Academic Writing: Arguments and Reviews

3 Areas of Focus Academic Writing: General Comments MA Dissertation on St. Therese Book Review

Acaemic Writing: General Problems Too great a use of direct quotation within the text Reliance on direct quotations to make YOUR argument Insertion of quotations without comment Descriptive over analytical writing, especially regarding scholarly argument Lack of engagement with the scholarship

Tips: Work on developing your own arguments in your own words so you do not need to depend on the words and ideas of others. Situate these arguments into the wider context of scholarly debate and make evaluative, critical comments of your own. Paraphrase and give credit for the ideas in footnotes Integrate direct quotations correctly (grammar, flow of argument)

Questions to ask: How does this reference / quotation add to the development of my argument? How does it follow the thread of the dissertation? How does it relate to my research questions?

Activity 1 Read the excerpt and comment on the four versions: acceptable or not? Activity 2 Evaluate the use of citation in these excerpts from an MA dissertation

Examine the use of citation in the MA dissertation on St. Therese Does the author properly and convincingly integrate direct quotation into the text? Are the quotations used to make arguments or do they support arguments made by the author of the dissertation? Are the quotations properly footnoted? Does the author make use of paraphrasing effectively?

St Therese of Lisieux Critical Review discussion

Literature Reviews Present to the reader the knowledge base upon which your study is built: Knowledge of the field (existing research) Acknowledgement of the work of others Awareness of methodologies Awareness of how the problem has been approached before Demonstrates that your study fills a gap

Can inform and modify your own work Demonstrate: Widely read around your topic Critical engagement with the scholarship - Acknowledgement of the work of others Can inform and modify your own work

A review of the literature has the following functions: to justify your choice of research question, theoretical or conceptual framework, and method to establish the importance of the topic to provide background information needed to understand the study to show readers you are familiar with significant and/or up-to-date research relevant to the topic to establish your study as one link in a chain of research that is developing knowledge in your field

Literature Reviews show the reader that you: - have a clear understanding of the key concepts/ideas/studies/ models related to your topic - know about the history of your research area and any related controversies - can discuss these ideas in a context appropriate for your own investigation - can evaluate the work of others

Writing a Literature Review Summary (contributes to the body of information about the research problem) Critique (strengthens the justification and rationale for your research study) Both synthesise the literature and relate it to your research problem and provide further rationale for it.

Writing a Book Review Summary of argument Positive aspects of work Negative or unconvincing aspects Specific suggestions for improvement / revision Overall comment about viability of the work S. Shapiro, M. Crocitto and S. Carraher, ‘The Fundamentals of Reviewing’, in Winning Reviews, pp. 65-78

Reviews in History ‘Reviews should aim to summarize the main points of the work under consideration, critiquing the methodology or offering alternative arguments or suggestions where appropriate. Consideration should be given to the work’s role and purpose in a wider context, as well as the to author’s use of sources, organization and presentation. Errors of fact or typographical errors can be pointed out, but should not be dwelt on unless the reviewer feels they compromise the validity of the work as a whole. Reviewers are discouraged from indulging in personal comment or attacks. Reviews should aim to be professional, courteous and temperate’.