unit 1: the nature of academic texts l e s s o n 2 : a c a
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Unit 1: The Nature of Academic Texts Lesson 2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
Contents
Engage 1 Introduction 1 Objectives 2
Explore 2
Explain and Elaborate 4 The Academic Disciplines 4 Connections across Disciplines 10 Articulating Different Positions in Academic Writing 10
Extend 14 Activity 1 14 Activity 2 15
Evaluate 17
Wrap Up 20
Bibliography 20
Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
Engage
Introduction
Fig. 1. No matter the discipline, academic writing should always make use of credible
sources.
Most forms of academic writing share common traits and basic features. Academic writing,
for example, no matter the subject or topic, should always consist of a thesis or argument
backed up by sound evidence and credible sources. For an academic paper to be effective, it
must be written with an open but critical mind. However, each academic discipline has its
own structures, methods, and vocabulary. How much do academic texts differ depending
on the discipline in which they are written? How can we identify which texts are written for
which disciplines? What must we know to make sure that we are using the correct
techniques and language to write an academic paper in our chosen discipline? In this lesson,
you will learn how to identify, read, and write academic texts according to the discipline they
are in.
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
Objectives
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Identify the unique features and language of various academic disciplines.
● Find connections between the different academic disciplines.
● Determine when and how to write for a particular academic discipline.
DepEd Competency
Differentiate language used in academic texts from various disciplines.
(CS_EN11/12A-EAPP-Ia-c-2)
Explore
15 minutes
With a partner, read the passages below. Then, answer the questions that follow. Be ready
to share your answers with the class.
Text 1
At the turn of the last century, the illustrated children’s books of the so-called “golden age”
provided readers with many unforgettable images: think of John Tenniel’s blue-aproned
Alice looking up at the sneaky grin of the Cheshire cat, or Walter Crane’s pink-dressed Belle
falling in love with the boar-headed Beast. Such works are usually viewed as the exclusive
realm of the great London and New York publishing houses. But on the other side of the
globe, around the same time, Japan was opening its ports to the world, and in Tokyo the
Kobunsha publishing company would put its own unique mark on illustrated books for
children. Under the leadership of Takejiro Hasegawa, the Japanese Fairy Tale Series
captured the imaginations of countless young readers with books that combined the work
of western writers and translators with Japanese artists. Source: “Woodblocks in Wonderland: The Japanese Fairy Tale Series” (https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/woodblocks-in-wonderland-the-japanese-fairy-tale-series)
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
Text 2 There are two main categories of patients who take a daily low-dose aspirin for
cardiovascular (CV) event prevention: patients who have not yet had serious cardiovascular
problems but may be at risk of having these problems AND patients who have already
experienced serious cardiovascular problems like a heart attack or clot-related stroke. What
the updated guidelines tell us is that certain individuals in the first category (have not yet
had an event, often called primary prevention) may not need to continue taking aspirin due
to the increased risks of bleeding outweighing the cardio-protection benefit. Whether or not
you are one of these individuals in this category depends on your own personal risk factors,
which is why it is important to consult your doctor who can help you understand the
benefits and risks and what is best for your health. For people in the secondary category –
those who have already experienced a cardiovascular event – aspirin can be a lifesaver. Not
only is it proven to help prevent another heart attack or clot-related stroke, aspirin is also
one of the most extensively studied drugs in history. This is why aspirin remains the
cornerstone preventative therapy for secondary prevention. Source: “Sorting Through the Research on Aspirin” (https://www.copyrightfreecontent.com/health/sorting-through-the-research-on-aspirin/) Guide Questions
1. What are the similarities between the two excerpts, if any?
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
2. What are the differences between the two excerpts, if any?
3. Under what academic discipline could each excerpt fall?
4. What do you think can make writing in these disciplines easy? What can make it
challenging?
Explain and Elaborate
The Academic Disciplines The table below shows some of the main academic disciplines, or fields of study and
knowledge, and some of the branches that could fall under them.
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
Table 1. Academic disciplines have various branches under them.
