Reading Materials - CDTL - National University of Singapore

Dr Deng XudongCentre for English Language CommunicationNational University of Singapore

Writing LR: Questions1. Have you written a literature review before?2. When you read a paper, do you read theliterature review section? Why or why not?3. Who do you think will be the readers foryour literature review?4. Can we do without a literature review?Why or why not?5. When do we write our literature review?

Understanding about reviewTrue or False1. The preparation of a literature review is a three-stepprocess: finding the relevant literature, reading, andthen writing up the review.2. Your literature review should be as long as possibleto persuade your reader that you have read verywidely.3. Your literature review should discuss problemsand/or controversies within your field.

Understanding about review4. Your literature review should help you reveal gaps inthe existing body of research.5. Your literature review should be presented inchronological order.6. Your literature review is important because itdemonstrates that the findings, theory, or analysisthat you will present are a contribution to acumulative process.

If I can see further it is because I amstanding on the shoulders of giants.-Isaac NewtonType any name to tag:

Today’s agendaTypical contentStructural elementsOrganizationCitation practicesParaphrasing techniquesMaintaining continuity of ideas

What needs to be included in LR?• Key issues underlying the researchproject• Major findings on the topic• Main points of views andcontroversies surrounding the issuebeing investigated• Critical evaluation of these views• General conclusions about the stateof the art

Strategies for writing a LR• Search• Read• Prepare to write• Write• Indicate the gap

Overall StructureIntroductionBody [modular move structures]Theme-bound Move structure 1Theme-bound Move structure 2Theme-bound Move structure 3*ConclusionSummarizing the gist

A thesis exampleChapter 3 Literature review on overlap and listener response1. Introduction 692. Studies on overlap 692.1 Characterization of overlap 702.2 Classification of overlap 782.3 Cross-cultural study of overlap 1092.4 Gender-differentiated use of overlap 1152.5 Summary and conclusion 1173. Studies on listener response 119…

Example of a review articleListener Response1. Introduction2. Approaches to the study of listener responses2.1 The lumping approach2.2 The splitting approach3. Classification of listener response4. Cross-cultural study of listener reponse5. Gender-differentiated use of listener response6. Future researchDeng, X. (2008). Listener response. In östman, Jan-Ola, Verschueren, Jef, & Versluys,E. (Eds.), Handbook of Pragmatics. Amsterdam/ Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

A paper exampleThe use of listener responses in Mandarin Chinese andAustralian English conversations1. Introduction1.1 Approaches to the study of listener responses1.2 Classification of listener response1.3 Cross-cultural study of listener response1.4 Chinese and Australian use of listener response2. Data3. Analytic framework for quantitative comparison4. Results and discussion5. ConclusionDeng, X. (2008). The use of listener responses in Mandarin Chinese and Australian Englishconversations. Pragmatics: The Quarterly Publication of the International Pragmatics Association,18(2), 303–328.

Example of a review articleGraphene: Status and Prospects• (Introduction)• Growing opportunities• Quantum update• Chemistry matters• Sleeping beauty• Grandeur and plainness• Sitting on a graphene mine• More room in the flatlandSource: Geim, A.K. (2009). Graphene: status and prospects. Science, 324: 1530-1534.

Information ElementsContextReviewGapPurpose

Task 1• Read the whole 3-D paper introduction and see whichsentences belong to which element.

CentralityClaimsContextKnowledgeClaims

Centrality ClaimsShowing that the general research area is important,central, interesting, problematic, or relevant: important,unique, well-known• Speech has arguably been the most important form ofhuman communication since languages were firstconceived (Epps 2000:1)• The modeling of fluid flows is of great interest toEngineers and Scientists alike, with many engineeringproblems and issues of scientific interest dependingupon complex flow phenomena (Norris 2000:1)

Knowledge Claims• Providing backgroundinformation about the topic,including definitions orexplanations of terminology,constructs and theories, thebeliefs and characterizations ofnon-research practices orphenomena

Task 2• Read the 3-D paper. For the Context sentences, whichis Centrality Claim and which is Knowledge Claim?

Information ElementsContextReviewGapPurpose

ReviewOrganizingpreviousresearchReporting onpreviousresearch

Organizing previous research1. Chronology2. Similarities or differences(grouped by approach,methodology, material, andresults)3. Problem - solution

Task 3• Read the 3-D paper again. For the Review segment,how is previous research organized? How about theoverlap paper? How is it organized?

Reporting on previous research1. InformationProminent2. Weak AuthorProminent3. AuthorProminent

Information Prominent: Reporting FactsTopic + Verb + Fact + (Reference)(present)Nutrient is a common (Kramer, 1979)Resorption phenomenonin forest trees

Weak Author Prominent: Several AuthorsAuthors + Verb + Topic + (References)(Present Perfect)Several have the relationship between classroomresearchers studied adjustment and mobility (Madsen,1980; Biggs, 1983).

Author Prominent: Findings fromSpecific StudiesAuthor + Ref + Verb + that + Findings(Past)Allington (1983) found that teachersshowed allocatedreported equal timenotedto all groups.observed

Task 4• Read the 3-D paper again. For the Review segment, arethere instances of Author Prominent, Weak AuthorProminent, and Information Prominent citations?What verb tenses are used in each instance?

