351-1007-00L: Research Methodology and Writing

This is a supplemental page for the course Research Methodology and Writing. It will be added to over the course of the semester.

Course syllabus as of 20 September, 2011.

Self-assessment language proficiency checklist and raster.

Here are some additional optional diagnostic tools for assessing your own general English writing skills.

Here is a chart that we will use as a basis for assessment and self-assessment of your academic writing skills (at the start of the course and at the end).

Lecture notes:

Lecture 1: Sept. 26 2011: Foundations of Research Methodology & Academic Writing

Lecture 2: Oct. 3 2011: Approaching and Planning the Research: The Research Proposal and Literature Review

(Presentation on assessing information sources [pdf])

Lecture 3: October 10 2011: Research Problem, Objectives and Conceptual Framework, S.Sharp's thesis proposal with objectives and conceptual model, Discussion paper: Europe and Its Money: The way to save the euro

Lecture 4: October 17 2011: Research Methods and Writing in Energy Economics and Policy (T. Rutherford)

Lecture 5: October 24 2011: Data & Procedure, graphic 'It's all connected'

Lecture 8-9: November 21 2011: Writing Methods/Procedures, Findings/Results + Introduction, Example of introduction

Lecture 10: November 28 2011: Discussion, conclusions, Miscellaneous research report items

Handouts (pdfs): Writing tips and guidelines:

Booth et al. Tip-Titles + abstracts 1  [pdf]
A few notes on Beer's (2002) 'Why Engineering Students don't like to write'  [pdf]
Booth et al. Tip-Outlining  [pdf]
Booth et al. Tip-1st + last words  [pdf]
Booth et al. Tip-Quote + paraphrase 1  [pdf]
Booth et al. Tip-Taxonomy of Contradictions  [pdf]
Booth et al. Tip-Titles + abstracts 1  [pdf]
Booth et al. Tip-understanding your readers  [pdf]
Ethridge's Appendix D paper critique guidelines  [pdf]
S+F Table 18-High-frequency reporting verbs  [pdf]
S+F writing critiques Q.'s (1-8)  [pdf]

Beer (2009) Ch. 9-'Engineering your speaking' (full ch.) [pdf]

Booth et al. Tip-Writing in groups [pdf]

S+F Unit 5: Writing Summaries (full ch.) [pdf]

S+F Unit 6: Writing Critiques (most of chapter, incl. Language Focus) [pdf]

Suggestions for how to write and structure critical reviews of articles

S+F Frequency of features in various section of RP [pdf]

S+F Linking phrases for use in extended methods [pdf]

S&F Language focus-claiming centrality [pdf]

S&F Language focus-citation + tense [pdf]

S+F Unit 8-opening discussion examples [pdf]

S+F Unit 8 Task 19 [pdf]

S+F Unit 8 Abstracts [pdf]