Discipline Branches
Business accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing
Humanities art, creative writing, languages, literature, music, philosophy, religion, theater
Natural and applied sciences
biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geology, mathematics, physics, medicine
Social sciences anthropology, education, geography, history, law, political science, psychology, sociology
Each of the disciplines and its branches have distinct communities that make use of their
own vocabularies, styles, and modes of communication. While they might all follow a basic
format and guidelines, their application differs per discipline. As you become exposed to
more academic texts in varying disciplines, try looking for these formal aspects and
guidelines in what you read and see how they are used or modified depending on the
discipline:
● Title format
● Introduction
● Point of view (first, second, or third person)
● Tone (level of formality)
● Voice (active or passive)
● Discipline-specific vocabulary
● Sections and subheads
● Overall organization
● Use of images (graphs, graphics, pictures, tables, etc.)
● Conclusion
● Types of sources cited
● Use of source information
● Documentation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
● Intended audience
● Published format (print or online)
Different disciplines also tend to get their data and evidence from varying research
methods. For example, how professors in the branch of literature collect their data would
typically be different from how researchers in biology collect theirs. Biologists are expected
to perform lab experiments for their research. Meanwhile, studying literature would require
reading up on both primary sources (e.g., an essay or novel) and secondary sources (e.g.,
texts on literary criticism). On the other hand, social scientists might have to conduct
surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, and the like.
On a related note, the type of information that is relevant to the different disciplines and
how they might organize the information they need also vary. For example, in business
disciplines, they need to study and keep resumes, memos, and product descriptions.
Science and engineering students often include notes, drawings, and results related to their
experiments. Meanwhile, those in the social sciences and humanities might find history
books, literature reviews, or journals relevant.
What the different disciplines focus on in their academic texts also tend to be different, and
it is crucial to note what each discipline values in their writing. For example, a paper written
for the social sciences would have a bigger emphasis on the methodology and how the data
was collected, followed by a close discussion of the findings. In the sciences, there is an
emphasis on the statement of the hypothesis, a prediction of the experiment, and how the
experiment proves or disproves the initial hypothesis. Meanwhile, in a literary essay from
the humanities, the writer might take the time to establish the theoretical foundation he or
she will be using in discussing a particular text or novel.
Tip
As you encounter different articles and texts in your classes, take
note of the vocabulary and jargon used in various disciplines. Doing
so can help you be more familiar with them should you encounter
them again.
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
Example 1
Take a look at how a student of each discipline may write the thesis statement on the topic
of recycling.
Business: Which methods of recycling can help cut down costs in the production of goods?
Humanities: What recyclable materials can best be used for sculpting?
Natural and Applied Sciences: Which recyclable materials can be used to create an
emergency life vest?
Social Sciences: How can recycling be promoted better in middle to lower class families?
Explanation: Take note of the varying concerns and vocabulary in each discipline. Even in
the early process of stating the problem, each discipline may look at the same topic
differently. Their approach and how they conduct their research will then vary depending on
what the discipline is looking for or specializes in.
Example 2
Sample Text
Approximately 5.5 million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer’s dementia, and no
cure or preventive measure currently exists. However, a new dietary supplement has shown
an ability to improve cognitive function in adults with dementia, based on results of a
year-long clinical trial. In the study, 34 adults with an average age of 80 were given one
teaspoon, four times a day, of a dietary supplement containing multiple natural ingredients,
notably a unique form of aloe vera and stabilized rice bran, for 12 months. "Overall, our
results showed statistically and clinically significant improvements in cognitive functioning
and statistically significant improvements in immune functioning for a disease that
otherwise has no efficacious medical treatment," says John E. Lewis, Ph.D., founder and
chief science officer of Nurish.Me, a company focused on developing innovative dietary
supplements." Many participants had a renewed ability to recall people, places, events and
situations, which was remarkable given their disease severity and from what the caregivers
reported to us," Lewis adds. In addition, participants showed significant improvements after
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
12 months of treatment in scores on the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive
Subscale (ADAS-Cog), the current gold standard for measuring and assessing cognitive
function in dementia patients. On average, patients in the study showed improvements in
the ADAS-Cog of greater than four points, which is considered clinically significant. The initial
results of the study were published in 2013 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Additional
findings were published in 2017 in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Research, and a
third paper has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical and Translational
Research. Source: “Dietary Supplement Improves Cognition in Alzheimer’s” (https://www.copyrightfreecontent.com/health/dietary-supplement-improves-cognition-in-alzheimers/)
Explanation: In the excerpt, take note of the language and the source of research. The
article mostly discussed Alzheimer’s dementia and how it could possibly be mitigated by a
dietary supplement. It based its information on a clinical study on the effects of a dietary
supplement on people with an average age of 80. The results and statistics were discussed
through a quoted interview. This example demonstrates how a scientific text might be
written.
