
● A business letter serves several purposes: for sales efforts, for spaced internally but double-spaced to separate paragraphs.
complaints, for information dissemination, for relationship
building, for problem-solving, and many others. 7) COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE – It refers to the expression used to end a
letter.
PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

8) SIGNATURE BLOCK – It includes the signature and the typed name of

the sender. The typed name can be in all caps (e.g., HARRY DAMUS) or
CLC format (e.g., Harry Damus).

9) IDENTIFICATION INITIALS – It indicates the typist's initials if the

sender is not the one who personally typed the document.

10) ENCLOSURE NOTATION – It refers to the attachments to the letter.

Formats:
Enclosures (2)
Enclosure
enc. / encl

11) COPY NOTATION – It indicates the name of the secondary recipients

of the letter. The copy notation is indicated by cc: which means carbon
copy or courtesy copy.

3 FORMATS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

1) LETTERHEAD – It identifies the writer, his/her address, and contact

numbers.

2) DATE – It indicates the date the letter was written. The date is
placed between the letterhead and the inside address.

3) INSIDE ADDRESS – It identifies the reader's name, position and

company, and address. The inside address is placed immediately
below the date.

4) ATTENTION LINE – It is used when the writer wishes to address the

whole company but wants to bring it to the attention of a particular
person in the company.
Formats:
Attention Dr. Gilda Cores
Attention: Dr. Gilda Cores
 1) MEMOHEAD – It identifies the department/office name, its address,
WRITING A LETTER
and contact numbers.

1. Use correct format, punctuation, spelling, and grammar. 2) TO LINE – It indicates the name and title of the receiver.
2. Present your ideas clearly by using a language appropriate for the
target readers. 3) FROM LINE – It indicates the name of the sender. The sender should
3. Arrange your ideas logically. affix his/her initials on the right side of his/her name for verification
4. Use an active voice as much as possible. Apply a direct but tactful purposes.
tone.
5. Focus on the readers by using the "you" approach; this means writing 4) DATE LINE – It serves as a chronological record for reference
in such a way that you are talking directly to the reader. purposes.
6. Specify the name of the receiver of the letter. However, if it is
impossible to get the name of the receiver, use a generic title (e.g, 5) SUBJECT LINE – It announces the main content or tonic of the memo.
Dear Sales Director). Subject is more preferred than the old term Re.
7. Leave three to five blank lines for a signature before typing your
name in the signature block. 6) BODY – It contains the message of the memo.
8. Never use plain numerals for dates as it may create confusion. Instead ○ Paragraphs are single spaced internally but double spaced to
of using 01/02/19, use January 2, 2019 or 2 January 2019. separate paragraphs.
○ Paragraphs in the memo are not indented.
MEMORANDUM OR MEMO ○ When discussing a number of subtopics, a topic heading may be
used so that the readers can quickly locate information.
○ If the memo exceeds one page, begin the following page with
the recipient's name, date, and page number, which are placed
● Comes from the Latin term memorare
three lines from the top of the page. For example: Mr. Roxas, July
which means "to remember." A
14, 2018, page 2.
memorandum, which is commonly
shortened to "memo," is meant to
7) IDENTIFICATION INITIALS – It indicates the typist's initials if the
inform as well as to persuade people
sender is not the one who personally typed the document.
within an organization.
8) ENCLOSURE NOTATION – It refers to the attachments to the memo.
● It follows an inverted pyramid structure which means that the most
Formats:
important information comes first.
Enclosures (2)
Enclosure
ADVANTAGES OF USING A MEMO
enc. / encl
● Using a memo allows detailed and accurate information to reach a
large number of readers at the same time.
9) COPY NOTATION – It indicates the name of the secondary recipients
● It also serves as a written record that can be assessed any time.
of the letter. Carbon notations are indicated by ce: which means
carbon copy or courtesy copy.
PARTS OF A MEMO
WRITING A MEMO

1) Use the correct format and standard use of language.

2) Use a bullet or numbered list to enumerate information.
3) Use a positive tone, concise wording, and active verbs.
4) Use headings to highlight topics.
5) Check for and remove grammatical and typographical errors.
6) Sign beside your typed name (sender).
7) Flush left the To, From, Date, and Subject lines.
8) Conclude the memo simply by saying Thank you or a directive action
(e.g., For your compliance, For your immediate action).
9) Never use plain numerals for dates as it may create confusion. Instead
of using
01/02/19, use January 2, 2019 or 2 January 2019.
 5. AUTHORIZATION MEMO – It gives permission
5 TYPES OF MEMO

1. INSTRUCTION MEMO – It provides the information needed by the

readers to accurately perform directions.

