EAPP

Précis

- "Cut short" in french -concise summary of an article or other work

Characteristics of a killer thesis statement

- Eloquence -Suspense -Intrigue -Originality -Clarity

Signposting the Structure

-Makes the writing easy to follow. -It comes in a form of: 1. Subheadings 2. Transitional words

Critical evaluation

-This section should give a systematic and detailed assessment of the different elements of the work, evaluating how well the creator was able to achieve the purpose through these. For example: you would assess the plot structure, characterisation and setting of a novel; an assessment of a painting would look at composition, brush strokes, colour and light; a critique of a research project would look at subject selection, design of the experiment, analysis of data and conclusions. -does not simply highlight negative impressions. It should deconstruct the work and identify both strengths and weaknesses. It should examine the work and evaluate its success, in light of its purpose.

chronological order

-To explain the history of an event or a topic -to tell a story or relate an experience -to explain how to do or make something -to explain the steps in a process

Academic Text

-a product of communication or piece of language used for academic purposes or in relation to academic courses (subjects) (Menoy, 2016). -use formal language, are written with precision and accuracy, and follow a particular pattern of organization -characterized by:High lexical density,High nominal style,Impersonal constructions

Outline

-focus on the key points -identify the ideas that are of utmost importance

Working with subheadings

-help writers to see the structure of their developing texts and they also serve to clarify the pros and cons of the chosen structure. -Depending on instructions from supervisors or publishers, ____________ may have to be removed in the finished text.If this is the case, they can be transformed into suitable topic sentences or transitional phrases in order to help the reader make the desired transition from one section to another.

A Critique

-is a writing task that evaluates a source material's (book, essay, movie, painting, etc.) quality or worth according to a set of established criteria (Wilhoit, 2012). -nothing more than a critical analysis and the word "analysis" does not have a negative meaning. "To analyze" just means to understand something better and that is all you are doing when you write a critical essay, trying to understand it and present an evaluation.

Thesis is weak when......

-is simply a declaration of your subject or a description of what you will discuss in your essay. -makes an unreasonable or outrageous claim or insults the opposing side. -contains an obvious fact or something that no one can disagree with or provides a dead end. -he statement is too broad.

topic sentence (introductory sentence)

-serves as a focal point, foregrounding the content of the whole paragraph. -increase the readability of the text. -possible to appear anywhere in a paragraph, it usually appears at the beginning.

Topic sentence

-summarizes a single paragraph -mini thesis -preview content of his own paragraph -can appear anywhere within a paragraph or can be implied

Thesis statement

-summarizes an entire essay -most important part -Heart and soul of the paper -one or two sentences at the end of an intro that states the main point of the essay -it provides you direction in gathering information for your paper you are going to write or from the paper that you are going to read -determines what ideas should be fleshed in the paper you are going to write or what ideas are to be expected from the paper that you are going to read.

Spatial Order

-to help readers visualize something as you want them to see it -to create a main impression using the senses (sight, touch, taste, smell and sound)

Organizing Ideas

-to organize your ideas in an order that makes sense. -exposes how analytically and critically your mind works.

Order of importance

-to pursue or convince -to rank items by their importance, benefit, or significance

When to cite?

-using words or ideas presented in various mediums -information you gain through interviewing or conversing with another person, face to face, over the phone, or in writing -when you copy the exact words or a unique phrase -when you reprint any diagrams, illustration, charts, pictures, or other visual materials -when you reuse or repost any digital media, including images, audio, video, or other media -document any words, ideas, or other productions that originate somehow outside of you.

Plagiarism

-when students knowingly present another person's language or ideas (or paper) as if it was their own work. -includes using the words, ideas, answers, or works of another writer without providing clear acknowledgement of the original author and accurate citation. -Some of these include buying, stealing, or borrowing a paper (including copying an entire paper or article from the Web); hiring someone to write your paper for you; and copying large sections of text from a source without quotation marks or proper citation.

