Structure Features of Academic Texts:

The basic structure that is used by an academic 1. Complex - Written language has no longer
text is consist of three (3) parts introduction, words, it is lexically more varied vocabulary. -
body, and conclusion. Written texts are shorter and the language has
more grammatical complexity, including more
Tone
subordinate clauses and more passives.
This refers to the attitude conveyed in a piece of
2. Formal - Should avoid colloquial words and
writing.
expressions.
Language
3. Precise - Facts are given accurately and
It is important to use unambiguous language. precisely.
Clear topic sentences enable a reader to follow
4. Objective - has fewer words that emphasize on
your line of thinking without difficulty. Formal
the information you want to give and the
language and the third person point of-view
arguments you want to make - mostly use nouns
should be used.
(adjectives), rather than verbs (adverbs)
Citation
5. Explicit - It is the responsibility of the writer in
Citing sources in the body of the paper and English to make it clear to the reader how the
providing a list of references as either footnotes various parts of the text are related.
or endnotes is a very important aspect of an
6. Accurate
academic text.
- Uses vocabulary accurately
Complexity
- Most subjects have words with narrow specific
An academic text addresses complex issues that
meanings.
require higher-order thinking skills to
comprehend. 7. Hedging

Evidence-based Arguments - It is necessary to make decisions about your

stance on a particular subject, or the strength of
What is valued in an academic text is that
the claims you are making. 8. Responsible
opinions are based on a sound understanding of
the pertinent body of knowledge and academic - You must be responsible for and must be able to
debates that exist within, and often external to a provide evidence and justification for any claims
specific discipline. you make.

Thesis-driven 9. Organize

The starting point of an academic text is a - Well-organized.

particular perspective, idea or position applied to
- It flows easily from one section to the next in a
the chosen research problem, such as
logical fashion.
establishing, proving, or disproving solutions to
the questions posed for the topic. 10. Plan

- Well-planned.
- It usually takes place after research and Cause and Effect: This format explores the
evaluation, according to specific purpose and reasons behind events (causes) and their
plan. outcomes (effects), illustrating relationships
between actions and results.
Purposes in Reading an Academic Text
Problem/Solution: This structure identifies a
1. To locate a main idea;
problem and discusses one or more solutions,
2. To scan for information; often outlining the steps needed to resolve the
issue.
3. To identify gaps in existing studies;
Compare and Contrast: This structure highlights
4. To connect new ideas to existing ones; similarities and differences between two or more
subjects, helping to clarify their characteristics
5. To gain more pieces of information;
and relationships.
6. To support a particular writing assignment;
Definition or Description: This format provides a
and,
clear explanation or detailed account of a
7. To deeply understand an existing idea. concept or object, often including characteristics
and examples.

Factors to Consider in Writing Academic Text

Techniques in Summarizing Academic Texts
1.State critical questions and issues;
Summarizing is how we take larger selections of
2. Provide facts and evidence from credible
text and reduce them to their bare essentials: the
sources;
gist, the key ideas, the main points that are worth
3. Use precise and accurate words while avoiding nothing and remembering.
jargon;
Webster's calls a summary the "general idea in
4. Take an objective point of view; brief form"

5. List references; and, Basic Rules:

6. Use cautious language. A. Erase things that don’t matter. Delete trivial
material that is unnecessary to understanding.

B. Erase things that repeat. Delete redundant

Text Structure material. In note taking, time and space is
precious. If a word or phrase says basically the
Narrative: A narrative tells a story, focusing on
same thing you have already written down, then
characters, events, and a plot that unfolds over
don’t write it again!
time.
C. Trade, general terms for specific names.
Chronological, Process, or Sequence: This
Substitute superordinate terms for lists
structure presents events or steps in the order
they occur, guiding the reader through a timeline (e.g., flowers for daisies, tulips for roses). Focus
or process. on the big picture. Long, technical lists are hard
to remember. If one word will give you the
meaning, then less is more.
D. Use your own words to write the summary. influenced by feelings or opinions in considering
Write the summary using your own words but and presenting facts.
make sure to retain the main points.

