Chapter 3:

The
Documented
Essay on
a
Concept

ABUAN, ALCANTARA, CAJUCOM, DAGANTA, GEPIGA, MOLINA

 Lesson 1:
Academic Research and the
Documented Essay in the
21st Century

(GEPIGA, MOLINA,
ALCANTARA, CAJUCOM)
 c ti ves :
on bje
Less
l e s s on, Know the principle
s and
d o f this 3.
y t h e en to: methods of and rese
arch
B a b l e
o u ld be
you s
h
t e r i sti cs of in the 21 century;
st

t he charac
ow by select
1. Kn writi n g 4. Evalu ate and
ic
academ p t s from sources of informati
on on
g e xcer
readin a relevant topic; and
ic p a pers;
academ us in g a n ize b ib liographic
p a ra graph 5. O rga
W rite a and riety
2.
( l angu a ge information from a va
r
registe the mple
p r opriat e t o of sources into a sa
ap
style)
c o ntext; reference list.
ic
academ
 MIC
A D E
AC TING
R I
W
ACADEMIC
WRITING

Academic writing is
generally
quite FORMAL, OBJECTIV
E
(IMPERSONAL) and TECH
NICAL.
“Academic” refers to a
student’s informed,
scholarly, and insightful
contribution to ongoing
discussion of relevant
topics or issues.
 Many people,
students included,
believe that academic
writing means
“sounding like a
research paper” which
they associate with:
• “highfaluting” or
jargon filled language
• A stiff style and the
absence of the
writer’s voice or
 It is writing an essay,
thesis, report, journal
article or other document
for purposes of educating
the reader or achieving
yourdictionary.com
some scholarly aim for
the writer.
 Where do we use
ACADEMIC WRITING?
Books and Book Explicatio
Reports n

Abstra Transl
ct ations Resea
Disser rch
Conferen Paper
tation
ce Paper
and
Academic Thesis
Journal Essays
Characteristic
s
of an
Academic
Paper
 Academic writing
should not be
Specific pompous.
and Example:
Scintillate, scintillate,
Clear globule aurific
Language Fair would I fathom thy
nature specific
Loftily perched in the
ether capacious
Strongly resembling
carbonaceous.
Academic writing should not be
difficult to read because academic
knowledge is meant to be shared
with others.
 Students
should
aim for precise
and
appropriate
language.
 We should use and
follow the rules of
Standard English.
 Avoiding using
colloquial
language and
informal contexts
when writing
academically.
 Avoid using slang terms.
- these are words that are
unique to a particular
community. Different
meaning (two meanings)
to different parties.
Colloquialisms are
distinct
from slang or
jargon.
Colloquial Terms Filipino Slang Terms
Nope, No Dihins
Well-dressed Japorms
Butt wetpu
What happened to you? Anong nakain mo?
Brother Brad, bro, dude
Sis/Sister teh
Classy Sosyal
Like someone Tipo
Lesbian tibo
 Technical or specialized
terms that are specific to
a professional discourse
community should be
avoided or use with care.
But…..
In order for the
readers to understand
those terms:
• Definition of these
terms should be
provided for
readers.
• For non-English
terms, it should be
italicized or placed
in quotation marks.
Examples:

(1)“You need to shift your

register, or the style of your
language, to suit the person
or audience you plan to
address.”
[“Register” is defined via the
underlined phrase.]
(2)“The expression
PABEBE, which refers to
someone who is talking
in a baby-like manner in
order to appear or sound
cute, has recently risen
in popularity.”
[“Pabebe” is explained, in the
absence of a direct translation via
the underlined phrase.]
  Use clear and
specific language
 Writer’s voice
A should be
Balanced CREDIBLE,
and BALANCED,
Credible Voice  OBJECTIVE,
Avoid
and
using
NOT OVERLY
emotive
EMOTIONAL
punctuation mark
and dramatic
  Emoticons or
emojis do not
have place in
academic writing
Avoid using “I and You”

