Task 2

ESP
Research Article Analysis
Integrative Task 2
Carrizo Liliana
Consoli Claudia


A Comparative Analysis of Medical and Educational Research Articles


A Research Article (RA) is a written paper that illustrates an outcome of scientific research with supporting clinical data. Researchers write these articles for the purpose of making specific findings known to the scientific community at large. In fact, rather than appearing in a consumer or industry publication, a research article is found exclusively in a peer-reviewed scientific or medical journal such as the Language Learning and Technology and the British Medical Journal.As with any type of targeted writing, it could be claimed that these journals should follow a protocol in terms of layout (Robert,1994). Considering this, there are three important aspects of a research articles that could be analysed, compared and studied.
In the first place, Swales (1994) specifies that the results section should hold a summary of the figures, data with text and tables. In addition to this, the text ought to be logically ordered, and refer the readers to a table where they can see the information. It is also stated that this section describes the outcomes that are related to the hypothesis of the paper and that this is done by means of past tenses.
On the one hand, the educational article contains two parts within the results section; the first and the second period of action research. These two parts are well developed and they follow the same order. Besides, the result section makes use of the past simple tense. Additionally, not only are there tables which reflect all the data and figure, but also samples of the dialogues which are part of this research. On the other hand, the medical paper holds one result section which deals with different topics of the research and this section is described using the past tense. Furthermore, this medical journal article contains charts which show detailed figures of the study. Considering this, the two papers seem to follow the same characteristics in the results area; however, it is of utmost importance to mention that the American Psychological Association (APA) (2010) states that graphs are good at conveying relationships like comparison and distribution. Consequently, it could be claimed that the medical paper’s graphs might help the readers to acquire a better global understanding of the results.
Secondly, when dealing with the discussions and conclusions, the writers might choose to separate the sections or blend them into one section. The discussion part should evaluate whether the problem has been solved .On the other hand, the conclusion should state what is needed to be done next and the reason why this further study should be carried out.
The article belonging to the educational field includes limitations and the discussion seems to be included in the conclusion. The conclusion contains specific implications and clear need for a further research. The medical paper writer acknowledges the importance of the three sections of the last part of the project: discussion, limitations and conclusion. Although the discussion provides information about the key findings, the conclusion does not appear to possess the necessary information to state the reasons for a further research. Furthermore, the conclusion does not present sound arguments that might persuade the reader that his/her conclusions are utterly important. When dealing with conclusions, the educational article shows arguments that would summarize the study without leaving important details aside. Nevertheless, the medical paper leaves the reader with the sense that there was more to say in the conclusion; it would have been better if the writer had included sound arguments to organize his/her conclusion.

On balance, a writer should be aware of the fact that there are patterns of a research article which are of paramount importance when developing his/her work. Although the educational and the medical journal belong to distinct fields, they seem to follow the same research settings of this genre analysis. In spite of this, after analysing both materials, it might be assumed that the educational paper writer has produced a more suitable argumentative conclusion that may lead the readers into a better understanding of the writer’s goals.
References
Robert S. Day (1994), How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 4th edition, Oryx Press, Phoenix.
Swales, J.M., &Feak, C.B. (1994).Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills. Ann Harbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.
Barrs, K.(2012) “Fostering computer-mediated L2 interaction beyond the classroom.” Language Learning & Technology, vol 16,1,pp. 10-25
Retrived April 2013 fromhttp://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=24095
Di Angelantonio, E. Chowdhury, R. Sarwar,N. Aspelund,T. Danesh,J. Gudnason,V. “Chronic kidney disease and risk of major cardiovasculardisease and non-vascular mortality: prospective population based cohort study.” BMJ. Retrieved April 2013 fromhttp://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=24096

American Psychological Association (2010). APA formatting and style guide. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Task 1

Consoli, Claudia
Carrizo, Liliana
ESP Unit 2 final task final draft
Academic Conventions in RA
Introductions and Methods
APRIL 2013


