WA01
S p r i n g 2 0 2 3
A C A D E M I C E N G L I S H F O R
P H D S T U D E N T S
L i n F u
Classroom Access
Online classroom
• Tencent Meeting + RainClassroom
• Live streaming and voice in: Tencent Meeting (laptop)
• Response and tweet: RainClassroom (phone)
Onsite classroom (Please mute all devices)
• Please do NOT open Tencent Meeting
• Use RainClassroom only for response and tweet, do NOT open live broadcast
• Speak with a microphone
Course information
Class Location: B111,Teaching Building 6
Class Time: Friday 08:00 AM – 09:35 AM (94200012-7)
Friday 09:50 AM – 11:25 AM (94200012-8)
Credit: 2
Number of Credit Hours: 32
Instructor: Dr. Lin Fu
Email: linfu@tsinghua.edu.cn
Office: Room 208A, Ming Li Building
Open Office Hour:Tuesday 13:30 – 14:30 or by appointment (email me to set up a time)
Course description
Academic English for PhD Students is a course designed to help you command academic writing and speaking skills related to writing journal articles and presenting your research at seminars/conferences.
Course prerequisites
• This course requires extensive reading and writing, including reading a set of research papers and writing a full research paper with a medium length.
• You need to work hard and persistently to succeed in this course.
Textbook & Course materials
• Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2012). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. Freely available from: http://eli.johogo.com/Class/AWFGS.pdf
• Wallwork, Adrian. (2016). English for presentations at international conferences. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. Freely available from: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-26330-4
• Cargill, M. & O’Connor, P. (2013).Writing scientific research articles: Strategy and steps. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons. Freely available from: https://rauterberg.employee.id.tue.nl/lecturenotes/2009- Writing_Scientific_Research_Articles.pdf
If clicking a link fails, try to copy and paste the link to the browser, and check extra spaces.
Online resources
• Academic Phrasebank: https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
• Using English for Academic Purposes: http://www.uefap.net/
• English Thesaurus Dictionary: https://thesaurus.plus/
• English Dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/
• English Vocabulary Exercise: http://www.englishvocabularyexercises.com/academic-word-list/
• Purdue Online Writing Lab: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html
• Three Minute Thesis: https://threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au/
If clicking a link fails, try to copy and paste the link to the browser, and check extra spaces.
lnstructional methods
The course will be taught using a variety of instructional methods, including lecture, writing projects, and oral presentations. In general, course topics will be introduced via a lecture format incorporating interactive discussions. Following the lecture, you will receive a small reading/writing/speaking task that explores the introduced topic. Specifically, you will write short articles and deliver individual presentations on topics related to your field.You will receive extensive feedback on your writing and presenting skills concerning accuracy, clarity, and effectiveness and identify the most problematic aspects of your rhetoric, vocabulary, and gramma.Your presentations will be recorded in order to help you reflect and improve your presentation skills both during and after the course.
What you can expect from me
• As a teacher, I am here to guide you and will challenge you to actively engage in the learning process via pre- class, in-class and after-class activities.
• I will strive for an inclusive and collaborative classroom that is respectful for everyone. I will endeavor to give you the knowledge, feedback, and support to succeed in this course.
• Teaching/Learning is a never-ending process, and I always welcome suggestions for improvement.
• I highly encourage everyone to visit me in office hours
or set up a meeting with me by sending me an email, whenever you have any questions. I will do my best to know you and support you in this learning experience.
What l expect from you
• The classroom is an environment that is safe, inclusive, and respectful for all persons.
• All course activities will be conducted in
an atmosphere of friendly interaction and participation, recognizing and appreciating the unique background and point of view each person brings.
• You are expected at all times to hold the
highest academic standards and to treat others with dignity and respect.
Assignments and Evaluation
Category % Notes
Attendance and Participation 20% Every absence deducts 5%
Late arrival >15 mins deducts 3%
Writing Assignment (Research Paper) 50% Makeup deducts 5%
Oral Presentation (Three Minute Thesis) 30% Must be done on time
Assignments are announced on the Web Learning platform.
Course policies
Copyright/Fair Use
I will cite and/or reference materials that I do not create in this course.You, as students, are expected not to distribute any of these materials and resources without permission.
Attendance Policy
You are expected to attend every scheduled session of the course. If you are absent, you are responsible for learning material covered in class.You have to apply for an excused absence.
Course policies
Late Work/Make-up Policy
Every assignment has a due day. Makeup assignments will result in a point deduction.
