Download PDF Academic Writing for Graduate Students Essential Tasks and Skills John M Swales Christine B Feak Books

Download As PDF : Academic Writing for Graduate Students Essential Tasks and Skills John M Swales Christine B Feak Books

Like its predecessor, the third edition of Academic Writing for Graduate Students explains understanding the intended audience, the purpose of the paper, and academic genres; includes the use of task-based methodology, analytic group discussion, and genre consciousness-raising; shows how to write summaries and critiques; features Language Focus sections that address linguistic elements as they affect the wider rhetorical objectives; and helps students position themselves as junior scholars in their academic communities.

Among the many changes in the third edition
*newer, longer, and more authentic texts and examples
*greater discipline variety in texts (added texts from hard sciences and engineering)
*more in-depth treatment of research articles
*greater emphasis on vocabulary issues
*revised flow-of-ideas section
*additional tasks that require students to do their own research
*more corpus-informed content
*binding that allows the book to lay flat when open.

The Commentary (teacher's notes and key) (978-0-472-03506-9) has been revised expanded. 

Download PDF Academic Writing for Graduate Students Essential Tasks and Skills John M Swales Christine B Feak Books

"I've been using the 2nd edition of this Academic Writing for Graduate Students in a writing class for international graduate students for several years. I liked it a lot, but this edition is even better. It's considerably longer than the last edition, contains example texts and exercises from a greater variety of fields, and works well both for in-class activities and individual study. One improvement over the last edition is the emphasis on "old to new" informational flow to improve clarity and coherence. Also, the skeletal sentences throughout the text (typical sentence structures found in academic writing that students can adapt for use in their own writing) are especially useful for students whose first language is not English.

I should add, though, that this edition is probably more appropriate for Ph.D. students and visiting scholars than it is for master's students. I used it in a class composed almost entirely of doctoral students and international faculty members, and they reported that they learned a lot from the text. One of my colleagues, however, used it in a class composed mainly of master's students, and he found it less effective. In fact, he preferred the previous edition and thought that the 3rd edition was inappropriate for most of the students in his class. I prefer the 3rd edition and would recommend it to any doctoral students who want to master the genre of academic writing. I should also add that the commentary that can be purchased separately from the main text has also been significantly improved over the previous edition. The 2nd edition commentary was not worth buying, but the 3rd edition is much more useful, especially for students who are buying Academic Writing for Graduate students for individual study. Finally, at less than $30, this text is very good value for money."

Product details Series Michigan Series in English for Academic & Professional Purposes Paperback 432 pages Publisher University of Michigan Press ELT; 3rd edition (July 9, 2012) Language English ISBN-10 9780472034758

Tags : Academic Writing for Graduate Students Essential Tasks and Skills (9780472034758) John M. Swales, Christine B. Feak Books,John M. Swales, Christine B. Feak,Academic Writing for Graduate Students Essential Tasks and Skills,University of Michigan Press ELT,0472034758,Reference,Research,Academic writing,Academic writing;Problems, exercises, etc.,English language - Rhetoric,English language;Rhetoric.,English language;Textbooks for foreign speakers.,Composition Creative Writing - General,EDUCATION / Research,English language,LANGUAGE ARTS DISCIPLINES / Writing / General,Language,Language Arts Disciplines,Language Arts Disciplines / Reference,Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy,Language reference general,Non-Fiction,Problems, exercises, etc,Rhetoric,Scholarly/Graduate,Textbooks for foreign speakers,UNIVERSITY PRESS,United States

Academic Writing for Graduate Students Essential Tasks and Skills John M Swales Christine B Feak Books Reviews :

Academic Writing for Graduate Students Essential Tasks and Skills John M Swales Christine B Feak Books Reviews

• I used the 2nd edition of this book to teach Academic Writing in a Continuing ed. ESL program to mostly Phd. candidates at the University of Massachusetts, as well as to Phd. students and professors at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. I found this to be an outstanding book for graduate students needing to learn the organizational patterns of IMRD research papers as well as rhetorical strategies commonly employed in such papers. Since these conventions are not typically taught in the ESL courses in the countries my students came from, they typically found the text quite informative. Having revised the English of over 1,400 research papers written by non-native speakers of English, I find this book to be highly relevant for anyone learning the basics of writing research papers. For example, the three moves of the introduction 1. Begin by defining the larger general territory or context from which the topic of your study develops. 2. Point out a gap or lack of knowledge that exists in the literature about the topic of your study. 3. Indicate how your study fills this gap. Feaks and Swales elaborate on these 3 moves, and illustrate how to structure the introduction according to these three moves. The authors provide a lucid and simple set of points for students, which are quite reassuring to junior authors writing their first paper.
  