ELECTRONIC MAILS

More commonly known as e-mail, has been a vital part of our everyday
communication since its inception.
● We use it to send messages to everyone, from friends and family to
colleagues and superiors. Indeed, email has revolutionized
interpersonal communication.
● An e-mail can serve many purposes. It can be used for directives,
transmittals, documentations, confirmations, explanations of
2. REQUEST MEMO – It asks readers to provide certain information or procedure, recommendations, status reports, and inquiries.
take certain actions.
Advantages of Communicating through E-mail
1) It reaches the target reader fast.
2) Confirmation of acceptance is easy.
3) It is cheaper and easy to use.
4) Original messages can be easily attached via thread.
5) It is environment-friendly because it requires no paper.
6) It has an automated email feature that notifies the sender if the
receiver is on vacation or will not be able to access his/her email as
soon as possible
Disadvantages of Communicating through E-mail
1) An e-mail may carry a virus.
3. ANNOUNCEMENT MEMO – It provides information about an event, 2) Not all official documents can be sent via email due to their nature.
person, or thing. 3) An email is sometimes used as a tool for scamming. Hence, using it
requires utmost caution.
4) Sending an e-mail is prone to technical glitches and is dependent on
Internet connection.

WRITING AN EMAIL

4. TRANSMITTAL MEMO – It serves as a cover note for a more formal or

lengthy document.

years ahead may well be greater than those that we have seen in our own
lifetime
LESSON 16: APPLICATION LETTER FOR COLLEGE ADMISSION

COLLEGE ADMISSION APPLICATION LETTER WRITING AN APPLICATION LETTER

Shows your interest in the university while justifying why you are CONTENT
qualified at the same time. 1) The application letter must not simply repeat the content of your
● It also serves as a cover letter for all your other college admission academic records. Emphasize concrete examples.
documents. 2) Address the letter to a specific person. If you don't know the specific
● As with any other correspondence, it follows a standard letter addressee, call the university and ask.
format. 3) Market yourself by presenting your academic qualifications,
● Generally, a college admission application letter presents your extracurricular activities, and community engagements. Tell the
academic qualifications, accomplishments, and reasons for university that you have unique or special skills to offer and how these
applying for admission. skills are relevant to the university.
4) Do not begin with an awkward statement such as: "Let me tell you
PARTS OF A COLLEGE ADMISSION APPLICATION LETTER something about myself. My name is ....”
5) Highlight two or three of your most significant accomplishments or
abilities. Avoid superfluous information.
❖ INTRODUCTION
6) Avoid fancy statements such as "I think ABC University is the best
● State who you are and what you are applying for.
university in the entire world." Instead, be realistic and provide
● State an eye-catching statement about yourself that will cause the
specific reasons why you believe the university is perfect for you.
reader to continue reading your qualifications.
7) Be factual. Never misrepresent yourself by overstating your
● Show your enthusiasm to study in the university you are applying
experience and skills. In short, do not exaggerate.
❖ BODY 8) Minimize opinions about yourself. When you claim one, be sure to
● Present your academic qualifications, extracurricular support it with specific and factual evidence.
involvement, community activity engagements, and some 9) Do not beg for admission (e.g., "Please take me in because this is my
personal qualities with specific evidence. only hope for success. I am desperately eager to study in your
● Organize your thoughts and segregate them into paragraphs. You university.").
may separate paragraphs by theme (e.g., one paragraph for 10) As you write, imagine that you are writing a script for your interview.
academic qualification and one for extracurricular activities). Think about how you can break the ice at the beginning of the
● State the benefits the university can obtain by admitting you. Do interview, convey a positive personality while discussing the things
not just give facts; explain how these facts will benefit the you want to talk about during the interview, and express what you
university. hope to get from the interview.
11) Read everything there is about your target college or university. Be
❖ CONCLUSION sure to match your letter to the mission and vision of the university.
● Indicate your interest for an interview. 12) Focus on your strengths and avoid mentioning any weaknesses.
● Indicate how the interviewer can contact you.
● Express your hope for a positive response from the Admission LANGUAGE
Director. 1) Use the active voice and verbs that denote action.
● Say thank you. 2) Be sure to have correct grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and usage.
Avoid jargon, clichés, and verbosity. Readers expect good grammar
and writing. Any typographical or grammatical error may cause the
reader to question your competence.
3) Be direct to the point so as not to lose the interest of your reader

FORMAT AND MECHANICS

1) Use letter-size bond paper with a 1- to 1.5-inch margin on all sides;
limit the letter to one to two pages.
2) Do not forget to put your signature above your name.
3) Use a letterhead. Include your full name, address, phone number, and
e-mail address.
4) Use a business letter format (i.e, block, full block, semi-block, or
simplified).

