Course Introduction and Overview

1.

Astana IT University
Department of General Education Disciplines
Academic Writing
Week 1
Lecture 1 Course Introduction and Overview
Lecture 2 Introduction to the Conference Submission Guideline
Seminar 1 Research Paper Topic
Selection, Brainstorming in Groups
Seminar 2 Developing SMART Goals and Individual Plans
Seminar 3 Language Focus: Academic Language and Tone (Part 1)

2.

Warm-up activity
• Have you ever presented a paper in a conference? When and where
was it? Can you share your experience?
• Have you attended a conference? What could be the reasons for
students to attend conferences?
• In your mind, what benefits students can gain from conferences?
• What conferences do you want to participate or attend?

3.

Seminar 1 Objective: enhancing students’
ability of topic selection and establishing a
focus for their research

4.

Seminar 1
Outline:
What is the purpose, requirements and deadlines for your
assignment on Academic Writing?
How to choose a topic for your assignment on Academic Writing?
How to specify your topic?
How to establish a focus?
What is the difference between Working Title and Final Title?
Revision

5.

What is the purpose, requirements and deadlines
for your assignment on Academic Writing?

6.

Research Assignment​: Conference Paper Presentation and a paper (in small groups of 3-4 students)
Academic Writing course
Purpose of the assignment:
• to help you enhance your academic writing;
• to help you prepare a mini-research for the conference (which may be further developed into a diploma paper).
Requirements:
• Presentation of research article analysis PPT (or any other presentation tool) in APA 7th edition format;
• Writing and submission of research context, aim, and research question(s) 300-500 words in MS word;
• Concepts submission 100-150 words and submit in MS word in APA 7th edition format, minimum 5 academic sources
(peer-reviewed articles);
• Research Data Presentation PPT (or any other presentation tool) and a paper in APA 7th edition format.
Deadlines:
• Presentation of research article analysis due on Week 2 Seminars 1-2;
• Writing and submission of research context, aim, and research question(s) due on Week 4 Sunday;
• Concepts submission due on Week 6 Sunday;
• Research Data Presentation due on Week 8 Seminars 1-2.

7.

How to choose a topic for your assignment on
Academic Writing?

8.

Choosing a topic:
• You must choose one topic for your small group (3-4 students). You with your
groupmates will do the research during the whole trimester. Follow the link to find
the list of general topics of IT in Education and Research.
• Elaborate your topic to make it fresh and not beaten. To do that, decide how much
you already know about the topic, decide about practicality of this topic,
brainstorm ideas in your small group, use your critical thinking to find a researchworthy topic.

9.

Activity: Brainstorm topics for your small group project. You can come up with more
than one topic. Take notes of all your ideas. Study the phrases and use them in
making suggestions when you are brainstorming with your group members
I suppose we could …
I think we should…
It probably would not
work in practice, but…
I haven’t thought this
though yet, but…
Just thinking aloud
for a moment,
but…
This might sound crazy,
but…
Wouldn’t be nice if we …
I’ve just had an idea.
How about …?
Why don’t we …?
www.teachingenglish.org.uk

10.

How to specify your topic?
Task 2 Narrow the focus and specify your topic
Task Guide: Developing а specific focus or narrowing your topic will help you
choose а suitable research paper title and will facilitate your search for appropriate
sources. This is particularly helpful when you are using а search engine, as precise
search data always gives the best results. (Slaght, J., & McCormack, J., 2017).

11.

Task 2.1 Look at the following paper titles.
Write the numbers 1-9 where you think they should go in the table that follows, according to how general or specific each
title is.
Explain why each title belongs in each column.
• 1. A cross-cultural comparison of gender differences in computer attitudes and anxieties: the United Kingdom and Hong
Kong during 2001-2008.
• 2. Why academic-industry networking are important for learners.
• 3. Six results of ICT for education: lessons from China.
• 4. The causes of gender inequality in STEM.
• 5. The intelligence of intelligent buildings; evaluating current trends and examining what
• the future holds.
• 6. Virtual classrooms and universities: major risks from a security risk perspective.
• 7. Information Technologies in Management and Administration.
• 8. Technological entrepreneurship.
Most general
General/specific
Adapted from Slaght, J., & McCormack, J. (2017)
Most specific

12.

Task 2.1 Answers
Most general
General/specific
Most specific
7,8
2,4,5,6
1,3

13.

Narrowing your group project topic
1. Start by writing down your broad topic.
Example:
Use of social media and children
2. Next, identify the main ideas or terms.
social media
children

14.

3. Using your list of ideas, try to describe Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why about your topic to
determine specifics. Do any of these topics sound interesting? Would you be interested in researching
them for your assignment?
Example
Who
Juvenile, pre-adolescent, adolescent, teenage
What
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
Where
Online, in daily life, at school
When
Early life, childhood, puberty, young adulthood
How
Social, emotional, physical, behavioral
Why
Causes, effects

15.

4. Once you have determined which words you’d like to use, combine aspects of
your list to create a narrowed down topic.
Example
Who
Juvenile, pre-adolescent, adolescent, teenage
What
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
Where
Online, in daily life, at school
When
Early life, childhood, puberty, young adulthood
How
Social, emotional, physical, behavioral
Why
Causes, effects
Narrow research question: What are the effects of using Instagram on the behavior of adolescents?
Now, use these keywords and phrases to start searching for sources
Grand Valley State University (2022, August 24). Narrowing a topic. https://www.gvsu.edu/library/km/brainstorming-strategy-narrowing-a-topic-20.htm

16.

Task 2.2 Use the starbursting brainstorming and narrow your general topic

17.

