Why use sources?
How can writers have a voice?
Author: Júlia Banášová
Based on the book Teaching effective source use by J. A. Mott-Smith, Z. Tomaš, and I. Kostka
Author: Júlia Banášová
Based on the book Teaching effective source use by J. A. Mott-Smith, Z. Tomaš, and I. Kostka
In academic writing, two crucial elements lead dialogue - outer sources, and the author's own ideas, his own voice. A skilled writer knows how these two work together, how they support or oppose each other, how they communicate with each other, and with the reader.
Let's have a closer look at how does it work.
Writing an academic text means transforming knowledge - creating new texts that are based on other texts (sources). Why are sources needed and in what context do we use them? What is their place within our writing?
they provide a specific context for the current contribution (Hyland, 2004)
they explain and clarify differences among opposing ideas or theories (Dong, 1996; Harwood, 2009 )
they create and/or justify a research niche (Harwood, 2009; Hyland, 2002)
the let the experienced community members know who the writer's allies are (Harwood, 2009; Hyland, 2002)
they supply support for your claims in order to persuade (Gilbert, 1997; Dubois, 1988, as cited in Hyland, 2004; Harwood 2009)
Sources are a foundation writers build on, they are roots that let the text grow far and wide. They support, clarify, explain, justify - they show where are you coming from and where have you decided to stand.
Cited from: Kostka I., Tomaš Z., Mott-Smith J.A.: Teaching effective source use. 2017. University of Michigan Press, USA, 2017. ISBN-13: 978-0-472-03689-9. (p.38)
Sources play many roles in academic writing. It is important to know how to incorporate them within our own texts, making them work for us, not against us.
Below are two examples of an essay on chocolate. They show the incorporation of outer sources into the text (grey - paraphrases, green - quotations), as well as the author's own voice (light-blue).
In the first example, the proportions of use of outer sources and the writer's own voice are well balanced. The writer uses their own voice to show their position and uses sources to give context, support their arguments, to give evidence, and to show they are informed. There are not too many nor too few sources in this example, and they are smoothly incorporated. This is an example of good writing.
The second example contains less of the writer's voice - it is overwhelmed by outer resources.
The source of the examples: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/english-for-uni/essay-writing#incorporating-your-own-voice
Having a voice means being able to make an intelligent and informed argument that is built on other sources but integrates the writer's own thinking. Using sources well can help with that.
Read and analyze academic texts.
Write a lot and try to get feedback on your writing from a professional - a.g. a teacher at your university.
Use academic sources. Choose them carefully.
Having too many or too few sources can lead to an ineffective outcome.
Avoid plagiarism and patchwriting.
Be specific and clear.
Use stances effectively to show your point.
Don't be afraid to use first-person pronouns - but keep in mind the nature of your discourse. Be careful with them.
When writing an academic text, one needs to be personal, but at the same time, the text needs to stay academic. Be careful not to get carried away by using words that are too personal or passionate - stay objective. At the same time, evaluate, express your attitude, tell the reader your opinion, explain it, support it by evidence. Academic texts show where you stand on the issue. You show that by using stances - boosters, hedges, attitude markers, and self-mention.
They eliminate alternatives. Use them only when you are sure - claims in academic texts must be true. One cannot say always when talking about a thing that only happens often.
obviously...
as we know...
definitely...
They reveal the writer's affect.
adjectives: surprising...
adverbs: unfortunately...
phrases: we hope that...
reporting verbs: they show whether the writer agrees (acknowledged,...) with the source, disagrees (assumes, claims,...) or keeps neutral. They also indicate the STRENGHT of conviction - speculated vs made clear
They open up a claim for doubt and discussion.
it may be that...
possibly...
perhaps...
It may not seem that way, but first-person pronouns are used in academic discourses. They are used more often in social sciences and humanities than in the hard sciences. They are used in very specific contexts:
as a guide thru text: Let us now consider...
as the architect of the essay: First, I consider... then, I...
as an opinion holder: I believe that Howard is right when he argues that...
as an originator: Our argument is that...
(Tang and John, 1999) In: Kostka, I., Tomaš Z., Mott-Smith J.A.: Teaching effective source use. 2017. University of Michigan Press, USA, 2017. ISBN-13: 978-0-472-03689-9 (p.41)
Writers of any text should keep in mind their readers. Engagement is when a writer recognizes the reader and interacts with him, calling him into a conversation. There are a few ways to do this:
reader mention: you, we,...
direct questions: Assume that, Let's, must, should,...
initiating further reading: See also, For a detailed analysis, see,...
It is important to know what is expected from your text in your discipline. Science and engineering treat sources differently than social sciences and humanities. Texts written in social sciences and humanities, when compared with science and engineering, have more citations, more writer-fronted citations, their authors use more quotes and more stance markers. Humanities and social sciences also use more verbs that refer to verbal expressions (hypothesize, discuss), whereas verbs used in science and engineering refer to the research process (observe, discover) more often. However, there are not only differences. The most often used verbs in all fields are: suggest, propose, show.
(Hyland 1999, 2000, 200, 2011) In: Kostka, I., Tomaš Z., Mott-Smith J.A.: Teaching effective source use. 2017. University of Michigan Press, USA, 2017. ISBN-13: 978-0-472-03689-9 (p.42-43)
How should we use sources? What kind of sources should we use? How do we create a connection between the source and the point we are making? Answers can be found in this video.
What words do we use to hedge and boost? How do we use them? What is their purpose? Watch this video and find out.
How do we make our text sound like we have authority? Who are we adressing academic texts to? If you're interested in answers to these questions, watch this video.
What is a stance in academic writing? https://academicmarker.com/essay-writing/introductory-paragraphs/stance/what-is-stance-in-academic-writing/
More on hedges and boosters: https://natureofwriting.com/courses/introduction-to-rhetoric/lessons/hedges-and-boosters/topic/hedges-and-boosters/