Academic Conventions in Research Articles: A Deep Analysis


Research articles were born with the idea of reporting results of an original research contributing in that way to the body of knowledge of a particular field. Scientific research should be systematic.
The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast an article from the educational field and one from the medicine field; concentrating on their introductions and methods sections to show that even though academic styles could be different the general format is consistent in both papers.
For researchers and writers in general the introduction to an article or paper should be utmost importance. Swales and Feak (1994) confirm that the writing of introductions is a time-consuming and vexing process. Introductions are not only the selling point of a research article but they also contain organizational patterns called moves. Swales’s model includes three basic moves in research article introductions writing. The first move is called establishing a territory(introduces the general topic) the second move is called establishing the niche (identifies the more specific areas that require further investigation) and the third move is called occupying the niche (introduces the current research study in the context established previously)


On the one hand, the article from the medical field concentrates on violence and the risk to medical practitioners and general public alike in crowed emergency rooms. The introduction to the paper holds expert, brief and concise language which establishes the importance of the research (this being the first move). Moving seamlessly into showing the need for this research and announces the principal findings (these constituting moves 2 and 3).
On the other hand, the educational paper, presents a short abstract naming the basic purpose of the article but there is no proper introduction. Thus, creating an understanding difficulty for the readers. Following Swales’s Create A Research Space (CARS) model not only organises the text and helps the writer communicate his ideas with ease but also provides the reader with the necessary context to fully understand the paper.


As regards Methods the first article is more than complete. It specifies the place of study and its participants, the duration of such study and the study design, a statistical analysis, ethical issues, and finally the results. Moreover , such results are illustrated in charts and tables. The educational paper starts defining learning disabilities ( the point of the study) and suggest possible ways of dealing with them in the classroom. However, there are no titles or subtitles determining the parts of the article nor participants, materials or procedures are not mentioned.
All in all, the papers selected present numerous differences between them. Stemming from the fact that each of them belongs to a different field and that they are both written with a dissimilar purpose in mind. The medical paper tries to show and analyze violence in the emergency room. It depicts its origins and reports their findings. The educational paper concentrates on defining learning disabilities and providing a list of suggestions for the classroom use. Although the educational paper seems to be less scientific than the medical one, it could be claimed that both papers reach their target audience clearly and convincingly.
References


Eroglu.S, Ozge O, Sağıroğlu E., Denizbasi, A., Akoglu, A. (2013) Analysis of Violence in a Crowded Emergency
Room. British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research 3(4): 1208-1221. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedomain.org/abstract.php?iid=205&id=12&aid=1182#.UWF0k6KkxX5
Root, C.(1994) A Guide to Learning Disabilities for the ESL Classroom Practitioner.Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language.1 (1).Retrieved from: http://www.cc.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/tesl-ej/ej01/a.4.html

Swales, J.M., & Feak, C.B. (1994). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills. Ann Harbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

This year I and my classmate Claudia Consoli will be working on Research Article Analysis and Proposals. I hope this can be a place where we can do research into specific articles and share ideas and suggestions.

A Critique of: Academic Writing a Handbook for International Students (Bailey, 2006)

An Academic Writing Foundation Course Embracing Practical and Theoretical Training

Bailey (2006) acknowledges the importance of the use of academic writing when international students embark on university course of studies. Not only does the book provide the possibility of learning different styles of writings, but also of using the material with various levels and groups.

Another interesting characteristic is that this book can be used either with a teacher or individually on the grounds that “the structure of the book has been made as simple as possible” (Bailey, 2006, p.7) .

In this traditional book, Bailey (2006) divides his work into four parts which are intrinsically connected with simple and basic characteristics of academic writing. Part one and two help the students to understand the format, layout and important skills of academic writing. Then, part three and four deal with grammatical issues and some limited writing models. Towards the end of the book, there is a small section devoted to writing tests which are connected with some of the aspects of the units.

After working with this book, the students might feel they have acquired useful academic writing tools- in other words; the learners would be able to recognize and use the fundamental elements of academic papers. However, Bailey’s (2006) would have been more appealing if he would have added further writing models such as book reviews, book critiques and annotated bibliography.

            In addition to this, the book encompasses some flaws related to specific aspects of academic writings. For instance, it would have been better if Bailey (2006) had added more detailed information as regards the different types of in text citations and references. Besides, in no case does Bailey (2006) provides data concerned with the various academic styles, for instance, APA(American Psychological Association) and MLA (Modern Language Association) styles.