Example 3
Sample Text
By the time Friar William of Rubruck arrived at the camp of Möngke Khan in the last days of
1253, he had pushed his body to its breaking point. The trip from Acre had taken him by
way of Constantinople, across the Black Sea, and then on a punishing overland journey
featuring extreme cold, a demon-haunted pass, and little enough food that his
travel-companion, Bartolomeo of Cremona, had been close to tears, exclaiming “It seems to
me I shall never get anything to eat”. And then there had been the Mongols themselves.
Passing into their territory was like passing “through one of the gates of hell”, and leaving
their presence comparable to escaping “the midst of devils”. Safe to say that the Mongols
seemed quite alien to this Flemish friar.
William grumbled at their (in his view) incurable greed, commented repeatedly on his
distaste for the women's noses, and spoke of the foolishness of their religion. Though in
many ways a clever traveller and, despite this xenophobia, an at times astute observer, he
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
was in other ways a fish out of water, even going about at first in bare feet on the frozen
winter ground. But not everything was so unfamiliar, so strange to him.
There at the heart of the Mongol Empire, he found a surprisingly cosmopolitan scene
comprised of Hungarians, Greeks, Armenians, Alans, Georgians, and more. In the capital of
Karakorum, he found a “Saracen” quarter with its markets and a “Cathayan” one with its
artisans; he found temples and mosques, and he found a church. He met a Christian from
Damascus who represented the Ayyubid Sultan, a woman from Metz named Pacquette who
had been captured while on business in Hungary, and the son of an Englishman named
Basil. Most helpful to him during his stay was an artisan from Paris named Guillaume
Boucher. This Parisian smith created several pieces which William saw — an altarpiece, a
kind of mobile oratory, an iron to make communion wafers, and, perhaps his most
significant mark left at Möngke’s capital, the Mongol khan’s wonderfully elaborate drinking
fountain. Source: The Khan’s Drinking Fountain” (https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-khans-drinking-fountain)
Explanation: This excerpt is from a historical essay discussing the symbolism found in the
fountain at the center of the Mongolian capital in the 1200s. Here, the author details
historical events like he is telling a story. Since this essay was written with a historical lens
rather than a scientific one, technical jargon or scientific terms were not used. Instead,
descriptions of people and places are given more focus. Notice again how the language,
details, and even the tone changed depending on the discipline in which the paper is
written.
Remember
The differences in academic writing can range from something as
obvious as the cited sources to something more subtle, like the
narrative tone or voice used by the writer. Always remember to keep
an open mind and an observant eye when reading different academic
texts.
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
Connections across Disciplines In academic writing, the disciplines are not so different in their development and purpose.
Disciplines, in general, were developed and designed to help us make sense of our world
and its phenomena. Knowledge about the world is gained when a practitioner can build on a
previously established body of work from his or her discipline. Often, research in any
discipline requires you to make use of sources in the form of past papers, journal entries,
experiments, and research that touch on a similar topic or line of thinking that you are
studying. This helps not only your own research but also the discipline itself, as you are
helping expand and add to the previous studies in your chosen discipline.
As you take your other classes in high school and when you get to college, it helps to pay
attention to these details not just to be able to pass the class and its requirements, but also
to see if you can find similarities and connections between two different classes you are
taking at the same time. You may realize that a concept you are studying in math can help
you figure out how to conduct an experiment in science. The messages and insights you can
pick up in the literature that you study could be applied to events in history or in current
events. Keep an open mind while studying for classes that are seemingly not significant to
your track or specialization. With more knowledge in different disciplines, you will become
better at knowing how your own specialization can fit with the rest of the world.
What other similarities do the different academic disciplines have with each other?