How to write a précis? Step by step solution

1. Attentively read the source text. 2. Highlight its main features, arguments and points. 3. Make a list of the used evidence. 4. Research any information you find unfamiliar 5. Identify call-to-actions. 6. Make an evaluation of how the writer showed key points of his work. 7. Make a thesis restatement. 8. Write a brief summary for each part of the article. 9. Give explanation of the piece, using your own words. 10. Reread the initial text and compare it to your summary.

Seven effective technique in paraphrasing

1. Change a word from one part of speech to another 2. Use Synonyms 3. Change numbers and percentage to different forms 4. Change word order 5. Use different definition structures 6. Change sentence structure & use different connecting words 7. Do not change key terms or proper nouns

7 Steps to Summarizing (University of New England, n.d.)

1. If you are reading longer texts (e.g. a chapter, a journal article), skim read the information. 2. Note sub-headings, the first and last paragraphs and topic sentences. 3. Read the text carefully using a dictionary. 4. Reread a difficult text several times. 5. Write notes in point form using key words and ideas. 6. Put your text away and write your summary from your notes. 7. Refer back to the original to ensure that your summary reflects the writer's ideas and strength of opinion. 8. Do not forget to use an in-text reference at the start or end of your summary.

Seven Steps for Successful Paraphrasing

1. Read the original a few times. 2. Put the original passage aside - don't look at it! 3. Take some notes on the main ideas from memory. 4. Write your paraphrase - try rearranging ideas in a different order. 5. Check your paraphrase with the original. 6. If there are any phrases that are identical to phrases from the original, either rephrase or put quotation marks around them. 7. Cite your source according to the citation style you are required to use.

How to create a killer thesis statement

1. establish an issue or problem (something interesting or argued, etc.) 2. Express your own opinion on the issue 3. Introduce supporting topics 4. Have at least 3 supporting points

The Don'ts in Critique Writing

1.Pay an unwarranted amount of attention to the topic presented by the author/creator. For example, the article's topic might be positive thinking, but this is not the focus of the paper. The topic should be stated briefly in the summary, but the primary focus is how the topic is dealt with by the author. 2.Express your personal bias or opinion throughout the paper. You are permitted to give your opinion, but only in the critical response section (it is preceded by summary and evaluation). 3. Manufacture false evidence so you can discuss the author's work in a negative light. Remember, critical essays can be either positive or negative, whichever is more suitable.

Precision.

A strong thesis statement must be precise enough to allow for a coherent argument and to remain focused on the topic. If the specific topic is options for individuals without health care coverage, then your precise thesis statement must make an exact claim about it, such as that limited options exist for those who are uninsured by their employers. You must further pinpoint what you are going to discuss regarding these limited effects, such as whom they affect and what the cause is.

Specificity

A thesis statement must concentrate on a specific area of a general topic. As you may recall, the creation of a thesis statement begins when you choose a broad subject and then narrow down its parts until you pinpoint a specific aspect of that topic. For example, health care is a broad topic, but a proper thesis statement would focus on a specific area of that topic, such as options for individuals without health care coverage.

Ability to be argued

A thesis statement must present a relevant and specific argument. A factual statement often is not considered arguable. Be sure your thesis statement contains a point of view that can be supported with evidence.

Forcefulness.

A thesis statement that is forceful shows readers that you are, in fact, making an argument. The tone is assertive and takes a stance that others might oppose.

Formats for Direct Quotations

A. Strong-author orientation B. Weak-author orientation C. Subject-orientation

If you are to cite a line or statement that has been cited already by another author, the citation should follow this format:

According to Bloom (1986) as cited in Buentipo (2010), "an estimated ten percent to twenty-five (25) percent of all people experience some form of writing apprehension" (p.45).

Analytical Thesis Statement

Analyzing an Issue - it states the topic of your paper, what specifically you analyzed and the conclusion (s) you have reached as a result of that analysis.