  While there are countless guidebooks on writing research papers, the authors address the unique needs of English Language Learners. It is a fine book to use alone, in small groups, or with large classes. One interesting feature of this book is that it does not simply prescribe rules. It is a far more nuanced approach to the topic. The authors cite various studies of applied linguistics that report not on what they think authors should be doing in their writing but instead on what actual authors do in various fields. This book relies heavily on the research of the field of Applied Linguistics, specifically genre analysis. One of the main ideas is develop students awareness of how researchers in their particular field write papers, considering their particular word choice, phrases, and strategies. The idea is to empower students and help them present themselves as knowledgeable and competent members of their particular research discourse community. This is a book that challenges students to think about how they wish to present their research; it does not provide a simplistic lists of dos and don'ts; it encourages thoughtful self-reflection. This feature sets it apart from common writing guidebooks.
  
  The the detailed review of issues related to writing the title, abstract, introduction, material and methods, results, and discussion, the lesson on hedging, citation patterns, the formulaic language used in various parts of a paper, the mixing of complex grammar with certain rhetorical strategies of research papers, all make this book a brilliant one-of-a-kind approach to the genre. The third edition, which covers more examples from natural and physical sciences, seems to have only greatly improved this superb book. Personally, after teaching ELL for 8 years in public schools, I was inspired by this book to delve deeper into English for Academic Purposes in higher education and research. I would highly recommend this book for any ELL graduate student aiming to improve their ability to write research papers.
• I've been using the 2nd edition of this Academic Writing for Graduate Students in a writing class for international graduate students for several years. I liked it a lot, but this edition is even better. It's considerably longer than the last edition, contains example texts and exercises from a greater variety of fields, and works well both for in-class activities and individual study. One improvement over the last edition is the emphasis on "old to new" informational flow to improve clarity and coherence. Also, the skeletal sentences throughout the text (typical sentence structures found in academic writing that students can adapt for use in their own writing) are especially useful for students whose first language is not English.
  
  I should add, though, that this edition is probably more appropriate for Ph.D. students and visiting scholars than it is for master's students. I used it in a class composed almost entirely of doctoral students and international faculty members, and they reported that they learned a lot from the text. One of my colleagues, however, used it in a class composed mainly of master's students, and he found it less effective. In fact, he preferred the previous edition and thought that the 3rd edition was inappropriate for most of the students in his class. I prefer the 3rd edition and would recommend it to any doctoral students who want to master the genre of academic writing. I should also add that the commentary that can be purchased separately from the main text has also been significantly improved over the previous edition. The 2nd edition commentary was not worth buying, but the 3rd edition is much more useful, especially for students who are buying Academic Writing for Graduate students for individual study. Finally, at less than $30, this text is very good value for money.
• Very insightful compilation of the myriad tasks (exercises) that compose the path to successful completion of graduate work--helpful for most grads with English as first or second language. Brief explanations of learning objectives followed by generous use of example texts and penetrating questions for students. Accompanying instructor's guide provides broad range of answer choices for quick prep. I've adapted sections for a 6-part workshop series that many students find more convenient and less demanding than an elective course. Note Cormell grad writing site has link to free download of supportive reference by Keith Hjortshoj "Writing From A to B A Guide to Completing the Dissertation Phase of Doctoral Studies" (2010). Also Stanford's Hume Center has link to free download of template package by Sohol Lee & Julia Bleakney "Writing Research Statements for Graduate Student Fellowship and Grant Proposals Workshop Writing Kit" (c.2010). Review by Grad Writing Consultant at University of California, Merced.
• I was expecting a graduate level textbook as this site claims, instead it seems to be an undergraduate workbook. Though I value practical experience, I also expect quality explanations, instead of junior high discovery approaches. I do not find this helpful. There is sparse information to introduce the exercises and no real evaluative perspectives or principles to learn from. Even with a partner, advance in skills would seem to depend on getting a person with skills and explanatory expertise superior to your own. In my opinion, it is definitely not for self-study at the graduate level. Hopefully, I can return it.
• This book has helped me in my graduate studies; it is a great reference text. My only change or wish is to have access to the instructor manual and more examples in each section. Adding in answers or exercises with examples and answers would be very helpful. Nothing was assigned from this text during our semester, however more examples would make this book even better.