SUBJECT CODE: SAEAPPS

SUBJECT TITLE: ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

SUBJECT TEACHER: MR. DENNIS M. LAUREL

LESSON 1:
READING ACADEMIC TEXTS
OVERVIEW

This unit contains lessons which aim to build and enhance the academic reading skills of the learners.
Various essential topics, from the content and structure of academic texts to basic reading skills are discussed.
These lessons are coupled with numerous exercises which strengthen the understanding of these topics.

OBJECTIVES

1. determine the structure of a specific academic text;

2. differentiate language used in academic texts from various disciplines;
3. apply critical reading strategies in reading academic texts; and
4. write a synthesis of information from various academic texts

DISCUSSION
READING ACADEMIC TEXTS

ACADEMIC TEXTS DESCRIPTION

Articles Published in scholarly journals, this type of academic text offers results of
research and development that can either impact the academic community or
provide relevance to nation-building.
Conference Papers These are papers presented in scholastic conferences, and may be revised
as articles for possible publication in scholarly journals.
Reviews These provide evaluation or reviews of works published in scholarly journals.
Thesis and Dissertations These are personal researches written by a candidate for a college or
university degree.

ACADEMIC TEXT VS NON–ACADEMIC TEXT

ACADEM IC TEXT VS NON-ACADEM IC TEXT

Non-academic texts,
Academic texts are
formal, based on on the other hand,
facts and evidence are writings that are
and always contain informal and
citations. dedicated to a lay
audience.
Examples: Scholarly
Articles, Research, Newspapers, novels,
Thesis, Dissertations
Short stories,
etc.
Memoirs etc.

Reading Goals

It is important that you know your purpose for reading so you can save time and improve your
comprehension.

Before you read an academic text, ask yourself the following questions.
1. Why am I reading this text?
2. What pieces of information do I need?
3. What do I want to learn?
The following are some general purposes for reading an academic text.
• to better understand an existing idea
• to get ideas that can support a particular writing assignment
• to gain more information
• to identify gaps in existing studies
• to connect new ideas to existing ones

Structure of Academic Texts

Academic texts have a clear structure which helps the readers navigate and understand the contents
of the text easily. Academic texts typically follow the Introduction-Body-Conclusion format, and include
information from credible sources, which are properly cited. The outline below shows the common structure
of an academic text.

Title

1. Introduction
1.1 Background of the topic
1.2 Thesis Statement

2. Body
2.1 Main Idea 1

2.1.1
Supporting Idea 1
2.1.2 Supporting Idea 2
2.2 Main Idea 2

2.2.1
Supporting Idea 1
2.2.2 Supporting Idea 2

2.3 Main Idea 3


2.3.1
Supporting Idea 1
2.3.2 Supporting Idea 2

3. Conclusion
3.1 Restatement of the Thesis Statement
3.2 Closing Statement

4. References

Some academic texts, especially those that are published in scholarly journals follow the Introduction-
Method-Results and Discussion (IMRaD) format. The outline below shows the specific sections in IMRaD.

Title

1. Introduction
1.1 Findings and recommendations of previous studies
1.2 Need to conduct the study
1.3 Statement of the problem or objectives of the study

2. Methods
2.1 Research methods and materials of the study
2.2 Data Procedure
2.3 Data Analysis

3. Results
3.1 Presentation of the findings of the study or answers to the research questions

4. Discussion
4.1 Studies that either support or contradict the findings
4.2 Inferences of the authors
 5. Conclusions
5.1 Summary of the research problem
5.2 Inferences made to address the problem
5.3 Recommendations for future work

6. References

Content and Style of Academic Texts

Academic texts include concepts and theories that are related to the specific discipline they explore.
They usually exhibit all the properties of a well-written text such as organization, unity, coherence, and
cohesion, as well as strict adherence to the rules and mechanics of language use.
In general, authors observe the following when writing academic texts.

• They state critical questions and issues.

• They provide facts and evidence from credible sources.
• They use precise and accurate words for clarity while being mindful that jargon is not used excessively
or inappropriately.
• They avoid using colloquial expressions.
They take an objective point-of-view and avoid being
personal and subjective.
• They list references.
• They use hedging or cautious language to tone down their claims.

What to avoid in Academic Text?

Slang - Language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal
occasions; often vulgar.

Contractions - a contraction is a shortened form of a group of words. Contractions are used in both written
and oral communication. When a contraction is written in English, the omitted letters are replaced by an
apostrophe.

Idioms - An idiom is a phrase that, when taken as a whole, has a meaning you wouldn't be able to deduce
from the meanings of the individual words.

Negatives - Write affirmative sentences because they are usually clearer than negative sentences. With
negative sentences, your readers have to comprehend the important words in the sentence and then negate
them.

Examples:
Negative: He did not fail the exam.
Affirmative: He passed the exam.
Negative: The committee did not consider the facts.
Affirmative: The committee ignored the facts.

Phrasal Verbs - is an idiomatic phrase consisting of a verb and another element, typically either an adverb,
as in break down, or a preposition, for example see to, or a combination of both, such as look down on.