 Avoid generalizations
Let’s compare the following sets of examples...
Cluttered writing:
I found the Dulaang UP
play Haring Lear (King
Lear) to be not just
entertaining but also
insightful because l felt
that the Tagalog
translation effectively and
humorously conveyed the
spirit of Shakespeare's
original dysfunctional
family. To a contemporary
Filipino audience.
Tighter writing:
The Dulaang UP play
Haring Lear (King Lear)
was not just entertaining
but insightful because the
Tagalog translation
effectively and
humorously conveyed the
spirit of Shakespeare's
original dysfunctional
family to a contemporary
Filipino audience.
Writer-focused: Focus on the
Our group subject:
conducted a survey A survey was
on 100 University of conducted on 100
the Philippines University of the
freshmen to find out Philippines
their opinions on the freshmen to find out
new academic their opinions on
calendar. the new academic
calendar.
 • Myth: Academic
writing is likely to
bore both the
Socially writer and the
and reader.
• Begin by
Culturally considering
Relevant the topics that
Topics are
particularly
interesting
and relevant
 Consider such topics or
research areas in light of
the social and cultural
significance
The following
questions are
helpful:
• Does their
significance
extend beyond the
writer’s personal
stake in them?
• Do they matter to
larger contexts like
one’s local
community, the
larger region, the
 Therefore, students
should write something
that is both interesting
and useful to the larger
community
Types of Academic
Writing
DESCRIPTIVE
- simplest type
- purpose: to provide facts or
information.
Example:
summary of an article
report of the results of an
experiment
Types of Academic
Writing
ANALYTICAL
- includes descriptive writing,
but you re-organize the facts
and information you describe
into categories, groups, parts,
types or relationships.

(Analyze, Compare, Contrast,

Relate, Examine)
Types of Academic
Writing
PERSUASIVE
- all feature of analytical writing
+ own point of view
- each claim you make needs to
be supported by some evidence
called reference to research
findings
(Argue, Evaluate, Discuss, Take
A Position)
Types of Academic
Writing
CRITICAL
- requires you to consider at
least two points of view,
including your own
Examples:
Critique of a journal article
Literature review that
identifies the strength and
weaknesses of existing
Features of Academic
Writing Resp
Com
on-
ple-
sibilit
xity Obje
Accur y
cti- Orga
acy
Forma vity ni-
lity zatio
Expli n
Hedg
cit-
ing
Precis
ness Plann
ion ing
 1. Wordiness
2. A vague or
Common missing
statement
thesis

Mistakes 3. Informal
language
to Avoid 4. Description
without analysis
5. Not citing
sources
DOCUMENT
ED ESSAY
 A documented
essay or research
Documented paper is a piece of
Essay writing in which
you incorporate
or
information taken
Academic from the writings
Paper of authorities in a
particular field. An
academic paper is
The writer of the
academic paper aims
to persuade readers of
an idea or solution to a
problem based on
EVIDENCE.
• Read and gather
information.
• Acknowledge the
supporting
sources.
• Selecting,
arranging,
commenting on,
and debunking
the information
Documented Standard
Essay Essay
Concrete supporting Generally known
information facts
Relevant sources Personal
Citation experience of
Much longer writer
Multiple page work Three to five
Analyses or argues paragraphs
a point Serves to answer a
Documented Standard
Essay Essay

Research Paper Narrative Essay

Scholarly Desacriptive
Articles Essay
Feasibility Expository Essay
Persuasive Essay
Study
What
is ?
ng to Merriam-Webster online diction

• to steal and pass off (the ideas or

words of another) as one's own
• to use (another's production)
without crediting the source
• to commit literary theft
• to present as new and
original an idea or product
derived from an existing
ding to Teresita Gimenez-Maceda:

Plagiarism is when you

borrow someone else’s
words and make these
 1. When a person
copies word-for-
word from different
SEVERAL sections of a long
WAYS term article or book
written by another
OF author and does not
PLAGIARISING enclose the copied
Example:
words quotation
Brown (1997, p.84)
marks.
describes the results
as ‘unreliable and
insignificant’.
forgot to put the quotation mark
is
no excuse.
 SEVERAL 2. When a
WAYS person borrows
OF someone else’s
PLAGIARISING ideas, reward
them to make
the ideas seem
like her/his
own.
 “I was in such a hurry
that I forgot to put the
footnote or endnote,”
is
not an acceptable
reason.
 3. When a person
SEVERAL translates to Filipino
or other languages
WAYS someone else’s
OF ideas that were
PLAGIARISING exressed in english
or other foreign
languages and fails
to enclose the
translated material
in quotation marks.
 “But the Filipino words
are mine” the translator
might claim.
  “KATAPATAN”
Honesty, truthfulness,and
Integrity
All of the following are
considered plagiarism:
• turning in someone else's work
as your own
• copying words or ideas from
someone else without giving
credit
• failing to put a quotation in
quotation marks
• changing words but
copying the sentence
structure of a source without
giving credit
• copying so many words or
ideas from a source that it
makes up the majority of
your work, whether you give
 1. When your style of
writing the paper
TELL seems apparently
different to what you
TALE capable of.

SIGNS 2. When you use

more quotes than you
OF actually do

PLAGIA 3. When you show

extra confidence for
 TELL 4. When you use
old evidence,
TALE data or statistics. 

SIGNS 5. When your

paper is written in
OF a remarkable
writing style but
PLAGIA is irrelevant to the
 EFFECTS OF
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism cheats the
cheater
Plagiarism is theft
Plagiarism is a breach of
ethics
Plagiarism amounts to
unfair advantage;
amounts to unearned
grades, degree
 KATAPATAN
is all that is
required of us to
keep our integrity
and dignity intact.
  American
Psychological
Association (APA)

Principl which emphasizes the

author and the date
of piece of work
es  Chicago which is
widely used for
Of history and
economics
Docum  Vancouver which is
used in medical and
scientific papers
 Book in Print in APA
Structure:
Last, F. M. (Year Published) Book. City,
State: Publisher.

Examples:
James, H. (1937). The
ambassadors. New York, NY: Scribner.
Rowling, J.K. (2001). Harry Potter and
the socerer's stone. London:
Bloomsburg Children's.
Book in Print in Chicago
Structure:
Last, First M. Book Title. City: Publisher,
Year of publication.

Examples:
James, Henry, Martin Wright Sampson,
and John C. Gerber. The
Ambassadors. New York: Harper and
Row, 1948.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone. London: Bloomsbury
Book in Print in Vancouver
Structure:
Author(s) of book.  Title of book. 
Edition (if other than first).  Place of
publication: Publisher; Year of
publication.

Examples:
Jenkins PF. Making sense of the chest
x-ray: a hands-on guide. New York:
Oxford University Press; 2005.
Briggs GG, Freeman RK, Yaffe SJ. Drugs
Book in Print in MLA
The basic information of a book includes
author(s), the title of the book, and the
publication information.
Structure:
Last, First M. Book. City: Publisher, Year
Published. Print.

Examples:
James, Henry. The
Ambassadors. Rockville: Serenity, 2009.
Print.
 Writing a
Documented
Essay
“DO NOT PLAGIARIZE...
OR ELSE!”
is one of the most
ominous warnings a
college students will
hear in the classroom.
 - can be
considered as
outright
stealing of
PLAGI another
persons ideas
ARISM
- is a deadly
academic sin
 Students need to
be aware of the
purpose and style
of the documented
essay.
 Students need to
keep in mind that
all borrowed
materials have to
be documented.
Students must list
all the sources that
have been cited or
mentioned.
 “There is no reason to
plagiarize, especially when it
is so easy to acknowledge
one’s sources in writing and
when infomation about how
to properly give attributions
is so readily available.”
 Lesson 2:
Critical Thinking, Collaboration,
and the Writing Process

(DAGANTA, ABUAN)
 c ti ves :
on bje
Less
o f this 3. Write a paragrap
h that
e e nd
By th o u l d be integrates original
y o u sh
,
lesson ideas with properl
y
b l e t o: an
a documented
p t u a l ize
nce
1. Co m e n t or
quotations,
a l a rgu
origin e vant and/or
n a re l paraphrases,
is o
thes i s su e; from a
c u ltur a l summaries
o r
social ting ng
e su p p o r variety of supporti
an iz
2. Org w o r king
sources.
s i nt o a
idea nd
li n e ; a
l a n o r out
p
WRITING
AS A PROCESS
“Teach Writing as
a Process, not a
Product”
- Donald M. Murray
3 STAGES OF
WRITING
Pre-Writing