TYPES OF THESIS STATEMENT

Argumentative Thesis Statement,Analytical Thesis Statement, Expository Thesis Statement

three places you may locate the topic sentences:

At the beginning of the paragraph At the end of the paragraph In the middle of the paragraph

For direct quotations that are less than four lines, use quotation marks. Positions of the introductory phrase:

Beginning: Dayag (1995) writes, "anxiety causes nightmares for adults as well as for children" (p. 49). Middle: "Anxiety," writes Dayag (1995), "causes nightmares for adults as well as for children" (p. 49). End: "Anxiety causes nightmares for adults as well as for children," writes Dayag (1995, p. 49).

5 Things to remember in writing a précis

Clarity Correctness Objectivity Coherence Conciseness

Expository Thesis Statement

Explaining a Topic - it states the topic of your paper and lists the key aspects of your topic that will be discussed in the paper.

Ability to be demonstrated

For any claim you make in your thesis, you must be able to provide reasons and examples for your opinion. You can rely on personal observations in order to do this, or you can consult outside sources to demonstrate that what you assert is valid. A worthy argument is backed by examples and details.

When you are directly quoting beyond four lines, set off the direct quotation. This is also called as the block quotation:

For example: A woman's feeling of attraction to a man has been expertly summarized by John Gray (1997): When a woman feels attracted to a man, her feelings are very different. She gets excited because she anticipates that he could make her happy, and that in turn makes her feel really good. It brings the best out in her and makes her want to give to him. (p. 41)

Division into Paragraphs

Ideally one idea per paragraph. Some genres accept very long paragraphs (a whole page, perhaps) while others expect them to be fairly short (about three sentences). In any case, there are two ways of indicating the start of a new paragraph. Either you leave a blank line between paragraphs, or you indent the first line of a new paragraph.

Confidence.

In addition to using force in your thesis statement, you must also use confidence in your claim. Phrases such as I feel or I believe actually weaken the readers' sense of your confidence because these phrases imply that you are the only person who feels the way you do. In other words, your stance has insufficient backing. Taking an authoritative stance on the matter persuades your readers to have faith in your argument and open their minds to what you have to say.

Conclusion of a precis

It should restate the main idea. Summarize everything and remember to avoid any personal statements about the original piece.

Argumentative Thesis Statement

Making a Claim - it states the topic of your paper, your position on the topic, and the reason you have for taking that position.

SPAFAC

Specificity Precision. Ability to be argued Forcefulness Ability to be demonstrated Confidence

Reasons For Paraphrasing (Plata et al., 2002)

Theoretically, 1. to give readers an accurate and comprehensive account of ideas taken from a source (Spatt, 1987,p.94) 2. to reword information in complex style into more simple and direct language (Sternglass, 1991, p.298). Practically, 1. A research paper or any academic text cannot be made up of pure direct quotations 2. Such wholeness of the paper is dependent, for one, on the consistency of style and tone of the writer. 3. Paraphrasing is stating an idea or passage in your own words. You must significantly change the wording, phrasing, and sentence structure (not just a few words here and there) of the source. These also must be noted with in-text citations and the reference page.

Title and Reference List

These two elements frame the text in the sense that the title is what first welcomes the reader to the text and the list of references is the final part of the text.

Introduction of a prècis

This is a single sentence including the following information: ✓ the author's name ✓ the title of the original piece ✓ the publishing date (in parentheses) ✓ power verbs determining the author's thesis ("explains," "argues," "proves," etc.) ✓ your thesis itself.

Reference List

This is to establish credibility and reliability of the work. This may also help ease the search for more information on the same topic. The institution decides what particular reference style to follow.

Body of a precis

This part of your paragraph explains a separate section of the original piece, providing the author's evidence, purpose, and ideas. Don't forget that you can't interpret arguments from your point of view but should analyze the author's stands on an issue. Feel free to use quotes here, but be brief and attribute them correctly. This précis template makes it all clear

High lexical density

a high proportion of content words in relation to grammar words such as prepositions, articles and pronouns which makes academic writing more tightly packed with information

High nominal style

actions and events are presented as nouns rather than verbs to package complex phenomena as a single element of clause

[Sic]

an error in spelling, idea or grammar Paul writes "The devastated[sic] calaminities claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people"

Conclusion

argument is summed up and conclusions are drawn.

