Communication Skills-I

Writing Skills
Objectives
 This lecture will highlight following some
writing skills in different writing areas.
 Academic Essay
 Report
 Literature Review
Academic Essays
 Essays have a formal tone to indicate impartial
analysis, and good style is important. Your
writing should be clear and concise, using your
own words. Acknowledge sources when others’
words or ideas are used.
 Skills
 Structure the essay
 Present an argument
 Reference thoroughly
 Write clearly and concisely
Structure
 Proposition
 State your point of view on the topic.
 Introduction
 Outline the main points you will discuss.
 Presentation of Points
 Each paragraph should contain one main point, which
is proven, developed or illustrated.
 Conclusion
 Summarize or restate the main issues and the
conclusion.
Steps
1. Underline the key words in the
assignment question and roughly draft an
argument, using what you know. Plan
what further information and evidence you
need to read.
2. Read critically and analytically about the
topic: interpret, compare information, work
out relationships, check relevance to the
topic. Note your sources, being sure to
record the page numbers.
Steps
3. Rearrange or redraft your argument as
further ideas are found to support or
counter your position. With each draft
refine your ideas.
4. Check that your argument flows well, is
introduced in the first paragraph and
reiterated in the last.
5. Proofread, and cross-check references in
the essay and the reference list.
What is a Report?
 An essay presents arguments and reasoning, a
report concentrates on facts.
 Essentially, a report is
 A short
 Concise
document which is written for a particular
purpose and audience.
 A report is designed to lead people through the
information in a structured way, but also to
enable them to find the information that they
want quickly and easily.
What is a Report?
 It generally sets outs and analysis a
situation or problem, often making
recommendations for future action.
 It is a factual paper, and needs to be clear
and well-structured.
 Reports usually, therefore, have numbered
sections and subsections, and a clear and
full contents page listing each heading. It
follows that page numbering is important.
Report
 Reports may contain some or all of the following
elements:
 A description of a sequence of events or a situation
 Some interpretation of the significance of these
events or situation, whether solely your own analysis
or informed by the views of others
 An evaluation of the facts or the results of your
research
 Discussion of the likely outcomes of future courses of
action
 Your recommendations as to a course of action
 Conclusions
The Structure of a Report
 The structure of a report is very important to lead
the reader through your thinking to a course of
action and/or decision. It’s worth taking a bit of
time to plan it out beforehand.
 Like the precise content, requirements for
structure vary.
 However, as a rough guide, you should plan to
include at the very least
 An executive summary
 Introduction
 The main body of your report
 A section containing your conclusions and any
recommendations.
Literature Review
 A literature review demonstrates that you have
read around your topic and have a broad
understanding of previous research, including its
limitations.
 In the literature review, you summarize the main
viewpoints and important facts that you
encountered in your reading as they relate to
your chosen topic.
 You will also use the literature review to justify
the value of doing research on your topic by
showing what is already known, what is not yet
known, and how it is relevant.
Literature Review
 Literature review should not simply be
descriptive but should also provide a
critical analysis of the body of work, and
demonstrate that you understand how it
fits together as a whole and how your own
research fits with previous studies.
 A key aspect of a literature review is what
sources you select to include, and which
you exclude.
Writing your Literature Review
 In general, your literature review should
start with one or two broad paragraphs,
demonstrating your understanding of the
breadth of your area of study.
 You should then discuss the literature that
deals with your area of research and,
finally, consider and analysis the studies
that are most directly relevant.
Writing your Literature Review
 Your literature review should also demonstrate
how your study does or will relate to previous
work, and how it either fills gaps, or responds to
calls for further work.
 Your literature review will help you to refine your
research question. It should also help you to
explain how your methodology fits with previous
work, and help you to identify and evaluate
possible research methods.
Citations and References
 There will certainly be a preferred style for
citations and references that you will need
to use. Make sure you understand how
this works before you start writing your
literature review and use it consistently
throughout.