3. Rhetorical structure
Let's consider how to make general claims from specific examples.
Your claims, though, need to be supported. This is an important aspect of critical writing.
3.1 Supporting your claims
Academic writing is generally both informative and argumentative. In other words, researchers publish not only new information and ideas, but also attempts to persuade readers about their idea or theory. Propositions or claims require some kind of support or evidence. It may be either of a primary source (from the author's own research or analysis) or secondary (information cited from another source besides the author). There are three ways in which you can support your arguments. You can support your claims with examples, with details or with evidence.
1) Supporting with examples: You can provide support for your claims by using examples.
2) Supporting by giving details: You can support your claims by providing examples.
3) Supporting by providing evidence: You can provide evidence to support your claims.
3.2 English vs. Korean rhetorical structure
Koreans usually have encountered difficulties in English academic writing, mainly because of inexperience in organizing writings and different expectations and cultural patterns in developing ideas in academic writing. English style is described as 'linear' while the Korean style is more indirect. This cultural difference causes many problems for Korean students.
- Korean students tend to write an introductions overly general or vague. However, introductions should be explicit and direct in English. For example, if talking about the way of researching Computer Graphics, Korean students might give a general introduction such as how hard research is, or when Computer Graphic research has been began, which is common, obvious information that would be regarded as irrelevant in an academic English.
- Korean students fail to specifically identify their claims or arguments in the introduction. It may be stated directly or even indirectly in the conclusion. In English, however, this should be stated clearly in the introduction.
- Since Korean students are ESL(English as a second language) speaker, they tend to resort to emotional arguments and other fallacies, instead of proper argumentation, evidence, or support.
3.3 Desired Form
1) Introduction
- Background: Specific and clear information leading to the thesis
- Thesis: A specific position or objective
- Plan: A short possible outline or summary of the main arguments to be developed. This is usually constituting one clause or sentence following the thesis.
2) Body
- Provide specific background information on the topic.
- Explain the importance of the topic.
- Use a clear, specific examples to get the attention of reader.
3) Conclusion
- A brief, final anecdote that reinforces the central idea without an explicit restatement. (Do not state them redundantly)
- A careful estimate of the significance of the conclusions reached in the paper.
- An essential condition for future progress.