Laptop/Smartphone Policy
The use of electronics such as laptops and smartphones is allowed only for course activities.
Academic integrity
• The university values academic honesty and integrity.You are expected to uphold the highest standards of academic
integrity.
(https://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/publish/newth u/openness/xfjsxx/clxsbdxw_2018.htm)
• A misconduct, such as cheating, falsification, fabrication, plagiarism, and collusion, will result in a minimum academic penalty of failing the assignment/exam and additional disciplinary measures.
Mental health
If stress is impacting you or affecting your ability to do your schoolwork, eat, or sleep, please reach out to our mental health resources.The Student Psychological Development Guidance Center offers individual counseling and psychiatric services.You can call 010-62782007, email xinli@tsinghua.edu.cn or visit Room 409, Student Comprehensive Service Building, Zijing Apartment to seek help and suggestions. Always keep in mind that there is nothing you cannot get through, and there are always people who care about you.
Note:
Course schedule
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Topic
How to Read a Research Paper Understanding Academic Writing Writing Introduction Researching and Writing Process Writing Literature Review Paraphrase and Citation
Writing Methods Sentence, Paragraph, and Transition
Writing Results
Writing Discussion and Conclusion Writing Title & Abstract Academic Tips and Skills Presenting Your Research
Oral Presentation (Three Minute Thesis)
Assignment
W1.1 Introduction
W1.2 Literature Review
W1.3 Methods
W1.4 Results W1.5 Discussion
W1.6 Title & Abstract
P1 Three Minute Thesis
The contents and schedule are subject to changes.
15 Oral Presentation (Three Minute Thesis)
Why take this course?
For those who want to pursue academic careers:
• Know how to read and write research papers
• Know how to conduct and present a research
For those who want to pursue non-academic careers:
• Acquire an additional channel to obtain information via research papers
• Master higher order thinking skills to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information
• Write and present information and ideas clearly to influence others
• By influencing others with professional information and ideas, you gain power in decision making
“Power is defined as a possibility to influence others.” — Wikipedia
Course objectives
Question
Delivering ideas
Presenting
Reading Writing
2
Investigating
Academic Research
Course objectives
To help you grasp the essentials of academic researching,
reading, writing, and presenting.
Researching: carefully study a question to discover new knowledge
Reading: quickly comprehend authors’ idea in a paper
Delivering ideas
Question
using reading strategies
Writing: effectively convey your idea to your readers and influence their thoughts
Presenting: clearly deliver your story to your audience and inspire their minds
Reading Writing
2
Investigating
Presenting
Academic Research
Topic: How to read a research paper
At the end of this lecture, you will be able to:
Understand academic misconduct and plagiarism
Apply the three-pass method for reading a paper
Identify the structure of a research paper
Academic Misconduct
Retraction Watch Database:
~40,000 research paper retractions by January 2023
A retraction is often an indication of academic misconduct.
Examples of academic misconduct
Falsification Plagiarism
Trend in academic misconduct
Do you want to know more about me?
Read a research paper about me!
How to read a research paper?
20 pages
10,000 words
How to read a research paper?
20 pages
10,000 words
Three-pass reading – the first pass
o Read the Title, Authors,
Abstract, and Keywords
o Read the Section and Sub- section headings
o Read the Conclusions
To find
o Category: What type of paper is this?
o Context: What is the problem?
Why is it important? How was it addressed? What are the findings and conclusions?
o Contributions: What are the contributions? Are they
significant?
T A
Affiliation
Abstract K
I Literature r M
A /d C
A
R
Three-pass reading
- the first pass
Affiliation: institute that each author belongs to
Title Author Affiliation
Abstract Keywords Introduction Literature Review Method Analysis/discussion Conclusion Acknowledgments
References
Three-pass reading – the first pass
Affiliation: institute that each author belongs to Abstract: a summary of the contents Literature: published writings
Three-pass reading – the first pass
Abstract Plagiarism is perceived to be a growing problem and universities are being required to devote increasing time and resources to combating it. Theory and research in psychology show that a thorough understanding of an individual’s view of an issue or problem is an essential requirement for successful change of that person’s attitudes and behaviour. This pilot study explores students’ perceptions of a number of issues relating to plagiarism in an Australian university. In the pilot study, focus groups were held with students across discipline areas, year and mode of study. A thematic analysis revealed six themes of perceptions of plagiarism: confusion, fear, perceived sanctions, perceived seriousness, academic consequences and resentment.