Articulating Different Positions in Academic Writing Any discipline you choose to enter already has a number of debates, studies, controversies,
experiments, and the like that have been going on for years, if not decades or centuries. You
are not expected to completely master your chosen discipline in your lifetime, much less
overnight. However, there are long-standing binary oppositions in each discipline that can
help you make more sense of the different issues, themes, and topics you might encounter
when reading academic texts and conducting your own research in the future.
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
Table 2. The binaries found in various academic disciplines
Discipline Binary Oppositions
Business production-consumption
labor-capital
Humanities artist-culture
text-context
Natural and applied sciences
empiricism-rationalism
observer-subject
Social sciences nature-nurture
free will-determinism
These are just a few examples of the many binaries found in each discipline. With time and
effort, you will be able to pinpoint these binaries in the academic texts you read as well as
determine other binaries within the disciplines.
These binaries can also move freely between disciplines, and this is often how connections
can be seen between the different academic disciplines.
Example 1
The binary of empiricism (making use of the scientific method) and rationalism (using logic
and reasoning to come to conclusions) associated with the natural and applied sciences is
also a common debate in philosophy, a branch of the humanities. In the social sciences,
teaching techniques and theories have been formed based on either empiricism or
rationalism. Even in business, researchers have started using more empirical methods, like
performing experiments, to study how markets work as opposed to a more rationalist
approach of relying on the study of economics.
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
This is a straightforward example of how the binaries can be seen in different disciplines.
Practicing close and critical reading on the academic texts you encounter later on can help
you determine for yourself how else these binaries come into play in different disciplines.
Example 2
Take the time to read the excerpt provided below. Take note of the language used and the
issues discussed.
Sample Text
Throughout the years, technology has improved drastically – creating machines and devices
that were unimaginable 50 years ago. And perhaps the most advanced and interesting of
society’s technological advancements is robots – but it is also the most misunderstood. In
fact, according to recent Pew Research, more than 70 percent of Americans express concern
about a world in which machines perform many of the tasks done by humans. Fortunately,
there are people who believe humans and robots can coexist and work together in harmony
and are working to debunk many of the fears people have about them. Mouser Electronics
Inc., a leading semiconductor and electronics component distributor based in Fort Worth,
TX, and celebrity engineer Grant Imahara, have teamed up again for the fourth consecutive
year for their Empowering Innovation Together program. This year’s program is called
Generation Robot, which features five videos filmed across the world, including in the U.S.,
Germany and Japan. Mouser’s goal is to reach innovators around the globe by showing how
robots have a positive impact on humanity and change how people see the possibility of
interacting with them. Throughout the Generation Robot series, the entire spectrum of
robotics will be examined, as will the understanding of how robots not only have a
technological impact on society, but also a social and moral one. The video series begins
with the Imahara visiting the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines at Georgia Tech
and speaking with the executive director, Dr. Magnus Egerstedt. There, he explores several
aspects of robots, such as the basics of the machines, myths and misconceptions, as well as
the hopes for, and fears of, the advancement of robot technology. In the video, Dr.
Egerstedt mentions that robots used to be about mechanical engineering, but now modern
robots involve psychology, because these machines will be working along with humans and
thus they need to understand people. Source: “A New Perspective on Robots and How They Will Shape Humanity” (https://www.copyrightfreecontent.com/computers/a-new-perspective-on-robots-and-how-they-will-shape-humanity-2/)
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
Explanation: The sample above is clearly in the discipline of the natural and applied
sciences, as it discusses robotics in detail. It also uses research to support its claims. The
topic, robotics, has always been a highly debated one. It is often discussed among scientific
circles and communities whether or not robots with highly independent AI or artificial
intelligence can ever be created. However, debates about robots and AI can also be
approached by professionals and experts from other disciplines. As also discussed in the
sample, the advancing technology of robotics will also have social and moral implications.
Those in the discipline of humanities might be more interested in the morality that would be
involved in working with robots, while those in the social sciences might instead focus on
the impact robots might have on society. A binary opposition that might be explored across
disciplines through this article is human versus artificial intelligence. For example, scientists
might explore what tasks are better suited to human intelligence and in which tasks artificial
intelligence is superior. Philosophers might discuss if robots are capable of grasping the
concept of morality and making moral decisions like humans. Psychologists might examine
if robots can experience the same mental stressors as humans do.
