The work in university often includes more than examinations and tests but will also include projects and report writing which requires academic writing which is what EG 1471 is preparing us for.
My first contact with academic writing in University is when I was doing my Science GEM module during the special semester. Part of my module required me and my group members to find an article on Astronomy and write a report on it. Being completely new to academic writing, this was quite a challenge for me. I faced a few challenges while writing the report such as the style of writing, using the right words and linking the ideas together.
The main challenge was getting the style of writing. Being used to the JC education system which focused a lot on argumentative essay writing, writing a formal scientific report was something new to me. The structure we used in argumentative essay, explaining a point, countering it and countering the counter point again simply does not apply to formal writing which focuses on the final conclusion we come out with instead of the process of getting it. To overcome this, I went through a few reports written by seniors and consulted my group members who completed EG1471
Using the right vocabulary and words in the report is also a challenge for me. A report needs to be precise and strong in explanation. I did the mistake of using too much “may” in writing, and the draft turned out not to be as convincing as expected. To overcome this, I used modals that show stronger certainly like “must” and “will” to show I am certain of my stand.
The last challenge I faced is linking the ideas in the report. The report consisted of 4 sections and each section was further break down to 2 or 3 points. Linking each point and section was very important to achieve smooth reading. I overcame this by using linking words between paragraphs and when I wanted to start on a new idea.
In conclusion, writing the report before taking EG1471 helped me to better appreciate the importance of learning academic writing.
3 comments:
I also have problems with my linking words. So i also try to use words like 'however,in addition etc.' when i want to add in new ideas or start a new paragraph.
it's good to see that you have reduced and replaced the word 'may' with other modals
We must show in our writing that we are firm in our stand so that the reader will be more convinced in our argument. I also learnt in JC that sitting on the fence in our essay usually don't give a good grade so it's good that you had kicked off that bad habit.
When i am doing a writing assignment, i usually begins like" we have done a reserch",something like that, and according to the tutor in Eg1471, it is not encouraged to use this style, so it is really not easy for me to get used to the new academic style.
what's more, APA also just makes me crazy!
Anyway, we have to adjust to it and wwrite our essays formally.
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