Three-pass reading – the first pass
Abstract Plagiarism is perceived to be a growing problem and universities are being required to devote increasing time and resources to combating it. Theory and research in psychology show that a thorough understanding of an individual’s view of an issue or problem is an essential requirement for successful change of that person’s attitudes and behaviour. This pilot study explores students’ perceptions of a number of issues relating to plagiarism in an Australian university. In the pilot study, focus groups were held with students across discipline areas, year and mode of study. A thematic analysis revealed six themes of perceptions of plagiarism: confusion, fear, perceived sanctions, perceived seriousness, academic consequences and resentment.
Three-pass reading – the first pass
Conclusions -1 Finally, while the results do provide a greater understanding of how students perceive plagiarism and the consequences of those beliefs, caution is needed in drawing strong conclusions due to the study’s exploratory nature.
We do not seek to generalize our findings as one would do in a representative survey, given that the only data collection method within this study was a set of one-time focus groups with a relatively small sample of self-selected students in one Australian university. It is proposed that further studies would extend this research, building on the six themes found.
Three-pass reading – the first pass
Conclusions -1 Finally, while the results do provide a greater understanding of how students perceive plagiarism and the consequences of those beliefs, caution is needed in drawing strong conclusions due to the study’s exploratory nature.
We do not seek to generalize our findings as one would do in a representative survey, given that the only data collection method within this study was a set of one-time focus groups with a relatively small sample of self-selected students in one Australian university. It is proposed that further studies would extend this research, building on the six themes found.
Three-pass reading – the first pass
Abstract Plagiarism is perceived to be a growing problem and universities are being required to devote increasing time and resources to combating it. Theory and research in psychology show that a thorough understanding of an individual’s view of an issue or problem is an essential requirement for successful change of that person’s attitudes and behaviour. This pilot study explores students’ perceptions of a number of issues relating to plagiarism in an Australian university. In the pilot study, focus groups were held with students across discipline areas, year and mode of study. A thematic analysis revealed six themes of perceptions of plagiarism: confusion, fear, perceived sanctions, perceived seriousness, academic consequences and resentment.
Three-pass reading – the first pass
Conclusions -1 Finally, while the results do provide a greater understanding of how students perceive plagiarism and the consequences of those beliefs, caution is needed in drawing strong conclusions due to the study’s exploratory nature.
We do not seek to generalize our findings as one would do in a representative survey, given that the only data collection method within this study was a set of one-time focus groups with a relatively small sample of self-selected students in one Australian university. It is proposed that further studies would extend this research, building on the six themes found.
Three-pass reading – the first pass
At the end of this pass, you should be able to answer the following three Cs:
• Category: What type of paper is this?
A review or an original research article?
An experimental, theoretical, or numerical study? A description of a new theory/method?
An application of existing theories/methods?
• Context: What is the research problem?
Why is the problem important?
How was the research problem addressed? What are the findings and conclusions?
• Contributions: What are the paper’s main contributions?
Are they significant?
Reflection
After doing the first pass and answering the above questions, you may decide not to read further.This could be because the paper does not interest you,
or the ideas are too vague to comprehend, or its contributions are insignificant.
Incidentally, when you write a paper, you can expect that most reviewers and readers will make only one pass over it.Therefore, you have to choose a good title with coherent section and sub-section headings, to write concise and comprehensive abstracts, and to draw proper conclusions.
If a reviewer cannot understand the gist after one pass, the paper will likely be rejected.
If a reader cannot understand the highlights of the paper after one pass, the paper will likely never be read again.
Three-pass reading – the second pass
o Read the first sentence of each paragraph
o Correctness: Are assumptions valid? Is data evidence solid?
o Carefully read the Figures, Diagrams, Tables
To find
o Creativity: How original are the ideas?
o Read any parts that really
interest you
o Clarity: Is the paper well
written?
Three-pass reading – the second pass
Method, Design This is a focus group study, where our aim was to collect qualitative data by engaging groups of students in an informal group discussion ‘focused’ on their perceptions of plagiarism.
Method, Participants The participants were students recruited from a regional Australian university.
Method, Materials Following ethics committee approval, piloting the interview schedule occurred with Group 1.
Method, Data analysis As suggested by Hayes (2000), each transcript was read
several times to identify content topics, that is, similar threads interwoven throughout all the transcripts.
interwoven: twist together
Three-pass reading – the second pass
Method, Design This is a focus group study, where our aim was to collect qualitative data by engaging groups of students in an informal group discussion ‘focused’ on their perceptions of plagiarism.