Impersonal constructions

avoiding first-person pronouns by using passive structure as well as expression of feelings

History of Critique Writing

began during the Renaissance, when the arts began to criticize the Church. But this was just the beginning.

[Exclamation point mine], [period mine]

changing the original statement or [underscoring added]- adding to the original Mariah declares, "Hola [exclamation point mine] Freedom is ours!"

Methods of Organizing Writing

chronological order, spatial order, and order of importance.

well-structured academic text

communicates the writer's intentions and results to the reader. In such a text, the structure acts like a framework, in that it enables the material to be presented in a coherent and logical manner. A text without structure, on the other hand, is difficult to read as it leaves the reader unprepared for what will come next, and the ideas that the writer wishes to convey to his or her reader therefore risk being lost or misunderstood. Depending on discipline, there are different traditions, conventions and demands on text structure and text types. What follows below is general information regarding the structure of texts.

three-part essay structure(standard format for analytical and argumentative essays)

consisting of Introduction, Body and Conclusion

main part of the paragraph

consists of supporting sentences: this is where the argument that explains and/or proves the topic sentence is delivered.

Direct Quoting

copies the exact words of the original author. It is a word-for-word (verbatim) reproduction of the source's statements or remarks.

Examples of academic text

essays, case studies, journal articles, research reports, theses/dissertations, book reviews, field studies, marketing proposals, technical abstracts, sections in a reference book, and other texts written by scholars/academicians for academic purposes.

argumentative research/essay structure

he structure includes Introduction with Thesis Statement, Background, Pro-Arguments, Counterarguments, and Conclusion. (The structure usually depends on the format the institution follows.)

Deciding if something is "common knowledge"

if you find the same information undocumented in at least five credible sources. Additionally, it might be common knowledge if you think the information you're presenting is something your readers will already know, or something that a person could easily find in general reference sources.

Interpolation

indicate your amedments to a directly quoted phrase or statement. They are placed within the directly quoted phrase

Use of Introductory Tags

is a phrase consisting of the author's name and the appropriate verb that signals the appearance of a direct quotation. The verb in the tag should use the historical present tense, i.e., the - es/s form if there is one author cited, and the base form of the verb in case of multiple authors (two or more).

A. Strong-author orientation

is used when the author is the authority in the field. Start with the author's surname and then the date of publication enclosed in parentheses. For example: Dr. James (1994) states that "....................." (p. 122).

B. Weak-author orientation

is used when the date is important. For Example: In 1992, Pope John Paul II declared ".................." (p. 3).

C. Subject-orientation

is used when what was said is more important than who said it. For Example: "Anxiety causes nightmares for adults as well as for children" (Guiley, 1995, p. 49).

Paraphrasing

is using your own words to express someone else's ideas while still preserving the main ideas of the original source.

Title

need to be informative and attractive in order to gain prospective readers' attention. Consider the following when formulating: • Avoid long and convoluted titles. If choosing a so-called compound title (a title consisting of two elements separated by a colon, for instance), make sure that both parts of the title are relevant and necessary. • Include keywords of the text in the title in order to inform prospective readers as well as to make sure that the text is easily found by readers interested in the subject. • Sometimes it is appropriate to describe what kind of investigation the text comprises. For instance, nouns such as 'investigation', 'exploration', 'discussion', or 'comparison' could be used. • Avoid false marketing - make sure that your title does not indicate something that is not actually discussed in the article.

Ellipsis (...)

omission, dropping certain information not important four periods if appearing at the end of the statement Dr. Levis explains, "Our body has two main types of cell ... which are somatic cells and sex cells also known as gametes"

Order

refers to your choice of what to present first, second, third, and so on in your writing.

Topic Outline

same as a sentence outline except you use words or phrases instead of complete sentences

end of the paragraph is the concluding sentence (transition sentence)

sums up the argument of the paragraph, and may create a transition to the next paragraph. A transition provides the text with a smoother flow between paragraphs.

Body

the main part of the text.the discussion/analysis is carried out and the results are presented.