Disciplinary differencesDiscipline Information (%) Author (%)Biology 90.2 9.8Electronic Engineering 84.3 15.7Physics 83.1 16.9Mechanical Engineering 71.3 28.7Marketing 70.3 29.7Applied Linguistics 65.6 34.4Sociology 64.6 35.4Philosophy 35.4 64.6Adapted from Hyland, 2004

Gap: Signal words1. Sentence connectors: however, nevertheless, yet,unfortunately, but2. Negative quantifiers: no, little, few, neither … nor3. Lexical negation: fail, lack, overlook, inconclusive,complex, misleading, elusive, scarce, limited,questionable, failure, limitation4. Negation in the verb phrase: not, rarely, ill5. Questions or problems: A question remains whether…; A key problem in … is …6. Expressed needs/desires/interests: It is of interest tocompare …; It is desirable to perform test calculations…

Purpose1. Outlining purposes/aims, or stating the natureof the present research or researchquestions/hypotheses2. Announcing principal findings/stating value ofresearch3. Outlining theoretical position4. Describing methods5. Indicating structure

Paraphrasing techniques• Changing the word• Changing the word class• Changing the word order

Paraphrasing techniques• Changing the word• studies - research• society - civilization• mud – deposits

Paraphrasing techniques• Changing the wordTask 5a: Paraphrase thefollowing sentence bychanging some of its wordsSleep scientists have foundthat traditional remedies forinsomnia, such as countingsheep, are ineffective.

Paraphrasing techniques• Changing the wordSleep researchers have found that establishedcures for insomnia, for instance counting sheep,do not work.

Paraphrasing techniques• Changing the word class• Egypt (noun) – Egyptian(adjective)• Mountainous regions (adj +noun) – in the mountains(prepositional phrase)

Paraphrasing techniques• Changing the word classTask 5b: Paraphrase thefollowing sentence bychanging the word class ofits wordsA third group was given nospecial instructions aboutgoing to sleep.

Paraphrasing techniques• Changing the word classA third group was not specially instructed aboutgoing to sleep.

Paraphrasing techniques• Changing the word order• Ancient Egypt collapsed –the collapse of Egyptiansociety began

Paraphrasing techniques• Changing the word orderTask 5c: Change thefollowing sentence bychanging its word orderThere are many practicalapplications to research intoinsomnia.

Paraphrasing techniques• Changing the word orderResearch into insomnia has many practicalapplications.

Paraphrasing techniquesA good paraphrase “is significantly differentfrom the wording of the original, withoutaltering the meaning at all.”(Bailey 2003: 21)

Maintaining Continuity of Ideas1. Transitions2. Repetition• Exact repetition• Using pronouns andDemonstrative pronouns3. Ordering Given and Newinformation

Task 6• Compare the three different versions of a student’sthesis writing. Which version is easier to comprehend?Why?

Version 1Hard magnetic materials have a number of advantages.For MEMS applications, the thickness of magnetic layerscan range from submicron to nanometer. CoNi andCoPtP alloys are the samples used as micro-actuator [1].The bulk NdFeB alloys are used in micromachining [2].Moreover, NiFe alloys are used in microsensors. Theother applications are widely used in MEMS such asmiromotors, speakers and sensors. However, theapplication of hard magnetic materials depends on themagnetic properties of materials.

Version 2Hard magnetic materials have a number of advantagescompared to soft magnetic materials. Hard magneticmaterials have good magnetic properties such as highcoercivity, high remanence and high energy product. Allthese properties are very important for MEMSapplications. However, the applications of hard magneticmaterials depend on the magnetic properties of materials.For example, CoNi and CoPtP alloys provide the highremanence and high coercivity, so they are used as microactuator[1]. The bulk NdFeB alloys have high coercivity,high remanence and high energy product. Therefore, theyhave been used in micromachining [2]. Also, NiFe alloysare used in microsensors because of their remanence.

Version 3High magnetic materials have a number of advantagescompared to soft magnetic materials. Specifically, hardmagnetic materials such as CoNi, CoPtP, NdFeB, and NiFeexhibit excellent magnetic properties including highcoercivity, high remanence and high energy product.These properties enable hard magnetic materials to beused in various MEMS applications. For example, CoNiand CoPtP alloys, with the properties of high remanenceand high coercivity, can be used as micro-actuator. Thebulk NdFeB alloys, which have high coercivity, highremanence and high energy product, have been used inmicromachining [2]. NiFe alloys, because of theirremanence, are often used in microsensors.

Given-New InformationPrinciple:Start a sentence with given information!

Building genre knowledge• How do we develop our expertise indisciplinary genre?• What are the resources and strategies we usein building our genre expertise?

Developing genre expertisePriorexperience &repeatedpracticeShifting roleswithin a genrenetworkResourcesandStrategiesTextualinteractionsMentoring &disciplinaryparticipationOralinteractionsBased on Tardy (2009)

References• Bailey, S. (2003). Academic writing: A practical guide forstudents. London: Routledge Falmer.• Cone, J.D., & Foster, S.L. (1993). Dissertations and theses:From start to finish. Washington, DC: AmericanPsychological Association.• Paltridge, B., & Starfield, S. (2007). Thesis and dissertationwriting in a second language: A handbook for supervisors.London & New York: Routledge.• Swales, J.M., & Feak, C.B. (2004). Academic writing forgraduate students: Essential tasks and skills (2 nd ed.). AnnArbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.• Tardy, C.M. (2009). Building genre knowledge. WestLafayette, Indiana: Parlor Press.

Questions?Deng Xudong – elcdxd@nus.edu.sg6516-6088CELC Building #03-10