Method, Participants The participants were students recruited from a regional Australian university.
Method, Materials Following ethics committee approval, piloting the interview schedule occurred with Group 1.
Method, Data analysis As suggested by Hayes (2000), each transcript was read
several times to identify content topics, that is, similar threads interwoven throughout all the transcripts.
interwoven: twist together
Three-pass reading – the second pass
At the end of this pass, you should be able to answer the following three Cs:
• Correctness: Which previous studies is this study based on?
Which theoretical bases are used to analyze the problem? Do the assumptions appear to be valid?
Why is the problem important?
Are the conclusions well supported by the data evidence?
• Creativity: How creative and original are the presented ideas? Is your mind refreshed or influenced by this paper?
• Clarity: Is the paper well written?
Reflection
For the Methods section, by simply reading the first sentence of each paragraph, we can nearly get all the essential information about the research methods.
For the other sections, you will also find this works well.
By only reading the first sentence of each paragraph, you can have a very good understanding of the main idea of each section and even the whole paper.
This is because in academic writing the most important information often comes first.
For a paragraph, the most important information usually lies in the first sentence; for a section, the most important information usually lies in the first paragraph; and for a paper, the most important information usually lies in the very first paragraph, that is the abstract. This is the common way for authors to write a paper, and this is also the common way for others to read a paper.
Three-pass reading – the third pass
o Read through the paper as many times as needed
o Hidden assumptions and failings
o Identify and challenge every assumption
To find
o Strong and weak points
o Virtually reconstruct the research
o Ideas for future work
Three-pass reading – the third pass
Petress (2003) describes plagiarism as a ‘plague on our profession’ (624) that, arguably, obliterates rewarding the ethic of hard work, eroding the moral value of honesty, whilst devaluing the role of assessment items within our educational establishments.This characterization of plagiarism is partly due to its historical roots, positioning plagiarism within a legal discourse, suggesting that plagiarism refers to an act of theft of the individual ownership of intellectual work…Good academic writing is contingent on developing sound skills in both research and writing, critically reading and comprehending appropriate sources, careful note-taking, paraphrasing, judicious use of quotations and giving credit to authors for their ideas and writing (Burton, 2007).
Three-pass reading – the third pass
Petress (2003) describes plagiarism as a ‘plague on our profession’ (624) that, arguably, obliterates rewarding the ethic of hard work, eroding the moral value of honesty, whilst devaluing the role of assessment items within our educational establishments.This characterization of plagiarism is partly due to its historical roots, positioning plagiarism within a legal discourse, suggesting that plagiarism refers to an act of theft of the individual ownership of intellectual work…Good academic writing is contingent on developing sound skills in both research and writing, critically reading and comprehending appropriate sources, careful note-taking, paraphrasing, judicious use of quotations and giving credit to authors for their ideas and writing (Burton, 2007).
Three-pass reading – the third pass
The third pass may take several hours to complete.
At the end of this pass, you should be able to reconstruct the entire structure of the paper from memory, as well as be able to identify its strong and weak points.
In particular, you should be able to pinpoint implicit assumptions, missing citations to relevant work, and potential issues with experimental or analytical techniques.
Three-pass reading – summary
The three-pass reading method is an incremental and iterative approach of reading a paper.The method goes from a general overview to the specific details with each step taking more time and help you obtain a deeper understanding during each iteration.
Using the first pass to get a general idea about the paper; using the second pass to grasp the paper’s main content but not its details; using the third pass to help you understand the paper in depth.
It can help you quickly read recent papers, do background research, and write reviews. This disciplined approach prevents you from drowning in the details before getting a bird’s-eye-view of the papers. It allows you to estimate the amount of time required to review a set of papers. Moreover, you can adjust the depth of paper evaluation depending on your needs and how much time you have.
Summary
Now, you should be able to:
Understand academic misconduct and plagiarism
Apply the three-pass method for reading a paper
Identify the structure of a research paper
Further reading
01 S Keshav - How to Read a Paper, ACM Review
Simon Jones - How to write a great research paper, Presentation Talk
Jeffrey Brainard, Jia You - What a massive database of retracted papers reveals about science publishing's death penalty, Science
John Swales, Christine Feak - Academic Writing for Graduate Students - Essential Tasks and Skills, Michigan
Assignment
Thank you for your attention!
See you next week~
