\item means to include ideas or information from an original source in your paper by rephrasing in your own words.
\end{itemize}
\end{itemize}
\section{How to paraphrase}
\begin{itemize}
\item use as few words as possible from the original text
\item be mindful, not to change the meaning
\item proper cite your paraphrase to avoid plagiarism
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Citation}
\begin{itemize}
\item Citations are normally written in the present tense.
\item There are two parts for referencing sources.
\end{itemize}
\subsubsection{In-text citation}
``To write successfully at university you need a sense of what the final product should look and sound like, so if possible, read model assignments or if these are not available, study the way in which journal articles have been written in your specific area. These articles may be lengthy and some may be based on research rather than a discussion of issues, but from them you will get a sense of how academic writing 'sounds', that is, its tone, and also how respected writers in your field assemble information. You will also gain a sense of the complexity of being an apprentice writer in an academic culture, or rather cultures, where expectations may vary from discipline to discipline, even subject to subject and where you can build a repertoire of critical thinking and writing skills that enable you to enter the academic debates, even to challenge.
Morley-Warner, T 2001, Academic writing is…: a guide to writing in a university context , 2nd edn, CREA Publications, University of Technology Sydney, Lindfield, NSW.
``Students will come to understand what is required of them in their writing by studying how journal articles are written (Morley-Warner 2001, p. 6). They will also become aware of the different demands of various disciplines and even the different requirements from subject to subject, argues Morley-Warner (2001, p. 6). Through this process, Morley-Warner maintains, students will develop critical thinking and writing skills that will allow them to participate in academic debate and even to challenge ideas.''
\item consequences: ``as a result'', ``because of this'', ``so'', ``therefore'',...
\item ordering:
``firstly'',
``secondly'',
``finally'', ...
\item continuation:
``and'',
``furthermore'', ...
\item opposition:
``on the contrary'',
``nevertheless'',
``in spite of'',
``despite'', ...
\end{itemize}
\item substitute forms for verbs~\textrightarrow ``do''
\begin{itemize}
\item\textbf{Plagiarizing} someone's work is a very sensitive issue for teacher feedback. Since it is considered by many to be a very serious academic offence [...], teachers are very reluctant to accuse students of \textbf{doing} it.
\end{itemize}
\item text referring words
\begin{itemize}
\item
``problem'',
``solution'',
``issue'',
``situation'', ...
\end{itemize}
\end{itemize}
\chapter{Abstract}
\section{General Definitions}
An abstract
\begin{itemize}
\item defines a condensed form of a longer piece of writing
\item is a short, concise text
\item is a short summary of your completed research
\item follows precise rules
\item is usually used for publications
\item must archive a high degree of perfection
\item should be peer-corrected
\item common length of an abstract \textrightarrow 150 to 200 words
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Functions according to Huckin (2001)}
\begin{enumerate}
\item\textbf{standalone mini-texts} to give readers a \textbf{short summary} of a studies
\begin{multicols}{3}
\begin{itemize}
\item study topic
\item methodology
\item main findings
\end{itemize}
\end{multicols}
\item\textbf{decision criterion} if someone read or don't read the whole
\item provider for a \textbf{preview and roadmap}
\item provider for \textbf{indexing help}
\end{enumerate}
\subsection{Why do we write abstracts?}
\begin{itemize}
\item abstracts are important parts in academic assignments (reports, research papers, ...)
\item last item to write and the first others will reader
\item gives a quick overview of the whole paper
\item abstracts serve a ``selling'' function
\end{itemize}
\subsection{How to write an abstract?}
\begin{itemize}
\item re-read the report/paper and shrink the information in each section down to 1-2 sentences
\item re-read those sentences to ensure
\begin{itemize}
\item they cover the main ideas
\item no main idea of the work is missing
\end{itemize}
\item check the word length and cut out unnecessary words
\item rewrite some of the sentences into single, more succinct sentences
\item edit for flow and expressions
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Good practice (Do's)}
\subsubsection{Essential}
\begin{itemize}
\item most important information first
\item full citation of the source before the abstract
\item same type and style of language as in the original work
\item key words and phrases to quickly identify the focus of the work
\item clear, concise and powerful language
\end{itemize}
\subsubsection{Optional (should include)}
\begin{itemize}
\item the hypothesis of the work, usually in the first sentence
\item background information
\item same chronological structure as the original work
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Bad practice (Don'ts)}
\begin{itemize}
\item do not refer extensively to other works
\item do not add information which is not contained in the original work
\item do not define terms
\end{itemize}
\subsection{What makes a good abstract?}
\begin{itemize}
\item well-developed paragraph
\begin{itemize}
\item coherent and concise
\item able to stand alone as a unit of information
\item covers all the essential academic elements
\begin{multicols}{3}
\begin{itemize}
\item background
\item purposes
\item focus
\item methods
\item results
\item conclusion
\end{itemize}
\end{multicols}
\end{itemize}
\end{itemize}
\section{Essential Parts of an abstract}
\subsection{Background}
\begin{itemize}
\item One or two sentences placing the work in context.
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Aims}
\begin{itemize}
\item One or two sentences giving the purpose of the work.
\end{itemize}
\subsubsection{Phrases}
\begin{itemize}
\item The purpose of this thesis/ study is to
\begin{multicols}{2}
\begin{itemize}
\item show ...
\item find out ...
\end{itemize}
\end{multicols}
\item This thesis
\begin{multicols}{2}
\begin{itemize}
\item examines ...
\item assesses ...
\item evaluates ...
\item investigates ...
\end{itemize}
\end{multicols}
\item This thesis
\begin{multicols}{3}
\begin{itemize}
\item deals with ...
\item focuses on ...
\item aims at ...
\end{itemize}
\end{multicols}
\item The aim/ objective of this thesis is to ...
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Methods}
\begin{itemize}
\item One or two sentences placing the work in context.
\end{itemize}
\subsubsection{Phrases}
\begin{itemize}
\item Research is based on ...
\item Different types of ... are reviewed.
\item The theoretical part/ practical session
\begin{itemize}
\item gives an insight into ...
\item gives an overview of ...
\item is based on ...
\end{itemize}
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Results (absolutely essential)}
\begin{itemize}
\item One or two sentences indicating the main findings.
\end{itemize}
\subsubsection{Phrases}
\begin{itemize}
\item These findings
\begin{multicols}{2}
\begin{itemize}
\item show that ...
\item indicate that ...
\end{itemize}
\end{multicols}
\item This research shows that ...
\item This thesis demonstrates that ...
\item This research provides some evidence that ...
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Conclusion}
\begin{itemize}
\item One or two sentences giving the most important consequence of the work (explains results).
\end{itemize}
\subsubsection{Phrases}
\begin{itemize}
\item The implications of these findings are ...
\item From the survey it can be concluded that ...
\end{itemize}
\section{Example Abstract}
\subsection{Background}
Previous research with structured abstracts has taken place in mainly medical
contexts. This research indicated that such abstracts are more informative, more readable,
and more appreciated by readers than are traditional abstracts.
\subsection{Aim}
The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that structured abstracts might also be
appropriate for a particular psychology journal.
\subsection{Method}
More than twenty traditional abstracts from the Journal of Educational Psychology were re-written in a structured form. Measures of word length, information content and readability were made
for both sets of abstracts, and 48 authors rated their clarity.
\subsection{Results}
The structured abstracts were significantly longer than the original ones, but they were also
significantly more informative and readable, and judged significantly clearer by these