THINGS THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN

Techniques: WRITING, OR APPLYING BALANCED/OBJECTIVE
REVIEW OF ANY PIECE OF WORK
1. Somebody Wanted But So.
1. Description - Pure description of the object,
The strategy helps students generalize, recognize
piece of work, art, event, etc. It answers the
cause and effect relationships, and find main
questions:
ideas.
2. Analysis - Determining what the features
2. SAAC Method.
suggest and deciding why the artist or writers
This method is particularly helpful in used such features to convey specific ideas.
summarizing any kind of text. SAAC is an acronym
3. Interpretation - Establishing the broader
for “State, Assign, Action, Complete.”Each word
context for this type of art.
in the acronym refers to a specific element that
should be included in the summary. 4. Judgment - Judging a piece of work means
giving it rank in relation to other works and of
3. 5 W's, 1 H.
course considering a very important aspect of the
This technique relies on six crucial questions: visual arts; its originality.
who, what, when where, why, and how. These
questions make it easy to identify the main
character, important details, and main idea. 1. Painting Critique - Paint is a medium that
emphasizes light, colors, and space.
4. First Then Finally. This technique helps
students summarize events in chronological 2. Sculpture Critique - Similarly, many specific
order factors influence the overall impression of a
sculpture.
5. Give Me the Gist.
3. Architecture Critique - You can write art
This type of techniques is like giving a friend the
critiques on architecture, too! Just bear in mind
gist of a story. In other words, they want a
the following points: What architectural style
summary – not are telling of every detail.
does it belong to? E.g., the cathedral is a typical
Gothic building.

Objective/Balanced Review, or Critique of a 4. Photography Critique - Analyzing a photograph

work of art, an event, or a program. is a lot like critiquing a painting.

WHAT IS BALANCED/OBJECTIVE REVIEW OR REACTION PAPER is a form of paper writing in

CRITICISM? which the writer expresses his ideas and opinions
about what has been read or seen. This paper
It is a system of interpreting, judging, and writing may be informal, two pages long. As all
assessing a person, thing, or any work of art not essays, are action paper comprises introduction,
body, and conclusion.
- Read the material carefully. 7. Structuralism: This analyzes human behavior
- Mark interesting places while by looking at larger social, cultural, and
reading/watching psychological structures that influence how
- Write down your thought while people act and think.
reading/watching
- Come up with a thesis statement
- Compose an outline THESIS STATEMENT AND OUTLINE READING
- Construct your paper TEXT
First, don’t give a summary of an article. You A thesis statement is the controlling idea that you
should perform your personal opinion, not an will develop in your paper. This can be found
overview. You should always back your ideas usually at the end of an introduction. A thesis
with examples. However, avoid using statement can be one sentence. However, if
examples, which are difficult to relate to the necessary, it can also be two or three sentences.
topic.

Elements of a Thesis Statement

APPROACHES IN LITERARY CRITICISM
1. Topic - The topic of your paper.
1. Formalist Criticism: This looks at the
different elements within a text, like style and 2. Argument/Claim - This depends on the type of
structure, to understand how they shape its paper you are writing.
impact on readers.
3. Evidence -The support for your
2. Gender Criticism: This examines how argument/claim.
sexual identity, such as being male or female,
influences the creation and understanding of
literature. OUTLINE DEFINITION

3. Historical Criticism: This approach studies -is a design to follow when writing a structure, a
the social and cultural background of a discourse, or a article.
literary work to understand how it affected its
It arranges a material in a logical way into main
original readers.
ideas, supporting ideas, and supporting details.
4. Reader-Response Criticism: This focuses on
The main idea or topic is the main topic of the
how a reader's mind interacts with the text,
outline. All main topics are indicated by Roman
viewing reading as a creative process.
Numeral.
5. Media Criticism: This is about carefully
Subtopics are noted by letters and supporting
examining the media for bias, where the
details are indicated by Arabic Numerals.
media may show favoritism or leave out
important parts of a story. An outline can be a sentence outline or topic
outline. A sentence outline is written in full
6. Marxist Criticism: This looks at how
sentence while a topic outline is in words or
literature reflects or challenges political and
phrases.
economic power, often focusing on class
struggle.