Writing

Rewriting
 “writing is first
and foremost a
social activity; the
act of writing can
be a means of
learning and
(Olson, 1999)
discovery”
 1
The Pre-
Writing
defined as:
“everything
Stage that
takes place before
the first(Murray,
draft” 1972)
 It includes
thinking, taking
notes, talking to
others,
brainstorming,
outlining, and
gathering
 1
The Pre-
 Choosing a Topic and
Limiting It
Writing
 Asking Research Questions
and Establishing the
Stage
Significance of One’s
Research
 Composing a Thesis
Statement
 Preparing a Writing Outline
 BRAINSTOR
MING
Choosing
a Topic GENERAL
And TOPIC selected
Limiting It
SPECIFIC
TOPIC
Ask the following
practical questions:
1. What are the
objectives that
need to be met by
this paper?
2. What are my
objectives in
writing this
paper?
4. How much time
do I need to write
it?
5. What are the
other restrictions
or limits imposed
y the professor or
the course?
6. What has already
ben written about
 Asking Barrage the
Research specific topic
Questions with questions to
and
Establishing come up
the with the essay’s
Significance
main
of One’s what where
Research when
RESEARCH
who
QUESTION
 HOW and WHY are
more likely to invite
a deeper research
and lead to more
interesting answers
“SO WHAT?”
- main research
question
- is a tougher
question that
asks what makes
your research
socially or
 TOPIC

REASON

SIGNIFICANCE

RESEARCH
QUESTION
 THESIS is a
“a contract
Composing between
a Thesis
Statement
[the writer]
and [his/her]
readers.”(1972)
Kim and Michael Flachmann
THESIS
STATEMENT
- this is the explicit
statement of what
will be the paper’s
central idea, point,
or argument, that
is – the main
assertion that will
It should be
provided
early in the
essay, in the
introductory
 OUTLINE
- allows a writer to
Preparing categorize the main
a Writing points, to organize
Outline the paragraphs into
an order that makes
sense, and to make
sure that each
paragraph/idea can
 An outline
helps prevent a
writer from
getting stuck
when
performing the
actual writing
3 MAIN SECTIONS
of an Outline
Introduction –
consists of an
interesting opening
to draw the reader
into the subject,
background
information on the
3 MAIN SECTIONS
of an Outline
Development – should
be more detailed and
specific.
• Subheadings: 3 or
more subtopics
supporting the
central idea
3 MAIN SECTIONS
of an Outline
Conclusion – typically
contains a wrap-up or
summary of the
essay’s main points
ad a final point: a
prediction or
recommendation, a
• Clear and specific
heading
• A teacher or
evaluator should be
able to grasp what
each section will
contain.
• Main Headings:
First level (Roman
Numerals)
Second level (Capital
 Writing
• Graphism of
Doing symbols such as
Research letters that
and Finding
express some
Credible
Sources
meaning
• Something written
such as document,
article or book.
STAGE 1: DO RESEARCH
AND GATHER
INFORMATION
• Brainstorm ideas and
possible sources of
information
• Narrow your topic to make
it manageable
• Plan how you are going to
 ACCESSING
RESOURCES
• What source of
information will be
best
• Find and locate the
information
Before 21 Century….
st
But now…
 Ways of checking if the
source of information is
valid, credible
• Check the universal and
reliable.
resource locator or URL
• Read the “About Us”
section of the website
• Review the content for
relevance, depth and
 2
The
Writing
The term “Draft”
Stage of “Write”)
(instead
implicitly contains the
awareness that you
will have other drafts
 3
The
Rewriting
“researching, re thinking,
Stage rewriting- and
redesigning,
finally, line-by-line editing
demanding, satisfying
process of making every
word-right” (Murray,1972)
 1. READ THROUGH
WITH A FOCUS ON
YOUR CONTENT
Does it achieve your
goal and maintain a
focus? Have you
properly executed the
MLA style or another
2. REWRITE, EDIT, AND
DELETE CONTENT AS
NECESSARY, THEN
READ
 3. PROOFREAD FOR
CONTENT,
PUNCTUATION,
SPELLING, GRAMMAR,
AND USAGE ERRORS.