Introduction

the reader is introduced to the topic that will be discussed and to the argument that will be presented which is called a thesis

analytical research structure

the structure follows the IMRD (Introduction, Methodology, Results, and Discussion) format.

Sentence Outlines

use the full text of your speech.

Clarity

which means a reader should understand what an author intended to convey. Achieve it by using simple language and structure

Conciseness

which means avoiding unnecessary details in your précis. Don't omit essential facts but avoid wordy expressions, repetitions, wateriness, etc.

Objectivity

which means candid construal of the information. Don't give your opinion in a précis.

Coherence

which means the logical interconnection of the ideas from the original. Your audience shouldn't lose their interest while reading.

Correctness

which means you should watch spelling, grammar, and punctuation you use, as well as facts, figures, and dates you address.

Summarizing

you must tell the reader IN YOUR OWN WORDS what the article is about. Any time you use someone else's words or ideas without giving them credit for those words and ideas you are plagiarizing, which is a serious offense.

Why do we write critiques? Writing a critique on a work helps us to develop:

ü A knowledge of the work's subject area or related works. ü An understanding of the work's purpose, intended audience, development of argument, structure of evidence or creative style. ü A recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of the work.

There are certain things that do not need documentation or credit, including:

ü Writing your own lived experiences, your own observations and insights, your own thoughts, and your own conclusions about a subject ü When you are writing up your own results obtained through lab or field experiments ü When you use your own artwork, digital photographs, video, audio, etc. ü When you are using "common knowledge," things like folklore, common sense observations, myths, urban legends, and historical events (but not historical documents) ü When you are using generally-accepted facts (e.g., pollution is bad for the environment) including facts that are accepted within particular discourse communities (e.g., in the field of composition studies, "writing is a process" is a generally-accepted fact).

Use quotations when:

ü You want to add the power of an author's words to support your argument ü You want to disagree with an author's argument ü You want to highlight particularly eloquent or powerful phrases or passages ü You are comparing and contrasting specific points of view ü You want to note the important research that precedes your own

Summarize when:

ü You want to establish background or offer an overview of a topic ü You want to describe knowledge (from several sources) about a topic ü You want to determine the main ideas of a single source

According to Driscoll and Brizee (2016), a paraphrase is...

ü your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a new form. ü a more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single main idea. ü Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because... ü It is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage. ü It helps you control the temptation to quote too much. ü The mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full meaning of the original text.

According to Spatt (1987), you should NOT quote merely because:

ý Lack of understanding ý Awe for the authority of the source ý Feelings of inadequacy, and ý Laziness

a brief list of what needs to be credited or documented:

• Words or ideas presented in a magazine, book, newspaper, song, TV program, movie, website, computer program, letter, advertisement, or any other medium • Information you gain through interviewing or conversing with another person, face to face, over the phone, or in writing • When you copy the exact words or a unique phrase • When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts, pictures, or other visual materials • When you reuse or repost any digital media, including images, audio, video, or other media • Bottom line, document any words, ideas, or other productions that originate somewhere outside of you.

Paraphrase when:

• You want to clarify a short passage from a text • You want to avoid overusing quotations • You want to explain a point when exact wording isn't important • You want to explain the main points of a passage • You want to report numerical data or statistics (preferred in APA papers)

What a Précis is Not?

☒ simply a summary of a passage. ☒ simply an abstract of a passage. ☒ an outline of a passage. ☒ a mere selection of a few important sentences from a passage. ☒ a collection of disconnected facts and statements.

Characteristics of a Précis

✓ It is a critical outline of the discussed abstract, free from new details and paragraphs; ✓ It shouldn't become an interpretation or paraphrasing of the source text; ✓ You can insert quotes from the text but never use words of the original; ✓ It is a summary of the original piece, so always stick to the source text; ✓ Your précis should be an evaluation of the text; ✓ It should be approximately 1⁄4 of an original text's length if else is not indicated; ✓ Stick to the accepted précis format: thesis of the author, used methods, results and conclusions.