Critical Reading Strategies

Reading academic texts requires focus and understanding. You have to interact with the text by
questioning its assumptions, responding to its arguments, and connecting it to real-life experiences and
applications. Critical or reflective reading helps you identify the key arguments presented by the author and
analyze concepts presented in the text.
To adopt a critical reading approach, practice the strategies to be employed during each stage of reading.

Before Reading
• Determine which type of academic text (article, review, thesis, etc.) you are reading.
• Determine and establish your purpose for reading.
• Identify the author's purpose for writing.
• Predict or infer the main idea or argument of the text based on its title.
• Identify your attitude towards the author and the text.
• State what you already know and what you want to learn about the topic.
• Determine the target audience.
• Check the publication date for relevance. It should have been published at most five years
earlier than
the current year.
 • Check the reference list while making sure to consider the correctness of the formatting style
• Use a concept map or any appropriate graphic organizer to note your existing ideas and knowledge
on the topic.

During Reading
• Annotate important parts of the text.
• Annotating a text can help you determine essential ideas or information, main ideas or arguments, and
new information or ideas. Here are some ways to annotate a text.
• Write key words or phrases on the margins in bullet form.
• Write a symbol on the page margin where important information is found.
• Write brief notes on the margin.
• Write questions on information that you find confusing.
• Write what you already know about the ideas.
• Write the limitations of the author's arguments.
• Write notes on the reliability of the text.
• Comment on the author's biases.
• Use a concept map or any appropriate graphic organizer to note down the ideas being explained.
• React on the arguments presented in the text.
• Underline important words, phrases, or sentences.
• Underline or circle meanings or definitions.
• Mark or highlight relevant/essential parts of the text.
• Use the headings and transition words to identify relationships in the text.
• Create a bank of unfamiliar or technical words to be defined later.
• Use context clues to define unfamiliar or technical words.
• Synthesize the author's arguments at the end of a chapter or section.
• Determine the main idea of the text.
• Identify the evidence or supporting arguments presented by the author and check their validity and
relevance.
• Identify the findings and note the appropriateness of the research method used.

After Reading
• Reflect on what you have read.

• React on some parts of the text through writing.
• Discuss some parts with your teacher or classmates.
• Link the main idea of the text to what you already know.

Other Reading Strategies

In addition to the given strategies before, during, and after reading, there are other reading strategies that you
can employ to ensure critical reading not only of academic texts but also of other texts in general.

a. SQ3R Method
The SQ3R method stands for Survey (or Skim), Question, Read, Recite (or Recall), Review.

Stage Guidelines
Survey • Skim the target text.
• Check the headings and tables, diagrams, or
figures presented in the text.
• Read the first few and last sentences of the
text to determine key information.
• Get a feel of the text.

Question • Annotate the headings with your questions.

• Develop questions on the types of
information you expect from the text.

Read • Look for answers to vour questions as you

read the text.
• Stop and slow down if the passage is not
clear.
• Make sure to proceed reading only when you
already understand the previous texts.

Recite • Recount the main points of the text.

• Recall by writing a summary or synthesis
based on what you understand of the text.
• Highlight or underline the important points
you read.
 Review • After finishing the text, go back and re-read
the questions you wrote and see if you can
answer them; if not, refresh your memory.
• Evaluate what you learned to ensure that you
are convinced and satisfied with the
information presented in the text.

KWL Method

The KWL method guides you in reading and understanding a text. To apply the KWL method, simply make a
table with three columns. In the first column, write what you know about the topic (K); in the second column,
list down what you want to learn (W); and in the last column, write down what you learned (L).

Below is a sample KWL chart using an article which focuses on language and gender.

K W L
What I [K]now What I [W]ant to Learn What I Have [L]earned
• There is a connection • Are women more talkative • Women are reported to
between language and than men? speak 20,000 words a day
gender. while men speak an
• What accounts for the average of 7,000 words.
• Women and men have difference in the frequency
different levels of of language use between • Foxp2 protein is one of the
talkativeness. men and women? genes associated with
language.

• It was shown that women

have higher levels of
Foxp2 protein than men.

REFERENCES:

[4] Barrot, J. (2020). Communicate Today: English for Academic and Professional Quezon City: C & E
Publishing, Inc.

[5] Birkbeck University of London (n.d.). Hedging in academic writing. Retrieved from http:/ /www.
bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/get-ahead-stay-ahead/writing/Hedging-in-AcademicWriting.doc

[11] Massey University. (2004). How to read academic texts [PDF file]. Retrieved from http://
fees.massey.ac.nz/massey/fms//Student%20services/Student%20Learning%20
Development%20Service/Documents/Albany/Brochures/Study%20skills/ Reading%20
academic%20texts.pdf

[15] Murthy, D., Bowman, S., Gross, A. J, and McGarry, M. (2015). Do we tweet differently from our mobile
devices? A study of language differences on mobile and web-based twitter platforms. Journal of
Communication, 65, 816-837. do:10.1111/jcom.12176