What is the difference between Working Title
and Final Title?
Task Guide: A working title can be formulated when you start your
research. As you continue your study and evolve your project, your
point of view may change and you may then decide to make
modifications in your working title until you develop your final title.
( Slaght, J., & McCormack, J. 2017)

18.

Task 2.3 Study
the following
example of a
working title
and think
about why it
changed.
The student who created this working title felt
that the original one was too general. The
student experimented with a second working
title before arriving at the third and final title.
Pollution and its relationship with people and
the environment
The social and environmental impact of
pollution
The environmental impact of pollution in
urban areas

19.

Bowman, D., & Kinnan, S. (2018). Creating effective titles for your scientific publications. VidGIE, 3(9), 260–
261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vgie.2018.07.009

20.

Task 2.4 Discuss in your small groups and organize your answer as given in Examples 1
and 2. You can fill it by downloading Week 1Seminar Worksheet. Then send it to your
instructor.
Example 1
Topic: Human-Computer Challenge and Interaction
Explanation of the choice: I am interested in this since the interaction between humans and
computers raises many challenges like ethics, privacy and security, well-being, health. This
interaction needs to be researched from humane and social values.
Example 2
Topic: Public Access to Information and Globalization.
Explanation of the choice: I have chosen the topic because I will use it for my diploma, and it is
something that interests me.
Now it is Your turn
Topic: ___________________________________________________________________
Explanation of the choice:
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Adapted from Menasche, L. (1997)

21.

Narrow the focus and develop your working title. Send it to your instructor
The research topic requires the instructor’s approval before students can start
working on it.
Now it’s your turn
Your general
topic:__________________________________________________________
Whquestions:__________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___
Specific working
title:___________________________________________________________
Adapted from Menasche, L. (1997)

22.

Revision

23.

If I choose a topic that is too general,
Complete
the sentence with
the correct
ending.
1.I might find it difficult to gather enough
information.
2. it might be difficult to choose
which information to use.
3. my project will not to be accessible to the
average reader.
4. I will understand the information I use
better.
5. I can explore it in more depth.
6.it will be difficult to establish a clear focus.

24.

If I choose a topic that is too general,
Correct answer
1.I might find it difficult to gather enough
information.
2. it might be difficult to choose
which information to use.
3. my project will not to be accessible to
the average reader.
4. I will understand the information I use
better.
5. I can explore it in more depth.
6.it will be difficult to establish a clear
focus.

25.

If I choose a topic that is too specialized,
Complete
sentences a-e with
the correct endings
1-6. You will NOT
use one of the
endings.
1.I might find it difficult to gather enough
information.
2. it might be difficult to choose
which information to use.
3. my project will not to be accessible to the
average reader.
4. I will understand the information I use
better.
5. I can explore it in more depth.
6.it will be difficult to establish a clear focus.

26.

If I choose a topic that is too specialized,
Correct answer
1.I might find it difficult to gather enough
information.
2. it might be difficult to choose
which information to use.
3. my project will not to be accessible to the
average reader.
4. I will understand the information I use
better.
5. I can explore it in more depth.
6.it will be difficult to establish a clear focus.

27.

If I isolate one aspect of a general topic,
Complete
sentences a-e with
the correct endings
1-6. You will NOT
use one of the
endings.
1.I might find it difficult to gather enough
information.
2. it might be difficult to choose which information
to use.
3. my project will not to be accessible to the
average reader.
4. I will understand the information I use better.
5. I can explore it in more depth.
6.it will be difficult to establish a clear focus.

28.

If I isolate one aspect of a general topic,
Correct answer
1.I might find it difficult to gather enough
information.
2.
it might
be
difficult
to
choose
which information to use.
3. my project will not to be accessible to the
average reader.
4. I will understand the information I use better.
5. I can explore it in more depth.
6.it will be difficult to establish a clear focus.

29.

If I choose a topic I already know about,
Complete
sentences a-e with
the correct endings
1-6. You will NOT
use one of the
endings.
1.I might find it difficult to gather enough
information.
2. it might be difficult to choose which information
to use.
3. my project will not to be accessible to the
average reader.
4. I will understand the information I use better.
5. I can explore it in more depth.
6.it will be difficult to establish a clear focus.

30.

If I choose a topic I already know about,
Correct answer
1.I might find it difficult to gather enough
information.
2. it might be difficult to choose which information
to use.
3. my project will not to be accessible to the
average reader.
4. I will understand the information I use better.
5. I can explore it in more depth.
6.it will be difficult to establish a clear focus.

31.

If I display too much specialist knowledge,
Complete
sentences a-e with
the correct endings
1-6. You will NOT
use one of the
endings.
1.I might find it difficult to gather enough
information.
2. it might be difficult to choose which information
to use.
3. my project will not to be accessible to the
average reader.
4. I will understand the information I use better.
5. I can explore it in more depth.
6.it will be difficult to establish a clear focus.

32.

If I display too much specialist knowledge,
Correct answer
1.I might find it difficult to gather enough
information.
2. it might be difficult to choose which information
to use.
3. my project will not to be accessible to the
average reader.
4. I will understand the information I use better.
5. I can explore it in more depth.
6.it will be difficult to establish a clear focus.

33.

A student has
asked for
advice about
establishing a
focus for
his/her project.
Answer his/her
questions.
Why is it important to establish a focus when
choosing a topic for a project?
____________________________________________
______________________
How can I make a very general topic more specific?
____________________________________________
___________________

34.

References
Menasche,
L.
(1997).
Writing
a
research
paper (Vol. 16). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Slaght, J., & McCormack, J. (2017). English for Academic Study:
Extended Writing & Research Skills. Garnet.

35.

Useful links: follow the links or scan QR codes
• Difference between Conference and Journal Paper
• How do I start doing research

36.

Thank you for
participating!