LITERATURE SEARCH
LESSON 17: APPLICATION LETTER FOR EMPLOYMENT

JOB APPLICATION LETTER WRITING A COVER LETTER

A job application letter or cover letter is a type of personal business CONTENT

correspondence which states your intention to work in a particular
organization. 1. Never begin your letter with bland and generic phrases such as,
● It should be enclosed every time you send your resume. "Enclosed is my resumé for..." To be more creative, you may use the
Corporate experts say that employers are more likely to read a following strategies:
resume which is accompanied by a cover letter. a) Begin with a question that stimulates the reader's interest.
● A cover letter can be a response to a job advertisement, an b) Lead in with a name of someone you both know (e.g., When
unsolicited inquiry to a prospective employer as part of your Dr. Gilda Nomer mentioned your name in a conference...).
direct mail strategy, or a letter to a recruitment agency. c) Start out with a quote that applies to the type of business of
Regardless of the circumstance you may find yourself in, it is wise the employer.
to research about the company and the job you are interested in. d) Explain how you learned about the job opening you are
You may also call the company's HR department for further applying for.
information or to get a copy of the company brochure.
→ Remember that although readers, especially employers, want
attention-getters, you do not have to resort to a shallow and contrived
PARTS OF A COVER LETTER
pitch. It might sound fake, and this alone might harm your chances

❖ INTRODUCTION 2. A cover letter must not simply repeat the content of your resume.
● Introduce yourself and state your purpose in writing to the Emphasize concrete examples.
receiver.
● Indicate your source of information in learning about the job 3. Address the letter to a specific person. If you do not know the specific
vacancy. Was it through a newspaper, magazine, the Internet, or addressee, call the company and ask.
personal contact?
● Add an interesting statement about yourself that will cause the 4. Be specific with the position you are applying for. Do not use general
reader to continue reading your credentials. vacancies.
● Show your enthusiasm to work in the company.
5. Avoid superfluous information. Do not begin with "Let me tell you
❖ BODY something about myself. My name is ..." Moreover, do not include too
● Present your work experience, academic qualifications, training, much specific information (e.g., dates, numbers, names, places).
and some personal qualities with specific evidence. Choose and include hard factual information.
● Organize your paragraphs accordingly. You may segregate them by
theme (e.g., one paragraph for work experience and one for 6. Focus on what you can do for the company. Remember that they are
education) or by function (e.g., management, financial, technical). looking for their own benefit.
● Explain the benefits to the employers if they hire you. Do not
simply give facts; explain how these facts will contribute to the 7. Avoid mentioning opinions about yourself. When you claim one, be
company. sure to support it with specific and factual evidence.
● For instance, instead of merely telling the company about all the
training you had, you may say, "I have extensive training in 8. Highlight two or three of your most significant accomplishments or
copyediting. You will save both time and money because I will abilities.
need little training in this area."
● In the last part of the body, refer the reader to a specific part of 9. Use the active voice to indicate a dynamic tone, as well as powerful
the resumé that suggests your strongest credentials for the verbs that denote action.
position.
10. Be sure to have correct grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and usage.
❖ CONCLUSION Avoid jargon, clichés, and verbosity. Any typographical and
● Indicate your interest for an interview at a time most convenient grammatical errors may cause the reader to doubt your competence.
to the employer. If required, specify the time you are available for
an interview.
11. Be direct to the point to keep the attention of your reader.

12. Be factual. Never misrepresent yourself by overstating your

experience and skills. In short, do not exaggerate.

13. Do not beg for the job; that is, do not write sentences such as,
"Please call today! I'll be waiting by the phone. I am desperately
eager to start."

14. As you write, imagine that you are writing a script for your
interview. Think how you could break the ice at the beginning of the
interview, convey a positive personality while discussing the things
you want to talk about, and express what you hope to get from the
interview.

15. Match your letter to the job description and job requirements. This
means that each letter should be tailored to the specific job you are
applying for.

FORMAT AND MECHANICS

1. Use letter-size bond paper; limit the letter to one to two pages.
2. Always sign the letter.
3. Use a letterhead which includes your full name, address, phone
number, and email address.
4. Use a business letter format (i.e., block, full block, semi-block, or
simplified).
5. Use 1- to 1.5-inch margin on all sides.
6. Do not cram the text at the upper half or lower half of the page. Be
sure to have appropriate page fill.
7. Use white or off-white paper.
8. Use a font size of at least 10 points and maximum of 12 points.
LESSON 18: RESUME

