09Abstract, introduction and literature review

AcademicPaperWritingProfessor:XiaolingZouGroupPresentationThefollowingexcerptisfromastudentassignment.Itcontainsanumberoflanguagefeatureswhichresultinthetextsoundingnotquiteasformalasitshouldforacademicwritingofahighstandard.Readthetextcarefully,thenwritetheinformallanguagefeaturesinthespaceprovidedbelow:Whenacompanygoesbankrupt,thereareliabilitiessuchasaccountspayabletocreditors,employees’wages,andtheresultingincreaseinunemployment.Insurancecompaniesandthebankshavetotakeactiontofixtheirsideoftheprobleminregardstothecompany’slosses.Sowhoisultimatelyresponsiblefortheliabilities?Societycan’tbeblamedtotallyfortheliabilitiesasitiseveryonewhoisinvolved,especiallythecompanyitself.Whatfeaturesofinformallanguageoccurinthisparagraph?Informalelements:useofeverydaylanguage(goesbankrupt,takeactiontofix,can’t,blamed);Therearealsoanumberoffeaturesofinformallanguage.Canyouidentifythem?(withexamples)rhetoricalquestion(Sowhois…);useofstrongargument(haveto)Whatfeaturesofformallanguageoccurinthisparagraph?Formalelements:nominalisation(unemployment,losses,liabilities,increase);specialistlanguage(liability)2.Readthefollowingparagraphsandfindoutthethesisstatement:1)WhathashappenedtotheAmericanmale?Foralongtime,heseemedutterlyconfidentinhismanhood,sureofhismasculineroleinsociety,easyanddefiniteinhissenseofsexualidentity.ThefrontiersmenofJamesFenimoreCooper,forexample,neverhadanyconcernaboutmasculinity;theyweremen,anditdidnotoccurtothemtothinktwiceaboutit.Evenwellintothetwentiethcentury,theheroesofDreiser,ofFitzgerald,ofHemingwayremainmen.Butonebeginstodetectanewthemeemerginginsomeoftheseauthors,especiallyinHemingway:thethemeofthemaleheroincreasinglypreoccupiedwithprovinghisvirilitytohimself.Andbymid-century,themalerolehadplainlylostitsruggedclarityofoutline.Todaymenaremoreandmoreconsciousofmalenessnotasafactbutasaproblem.ThewaysbywhichAmericanmenaffirmtheirmasculinityareuncertainandobscure.Therearemultiplyingsigns,indeed,thatsomethinghasgonebadlywrongwiththeAmericanmale'sconceptionofhimself.2)MostpeoplewhobotherwiththematteratallwouldadmitthattheEnglishlanguageisinabadway,butitisgenerallyassumedthatwecannotbyconsciousactiondoanythingaboutit.Ourcivilizationisdecadent,andourlanguage—sotheargumentruns—mustinevitablyshareinthegeneralcollapse.Itfollowsthatanystruggleagainsttheabuseoflanguageisasentimentalarchaism,likepreferringcandlestoelectriclightorhansomcabstoaeroplanes.Underneaththisliesthehalf-consciousbeliefthatlanguageisanaturalgrowthandnotaninstrumentwhichweshapeforourownpurposes.Now,itisclearthatthedeclineofalanguagemustultimatelyhavepoliticalandeconomiccauses:itisnotduesimplytothebadinfluenceofthisorthatindividualwriter.Butaneffectcanbecomeacause,reinforcingtheoriginalcauseandproducingthesameeffectinanintensifiedform,andsoonindefinitely.Amanmaytaketodrinkbecausehefeelshimselftobeafailure,andthenfailallthemorecompletelybecausehedrinks.ItisratherthesamethingthatishappeningtotheEnglishlanguage.Itbecomesuglyandinaccuratebecauseourthoughtsarefoolish,buttheslovenlinessofourlanguagemakesiteasierforustohavefoolishthoughts.Thepointisthattheprocessisreversible.ModernEnglish,especiallywrittenEnglish,isfullofbadhabitswhichspreadbyimitationandwhichcanbeavoidedifoneiswillingtotakethenecessarytrouble.Ifonegetsridofthesehabitsonecanthinkmoreclearly,andtothinkclearlyisanecessaryfirststeptowardspoliticalregeneration:sothatthefightagainstbadEnglishisnotfrivolousandisnottheexclusiveconcernofprofessionalwriters.Iwillcomebacktothispresently,andIhopethatbythattimethemeaningofwhatIhavesaidherewillhavebecomeclearer.Meanwhile,herearefivespecimensoftheEnglishlanguageasitisnowhabituallywritten.ChapterIXAbstract,IntroductionandLiteratureReviewBasicStructure:ChapterIXAbstract,IntroductionandLiteratureReview9.1Abstract9.1.1Twotypesofabstracts①DescriptiveAbstractsTellwhatinformationthepapercontains,includingthepurpose,methods,andscopeofthepaper,introducethesubjecttoreaders,whomustthenreadthepapertofindouttheauthor'sresults,conclusions,orrecommendations.②InformativeAbstractsCommunicatespecificinformationfromthepaper,includingthepurpose,methods,andscopeofthepaper,providethepaper'sresults,conclusions,andrecommendations,allowingreaderstodecidewhethertheywanttoreadthepaper.9.1.2Elementsofaninformativeabstract①TopicSpecification:WHATtheresearchisabout?②BackgroundInformation:WHATquestiontheresearchisansweringorwhatgapinpreviousresearchthepresentresearchfills?③PurposeStatement:WHYtheresearchwasdone?④MethodologyandData:HOWtheresearchwasdone?9.1.2Elementsofaninformativeabstract⑤Results/Findings:WHATtheresearchfound?⑥Implications/Conclusions:whytheresultsaresignificant,whattheimplicationsare?⑦OtherConsiderations9.1.3VerbtensechoicesinAbstractsTensechoiceinabstractsvariesdependingonwhetherresultsarebeingpresentedortheimplicationsoftheresearcharebeingdiscussed.ChapterXIAbstract,IntroductionandLiteratureReview9.2Introduction9.2.1PurposeandscopeThemainpurposeofanintroductorychapteristointroduceyourresearchandyourthesis;however,thescopeoftheintroductioncanvarysigni