In this academic writing book, Bailey (2006) explores the most significant features of academic writing consequently, it could be claimed that this book is suitable for elementary levels. Nevertheless, Bailey (2006) fails to delve into various useful and important academic topics which are of paramount importance for advanced and proficiency levels.

References

Bailey, S. (2006). Academic Writing: A handbook for International Students (2nd ed.).Retrieved October 2012 , from Taylor & Francis e-library:http://npu.edu.ua/!e-book/book/djvu/A/iif_kgpm_t27.pdf. 

Mobile Learning Constraints considering Ballance (2012) Comments: An Annotated Bibliography

Stockwell, G. (2012). Working with constraints in mobile learning: a response to Ballance.

Language Learning and Technology, 16 (3), 24-31. Retrieved October 2012, from http://llt.msu.edu/issues/october2012/stockwell.pdf

Argued that Ballance (2012) remarks fail “ to consider the ways in which learners engaged in the activities and their views towards mobile learning in general” (p.24). Summarised and replied to Ballance claims and misconceptions as regards vocabulary activities and obsolete finding related to smart phones. Explained teachers should adapt to technological changes without disregarding pedagogical approaches and students’ needs.

References

Stockwell, G. (2012). Working with constraints in mobile learning: a response to Ballance. Language Learning and Technology, 16 (3), 24-31. Retrieved October 2012, from http://llt.msu.edu/issues/october2012/stockwell.pdf

Ballance, O.J. (2012). Mobile language learning: more than just “the platform”. Language Learning and Technology, 16(3),21-23. Retrieved October 2012, from

 http://llt.msu.edu/issues/october2012/ballance.pdf

Mobile Language Learning Platform and its Obsolete Effects Outline

Purpose: To provide a general overview of Stockwell’s (as cited in Ballance, 2012) article about the obsolete effects of using mobile phones for vocabulary activities.

Thesis: The data shows that Stockwell’s findings are limited in various terms.

Audience:  Teachers , Researchers, Students.

I. Electronic platforms

            A. Computer assisted language learning (CALL)

                        1. Development

            B. Mobile assisted language learning (MALL)

                        1. Obsolet effects

                                   a. technology and devices

                                   b. computer and mobile phones software platforms

                                   c. potential of the activities used

                                   d. environment  

II. Conclusion

 References

Ballance, O.J. (2012). Mobile language learning: more than just “the platform”. Language Learning and Technology, 16(3),21-23. Retrieved October 2012, from

 http://llt.msu.edu/issues/october2012/ballance.pdf   

Stockwell, G. (2012). Working with constraints in mobile learning: a response to Ballance. Language Learning and Technology, 16 (3), 24-31. Retrieved October 2012, from http://llt.msu.edu/issues/october2012/stockwell.pdf

Developing Academic Literary Skills through On Line Research Projects Academic Summary

 “Writing for the World: Wikipedia as an Introduction to Academic Writing” (Tardy, 2010) is an article on the use of a free encyclopaedia to facilitate an understanding of academic writing rules. Writing academic texts involves facing various challenges as not only do the learners have to acquire the ability to use the community specific jargon, but also the particular genre. Therefore, Tardy (2010) notes that using a well-known website, at school, would encourage the students to begin utilizing academic literacy skills.

Tardy (2010) defines the term wiki as “a collaborative web-based spaced that can be modified by any users” (p.13) thus, enabling the students to publish their tasks. When dealing with the assignment, the learners can choose topics related to their interests while getting to know the format and characteristics of the site. Then, the students have the opportunity of following certain stages which are similar to those of academic writing. For instance, the learners have to do research, outline and paraphrase the projects, organize their writing, revise citations and references and finally, check word choice and spelling.

All things considered, it could be claimed that Wikipedia can be seen as an empowering tool to lead the students into the academic field. This web site allows for a progressive learning of the academic skills in a collaborative way.  Finally, Tardy (2010) points out that carrying out this assignment is a rewarding activity on the grounds that the students have the possibility of sharing their reports in a virtual community.

References

Tardy, C. M. (2010). Writing for the world: Wikipedia as an introduction to academic

 writing. English Teaching Forum, 1, 12-27. Retrieved from http://exchanges.state.gov/englishteaching/forum/archives/docs/10-48-1-c.pdf