Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Part I
Toni Kennedy
Manager Library & Information Services (DOCLIS) with the NSW Department of
Corrective Services
This paper, presented in two parts over two issues, will focus on the writing skills
required for communicating your re-search clearly and effectively.
Academic writing is formal writing. Many novice writers have trouble telling informal
writing apart from formal writing. They resort to informal writing, since its easier and
more familiar.
Essays, reports, presentations and research papers are just some examples of
documents written in the academic style. Academic writing, when used appropriately,
presents a polished and professional image. Academic writing skills encompass strong
composition, excellent grammar, and a consistent stylistic approach, providing proper
credits and references.
Are you grappling with how to communicate your research clearly and effectively?
These guidelines will explore ways of developing your skills for presenting a convincing
and cohesive argument, creating a logical structure, and achieving coherence and
cohesion between and within the text.
Part I will focus on the following:
Process Overview
Research
Search Strategy
Boolean Searching
Internet Research
Organising the Information
Taking Notes
Essay Plan/Outline
Example of Note Taking & Essay Planning Process
Process Overview
The following procedure is useful when writing an extended essay or assignment.
Task
Product
Essay subject.
Diagrams or notes.
Reading list.
Notes.
Essay plan/Outline.
First draft.
Reference list
List of revisions/changes.
Second draft.
Final assignment.
Check everything.
Hand in.
Research
When you have understood the question
or what you are expected to write, you
will need to do some reading to find out
what has been published in your field of
study. It is most unlikely that you will
find the information you need about your
topic in just one specific section of the
library. You need to think and look as
widely as you can about possible subject
areas that may be relevant to your topic.
Many sources are available in several
formats - as hard copy or on-line via the
Internet. In the last few years there has
been a great increase in the amount of
information that can be found on-line.
Using the Internet, it is possible to
search for the details of books, journal
articles and conference proceedings, as
well as for data such as statistics, maps
and diagrams. The number of journal
titles that you are able to access on-line
is growing rapidly. Internet gateways
and subject databases can also be good
starting points for your research.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Boolean Searching
Boolean logic refers to the logical
relationship among search terms. On
Internet search engines, the options for
constructing logical relationships among
search terms extend beyond the
traditional practice of Boolean searching.
Boolean logic consists of three logical
operators:
OR
AND
NOT
A. Hamlet is idealistic.
B. Hamlet is aware of his own
faults, whereas others are selfsatisfied.
C. Hamlet does not want to take
revenge without grounds for
acting.
III. Hamlet becomes morally
compromised while delaying.
A. The turning point in Hamlet's
moral decline is his killing of
Polonius.
B. Hamlet's moral decline
continues when he sends
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
to their death.
C. Hamlet already began his moral
decline before the turning point
in the play, the killing of
Polonius.
1. Hamlet treats women badly.
2. Hamlet criticizes others in the
play for acting falsely to get
ahead, but in adopting the
disguise of madness he, too, is
presenting a false face to the
world.
IV. Though Hamlet becomes more
compromised the longer he delays,
killing the king would have been a
morally questionable act.
V. Conclusion: The play Hamlet
questions the adequacy of a
system of ethics based on honour
and revenge.
This is an example of a sentence
outline. Another kind of outline is
the topic outline. It consists of
fragments rather than full
sentences. Topic outlines are more
open-ended than sentence
outlines: they leave much of the
working out of the argument for
the writing stage.
Example of a Note Taking & Essay
Planning Process
The following is an example of a method
that can be used when taking notes.
1. Number all articles that you read
from 1 onwards they dont have
to be in any order
2. As you read the articles, make a
list of the topics within the articles
that are useful for your essay. Note
Topic Description
Article Number
Definitions of terrorism
1,12,15,20
Supermax conditions
2, 5, 33
3, 8, 12, 20
3, 7, 11,12, 14
6,11,21
7, 9, 12, 13, 17
7, 13, 16
8, 22, 25, 28
Introduction
2.
Point 1
(heading?)
3.
Point 2
(heading?)
4.
Point 3
(heading?)
5.
Conclusion
Note:
Part II of this paper will appear in the June 2009 issue of the Australasian Journal
of Correctional Staff Development. Topics will include: Writing skills: organising
essays; Writing skills: paragraphs; Writing skills: expressing yourself; Reference
List and Useful Links.