Help for Writing Assignment
Writing Your First Paper
Belk Library and KLC are here to help support you as you engage with new academic information. The Writing Center can help structure your writing; help make that paper flow like you want it to. I am here to guide you in how to find information sources you will need to inform your thesis, review your drafts, locate hard to find books, articles and data. Please don't hesitate to ask for help!
Things to keep in mind when writing your paper for IME6300: Theory and Audience
- Academic writing refers to a style of writing used to define the intellectual boundaries of their disciplines and specific areas of expertise. Characteristics of academic writing include a formal tone, use of the third-person rather than first-person perspective, a clear focus on the research problem, and precise word choice.
- APA style guidelines- Purdue OWL is a great friend!
- ACM style guidelines: The ACM (Association of Computing Machinery) Style is the standard for the format of scholarly publications in the computing field.
Annotated Bibliography vs Literature Review
- An annotated bibliography is list of references sources (scholarly articles, books, websites, reports, etc.) on a topic or research area that contains a summary and evaluation for each listed document.
- The “annotation” part pertains to the write-up produced for each source.
- An annotation consists of two parts. The first part is a brief summary of the source, usually no more than a few sentences. The second part is an analysis of the source.
- Consider the Literacy Frames, especially the concept of authority. Sometimes an analysis will also include how you intend to use the source in your paper and why it will be useful for you specifically. Don't just say "because it is about my topic"! How does the source help you? Does it establish background or context? How does it help you to build your argument?
- Typically an annotation is about 150 words. You want to be concise, but still give enough detail for the annotation to be useful to your reader. But your professor will let you know the specifics for your assignment.
The Writing Center of UNC Chapel Hill has a great guide on writing literature reviews. Basically your literature review is how you utilize the information you have found related to your topic and engage with the academic literature. It takes time to synthesize the information, form your conclusions and determine your thesis statement.
There are different types of ways to approach this (thank you Purdue OWL- below is taken straight from their guide):
- Chronological: The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field). If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order. Try to analyze the patterns, turning points, and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred (as mentioned previously, this may not be appropriate in your discipline — check with a teacher or mentor if you’re unsure).
- Thematic: If you have found some recurring central themes that you will continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic. For example, if you are reviewing literature about women and religion, key themes can include the role of women in churches and the religious attitude towards women.
- Methodological: If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods, you can compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:
- Qualitative versus quantitative research
- Empirical versus theoretical scholarship
- Divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural sources
- Theoretical: In many humanities articles, the literature review is the foundation for the theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.