Structure of Academic Texts

Flashcards covering the definitions, structures, and study strategies for academic texts, including paragraphs, essays, IMRaD, and annotation techniques.

Academic Writing

A formal and impersonal style of writing intended for a scholarly or academic audience that aims to inform readers with solid evidence.

Non-Academic Writing

An informal and often personal or subjective style of writing that aims to inform, entertain, or persuade the mass public.

Dissertation

A long essay on a particular subject, especially one written as a requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Literary Analysis

A text that goes beyond summarizing a work to present an argument reflecting the writer's personal interpretation, judgment, or critical evaluation.

Research Paper

An explanation of what you've learned after in-depth exploration, combining information from sources with your own ideas and opinions.

Paragraph

A collection of sentences that deal mostly with one topic or idea at a time.

Topic Sentence

The part of a paragraph that presents the main point.

Supporting Sentences

Sentences within a paragraph that support the main idea.

Transitional Sentences

Sentences that pave the way to the next idea in the next paragraph.

Concluding Sentences

Sentences that close out the main idea by summing up the main point.

Introduction (Three-part Essay)

The section that introduces the topic, states the aim of the text, explains its relevance, and places the topic within a broader context.

Body (Three-part Essay)

The section that presents evidence to support the thesis statement, where data is presented, analyzed, and discussed thoroughly.

Conclusion (Three-part Essay)

The final section that wraps up the essay and restates the thesis statement in a reworded format without presenting new material.

IMRaD

A structure describing the four main sections of scientific texts: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.

Methods (IMRaD)

The section outlining the research design, data collection methods, and whether research questions were answered.

Results (IMRaD)

The section that presents findings objectively using charts, figures, and tables.

Discussion (IMRaD)

The section that recaps the study topic and analyzes the results.

Annotation

A critical or explanatory note or body of notes added to a text, often used in scholarly articles or literary analysis.

Pink Highlighter

Used for unknown words and vocabulary terms that are important to understanding the text.

Yellow Highlighter

Used to show or find important parts of the text.

Orange Highlighter

Used for questioning parts of the text or identifying segments that are confusing.

Blue Highlighter

Used for connections made with the text.

Green Highlighter

Used specifically to show proof or evidence when a question set or quiz is given over the text.

Meaning-focused instruction (MFI)

An effective method for developing language skills in second language learners as identified in previous research.

Form-focused instruction (FFI)

A method identified as effective for developing language skills, which when combined with MFI, shows high effectiveness.

Humanities

An academic discipline branch including art, literature, music, philosophy, languages, creative writing, and religion.

Social Sciences

An academic discipline branch including education, anthropology, geography, history, law, political science, sociology, and psychology.

Natural and Applied Sciences

An academic discipline branch including biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, medicine, mathematics, geology, and computer science.