Reflective Log on the Covered Units
Unit one was beneficial as I learnt the importance of referencing in academic writing. Referencing is a way of acknowledging external sources used in writing academic papers such as research papers and essay so as to avoid plagiarism. I also learnt about the different academic styles used in academic writing. They include A.P.
A, M.L.A, Harvard and Chicago, and the disciplines in which they are used. In addition, I leant how the purpose of a text influences the choice of language, e.
g. the use of technical terms in scientific reports. In unit two I learnt how to present ideas in a text, depending on its purpose. In this unit, I learnt how to organize ideas in a text into paragraphs, e.g. progressing from general ideas in the introduction to more specific ones in the body and providing a summary of the main ideas in the conclusion.
This involves presenting an idea the reader might be aware of in introduction, and then narrowing down to the text’s main focus. Similarly, I learnt how to link paragraphs so as to produce a coherent and flowing text. Unit three was a continuation of unit two, in the sense that while the latter was about the organization of paragraphs, the former narrows down to how ideas link to one another in a text. It involves connecting sentences that express the same idea, and how each proceeding sentence builds on the previous one to advance the main idea. Additionally, learnt familiar ideas are presented in a summary form to give a reader an insight into the subject under discussion, while new ideas are presented in more detail, and emphasized upon so as to draw the reader’s attention.
In unit four, I learnt how to take a view point on issues with conflicting opinions, and how to use persuasive language to convince readers. I also leant the importance of using facts to argue in favor of a chosen position. Finally, I learnt how to analyze problems and offer persuasive recommendations on the basis of established facts or scientific knowledge.