● If your job responsibilities are similar in more than one job, put the
RESUME details in the most recent one. Responsibilities need not be written
in complete sentences.
A tool that summarizes your skills, educational background, experiences, ● Do not state your past and present salary. Reserve it for the final
and other qualifications. It should not be confused with a curriculum interview.
vitae. ● Do not clutter your text. Use generous spacing and bullet lists.
● While "resumé" is a general term, "curriculum vitae" refers to a ● Use present tense active verbs for current jobs and past tense
very detailed type of resumé. active verbs for past jobs.
● A resume can be considered a sales tool in the sense that it helps
you market your skills to a prospective employer, in the same ❖ EDUCATION
manner that a product is advertised in a magazine. ● Start with the most recent educational attainment.
● Include the name and address of the school, years attended or
year of graduation, degree, and specialization. You may start with
COMPONENTS OF A RESUME
the name of the school if it is very prestigious.
● Omit high school educational background after a year of graduating
❖ CONTACT INFORMATION from college.
● Include your name, address, contact number, and e-mail address. ● Include your GPA if it is at least 3.0 of 4.0 (2.0 of 1.0 in other
Make sure your e-mail address is professional; you can opt to schools).
create a new e-mail address for job applications. ● List academic honors, scholarships, and extracurricular activities.
● Refrain from using juvenile e-mail addresses such as
i_love_unicOrns_4ever @yahoo. com ❖ SKILLS
● Don't include marital status, height, weight, religion, name of ● Show your skills through past events.
parents, and color of eyes and hair. These pieces of information do ● Be clear with your strengths and communicate them well.
not have much relevance to your credentials. ● Include transferable skills, such as the following:
● Increase the font size of your name and write it in boldface for ○ managerial skills (motivates others to reach team goals)
emphasis. You may use font size 15 for your name and font size ○ professional qualities (understands professional and technical
13 for your address and contact details. aspects of work)
○ personal qualities (adapts to changing demands and
❖ SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
conditions)
● Use this when you have at least five years of professional
○ entrepreneurial qualities (understands commercial and
experience.
business principles)
● It should consist of one to four strong sentences that will highlight
your experiences and accomplishments. ❖ TRAINING
● It should be written in the third person and in an active voice. ● Include only trainings that have a bearing on the job position you
● Example: Fifteen years of teaching experience in the tertiary level are applying for.
and with strong rapport with professional organizations and ● Include the title of the training, organizer, date, and venue.
practitioners. Trained more than 1,000 teachers across the ● Start with the most recent training.
country.
❖ ORGANIZATIONS
❖ OBJECTIVE STATEMENT ● Include professional and civic affiliations. As much as possible, do
● It is an optional part of a resumé that includes job title, function, not include religious and political organizations unless you are
industry, and what you can offer to the company. applying for a job that requires such affiliation.
● Objective statement is appropriate for recent graduates. ● Include the name of the organization, your position, and inclusive
● Example: Seeking an associate editor position in a top publishing dates.
company such as C&E Publishing where my expertise in textbook ● Start with the most recent affiliation.
editing will be employed.
❖ PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE AND CERTIFICATIONS
❖ EMPLOYMENT HISTORY ● Include the name of certification, rating (optional for low ratings),
● Never put anything that is not a hundred percent true. date issued, and place of issuance.
● Begin with the most recent experience.
● Each job mentioned must include the name and the address of
the employer, the inclusive dates (month and year), and brief job
description.
● Do not use many adjectives and superlatives, as well as jargon.
❖ HONORS AND AWARDS 3. TARGETED – Contains career objectives that you want to achieve.
● List your recognized achievements. ● Lists capabilities that match your career objective.
● Never list achievements that have nothing to do with work. ● Written to match point-for-point a specific job listing.
● Include the title of the award or honor, inclusive date, sponsor or ● Best for people with only one career pattern and multitrack job
award-giving organization history.

❖ REFERENCES
● Preferably, the list of references should not be included in the
resumé. Simply state "References available upon request."
● If you decide to put them, do not exceed three references. Include
their name, position, company, and contact details (preferably 4. COMBINED FORMAT – Contains both the features of the reverse
the business contact details). chronological and functional types.

E-RESUME

One offshoot of a traditional resume is the electronic resumé. It has the

same content and format as a traditional resume but an e-resumé is a
softcopy which can be viewed on screen, stored in a hard drive, sent over
the Internet, searched for keywords, and manipulated into other types of
documents.
● Compared to a traditional resumé which is printed, an e-resumé
can be accessed faster and is more cost-efficient on the part of
both the employer and job seekers.

FUNCTIONS OF A RESUME

1. It informs the employers of the skills that you can bring to the
company.
2. It shows how qualified you are for the job.
3. It functions as a persuasive document which allows you to proceed to
the next stage of the recruitment process which is the interview.

TYPES OF RESUME

1. REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL – Listed in reverse chronological order,

which includes company and job title, dates of employment,
responsibilities, and accomplishments
● Commonly favored by employers, as it is very straightforward.
● Best for applicants with steady career progression in business, in
government, and whose employer is a respected name.

2. FUNCTIONAL – Consolidates skills and responsibilities by describing

them in a general way under headings that represent different areas of
expertise instead of job titles; focuses on skills and not on job titles.
● Best for job-hoppers, career changers, new graduates, or people
with minimal work experience.