Module CS5052NI

Professional Issues, Ethics

and Computer Law

Academic Writing
2024
Contents
• Introduction to Academic Writing

• Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning

• Categories of academic writing

• Essay Vs Report

• Critical writing

• Things to remember while writing

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Introduction to academic writing
• Academic writing has certain qualities
which makes it different from other normal
styles of writings.

• The readers are the primary reason that

academic writing is different from other
general forms of writing. For students, the
teachers are the primary readers.

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 Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning
Step 1: Knowledge: Remembering statements or facts.

Step 2: Comprehension: Try to understand what you remember by repeating the concepts.

Step 3: Application: Apply the new knowledge to a certain situation.

Step 4: Analysis: Break down the information to compare and examine them.

Step 5: Synthesis: Make sense of researched and analyzed contents and put together in
writing with clear meaning.

Step 6: Evaluation: Make a judgement

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Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (RBT)

● Revised version of Bloom’s Taxonomy (RBT), was published in 2001

● Includes two dimension: the Cognitive Process Dimension (still a hierarchy of
thinking skills) and the Knowledge Dimension (types of knowledge involved)

● The six cognitive processes in RBT are slightly different and are presented as verbs
rather than nouns:

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Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (RBT)

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Being critical in academic writing

• Demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of various theories

• The awareness of the subject matter
• Analysis of different views
• Reasonings and evidence for different views
• Critical analysis of work
Categories of academic writing
Academic writings have different functions, structures and forms.
• Research Proposals: To deliver proposals for possible research work
• Lab Reports: Used for showing the results of experiments
• Reflective Writing: Used for subjects which provide knowledge related to
professional and employability skills
• Case Studies: A detailed analysis of a situation
• Project: Includes tasks, stages, and deadlines of the project

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 Essay Report
• Introduction: Include background • First part of the report: Opening credits of a
information on the topic you are writing movie and includes the title page, table of
about. contents and an abstract or summary.
• Development: Write about the main ideas • Middle part will have its main introduction
with the help of a series of paragraphs. section, details on its approach, results,
discussions, and conclusions.
• Conclusion: Include main points of each of
the main paragraphs from the previous parts • Last part of the report will include details on
and include a recommendation from your the different resources you used to complete
point of view. the writing.
• References: Provide full detail of the • A key section of report writing is the inclusion
sources which had been considered to of references and appendices
complete the essay!

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 Critical writing
• Combination of analysis and evaluation of opinions, where idea is justified by using
multiple evidence.
• When writing critically, you are looking for evidence and examples to defend the written
ideas and arguments.

• It does not mean you only look for negative aspects to talk about.

• The writing is done by constantly analyzing and comparing ideas and arguments with
their advantages and disadvantages, including proper evidence for each argument
through research, is critical writing in the true sense.
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Arguments and discussions
• Another part of critically prepared academic writing where you are
expected to discuss the positive and negative aspects of the various
concepts that you present in your document.

• Based on these discussions, you must also concentrate on convincing

your readers that the presented ideas and concepts are correct.

• So, when you pass both positive and negative opinions supported by
evidence, you will find that it is easier to convince your readers that your
ideas are, in fact, correct.

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Presenting arguments
• Inductive approach: You must not • Deductive approach: You announce
commit to any of the two sides your own opinion of an argument
of an argument and present both and then try to persuade your
of them in your writing. reader through evidences that you
are correct.
Present both arguments to your reader.
State your own opinion of the topic.
Provide reasons against your arguments.
Clarify what you are verifying.
Provide reasons for your arguments.
Provide reasons against your arguments.
State your own opinion.
Provide reasons for your arguments.
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1. Use of formal language
• Academic writings prefer formal language Find out:
over spoken language. Discover
Get: Obtain

He tried to show that it was possible to be Sorry: Apologise Show:

good at video games and still score good Demonstrate
grades.

He attempted to prove that being good at video Cheap:

games whilst still scoring good grades was Inexpensive
Okay:
achievable. Start:
Acceptable
Commence

Totally:
Completely
2. Use of passive voice 3. Being careful
Academic writings prefer the usage of
passive voice.
• Academic writings must be carefully styled
and written.
They We People You
• Present evidence to prove your claims and
They have forecasted snow for tomorrow. statements are valid.

Snow is forecasted for tomorrow. Must make

Must make Must Provide
careful
decisions. evidence.
statements.
4. Using an objective approach
• Academic writings must not refer to the author or the readers.
• It must be structured for the readers to understand the process of the work and its conclusions.
• Clearly state that the writing is based on research.

• Avoid certain words to maintain an objective

approach in your writing.

I Me You

• Always reference the ideas in your texts.

Focus on giving Must explain the process of

your work. And Must be
information. based on your research.
5. Avoid using questions 6. Developing paragraphs in
academic writing
● Divide and arrange texts into multiple
• Avoid using questions to meaningful paragraphs.
introduce the topic. ● Continuous writing makes it hard for the
readers to understand.
Many students are selecting Computer
Engineering as their major. What may be the ● The main idea of a paragraph must be
reason? Well, they believe….
expressed by a single topic sentence at the
start of the paragraph.
Increasing number of students are selecting
Computer Engineering as their major. The ● Develop a common theme and an idea for
reason for this is that many believe…. each paragraphs.
● Include information, explanations examples
and conclusions.

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Any questions?

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