Beryl Pittman, Academic Writing/2023

Abstract and Editorial Guidelines (Individual assignment; 15% of final grade)

Due:  Nov 15, 23.00 EET; Assignments (not Turnitin)

 

With this final assignment, you will round out Academic Writing by demonstrating your versatility with two more genres:  the abstract and editorial.

Write the abstract based on your team's academic report (though this assignment is an individual assignment, not a team assignment). 

The editorial may be based on any issue/area of the research you've conducted, including your issue/research for the TS+AB assignment; it does not need to have a direct connection to your academic report though it's okay if it does.  It does not need to be different from an area that a teammate addresses. Make sure that the editorial is persuasive.

 

ABSTRACT

Why an abstract matters: You know the answer to this one…..  Think of all the publications you’ve looked up over the last three weeks – and how often you read the abstract first to see if you should read any further. 

 

An abstract is a stand-alone summary of the article/research report itself.  It does not contain any information that is not in the research report itself.  The abstract should never be written before the research report is in its final form.  Usually a specific number of words or characters for the abstract is dictated by the style guide of the publication it will appear in – usually 150-200 words.

 

According to the UNC Writing Center:

 

While they still do not critique or evaluate a work, they do more than describe it. A good informative abstract acts as a surrogate for the work itself. That is, the writer presents and explains all the main arguments and the important results and evidence in the complete article/paper/book. An informative abstract includes the purpose and focus of the research as well as …the results and conclusions of the research and the recommendations of the author [as relevant]. 

 

Abstracts generally include

·         A full citation of the source, preceding the abstract. (You do not need to provide this citation.)

·         The most important information first.

·         The same type and style of language found in the original, including technical language.

·         Key words and phrases that quickly identify the content and focus of the work.

·         Clear, concise, and powerful language.

What to do: In one fluid paragraph without headings, your abstract should address

·         Reason for writing:
What is the importance of the research? Why would a reader be interested in the larger work?

·         Problem:
What is the scope of the project? What is the main argument/thesis/claim?

·         Findings
What are the major findings of your research?

·         Implications
What changes should be implemented as a result of the findings of the work? How does this work add to the body of knowledge on the topic?

On a separate line after the abstract itself, write 3-5 keywords that would help another researcher find more on the topic.

Adapted from the UNC Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Length: 150-200 words (absolute top limit); 1.5 line spacing within paragraphs; double-space between paragraphs. 12 pt Arial;

justified margins.  No indentation. Default margins in MS Word.

 

 

 

EDITORIAL

Why an editorial matters: Editorials enable free-speech societies to voice opinions without fear of retribution; voicing an opinion does not, however, come without the responsibility to be accurate and to avoid hate speech.

 

 Newspapers and magazines often publish editorials that reflect the views of that publication; they also publish “letters to the editor” that enable readers to voice their opinions.  Editorials exist in the electronic world, too; the ease of voicing an opinion in cyberspace makes it hard for any organization to regulate the quality of the editorial.  They may not reflect the quality of an editorial in print or shared from a reputable source.

 

What to do: Although there are several types of editorials, you should consider that you have been invited to write an editorial for the New York Times – a high honor indeed.  The managing editor read your recent publication in a scholarly journal and was blown away by both the quality of your writing and the issue itself that you addressed.

 

You have only a few days to prepare the editorial, so it’s a good thing that you have completed all of your research.  You can’t, however, simply use big chunks of your scholarly article for the editorial.  The newspaper audience has different expectations – the issue needs to be clearly explained without jargon and super-formal language.  In fact, the tone can be somewhat informal, even light or breezy (if the subject lends itself to a light tone); you have a non-expert audience, so you’ve got to stay away from academic jargon.  Readers want a solid piece that gives them a new understanding of an issue, and you want to persuade them to agree with you.  But these readers are investing precious discretionary time in even reading a newspaper, much less the editorials, so you’ve got to make it engaging, maybe even entertaining (again, this possibility is topic-specific.

 

·         Choose the angle of your argument that is relatable to the widest audience possible.  Consider the most controversial part of the issue you addressed in your academic report – oops, I mean publication in the aforementioned prestigious scholarly journal. You are voicing your opinion – you want to persuade your readers.

·         Explain the issue clearly, again in “plain English.”

·         Offer a solution or make a recommendation based on your position

·         Address counter-claims.

·         End with a call to action.  What do you want your readers to do/know/be aware of?

·         You do not have to use citations/include a Reference List.  You do need to use signal phrases, such as “According to Marty Ludlum and his colleagues in their study of academic ethics in Finland,…”

·         Make it engaging – but don’t compromise your credibility.

 

Length and format:  Most editorials in newspapers are between 300 and 400 words.  Yours should be 1.5 pages (+/-5%), 1.5 line spacing; double-space between paragraphs. 12 pt Arial.  It’s okay to have a few one-sentence paragraphs. 

 

 

 

 



Last modified: Monday, 13 November 2023, 7:16 AM