Example 3
Sample Text
In Mary and Percy Shelleys’ tragic personal lives, there is much evidence that they believed
the dead could be successfully reanimated. For example, Percy Shelley writes of their child,
William Shelley’s last illness: "By the skill of the physician he was once reanimated after the
process of death had actually commenced, and he lived four days after that time". Death, it
seems, could be reversed.
In the years leading up to Mary Shelley’s publication of Frankenstein, there was a very public
debate in the Royal College of Surgeons between two surgeons, John Abernethy and William
Lawrence, on the nature of life itself. Both of these surgeons had links with the Shelleys:
Percy had read one of Abernethy’s books and quoted it in his own work and Lawrence had
been the Shelleys’ doctor. In this debate, questions were asked about how to define life, and
how living bodies were different from dead or inorganic bodies. Abernethy argued that life
did not depend upon the body’s structure, the way it was organised or arranged, but existed
separately as a material substance, a kind of vital principle, "superadded" to the body. His
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
opponent, Lawrence, thought this a ridiculous idea and instead understood life as simply
the working operation of all the body’s functions, the sum of its parts. Lawrence’s ideas were
seen as being too radical: they seemed to suggest that the soul, which was often seen as
being akin to the vital principle, did not exist either. Lawrence was forced to withdraw the
book in which he had published his lectures and resign the hospital post he held, though he
was reinstated after publicly denouncing the views he had put forward. The episode showed
just how controversial the categories of life and death had become and provided further
inspiration for Mary Shelley’s novel. Source: “The Science of Life and Death in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” (https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-science-of-life-and-death-in-mary-shelleys-frankenstein)
Explanation: In this excerpt, the binary opposition is life and death, and it is discussed in
the lenses of science, literature, and even philosophy or faith. The essay is primarily about
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and how life and death are portrayed in the novel, but it also
discusses the novel by comparing it to the experiences the author has had or has seen with
regard to whether or not the dead can be brought back to life. What started out as a literary
inquiry became one very much grounded in scientific and historical fact. It even brings into
question the existence of the soul when discussing the debate between John Abernethy and
William Lawrence, thus possibly sparking a philosophical line of thinking as well.
Extend Activity 1 Choose a chapter or lesson from another subject you are currently taking. Take the time to
read it again, this time taking note of the focus, vocabulary, techniques, and formatting that
are used. Then, answer the following questions:
1. What kind(s) of questions is/are being asked?
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
2. What issues are being tackled or discussed?
3. How does the chapter/lesson discuss or share information from its discipline?
Guide
● Be sure to take extra note of the language the chapter/lesson uses. Hints of what the
discipline focuses on, what information can be taken from it, and how it shares its
knowledge can usually be found there.
● Pay attention to the examples used to demonstrate a lesson as well. These might
discuss possible issues or further show how this particular discipline is taught.
Activity 2 Using the same chapter or lesson from Activity 1, or using a different chapter/lesson from
the same subject, find examples from the text of the main discipline borrowing concepts or
discussing different sides/binaries from other disciplines. List them down and explain how
the concepts or binaries from other disciplines appeared in the chosen text in the space
provided.
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
Guide
It might be easier to find these borrowed concepts and binaries again from the
examples or discussion sections. It could also be helpful to read the text or chapter
while keeping your specialization in mind (if the chosen text is from a discipline
primarily unrelated to your chosen track) so that you can identify familiar concepts
you would normally see in your own chosen discipline instead of the one in the text.
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
Evaluate
A. Answer the following questions in complete sentences
and using your own words.
1. What is an academic discipline?
2. What are some common guidelines that all disciplines should follow?
3. Where might the different academic disciplines vary?
4. What are binary oppositions?
5. How are academic disciplines usually developed or expanded?
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
B. Read the instructions for the following items carefully.
Write your answers and explain them comprehensively on
the space provided.
1. How can familiarizing yourself with a discipline’s vocabulary improve your academic
writing?
2. Why does an academic text’s formatting and style of writing vary depending on the
discipline it is in?
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
3. How can familiarizing yourself with more binary oppositions help you read academic
texts?
4. Choose two different disciplines and discuss a similarity and a difference between
them.
5. Choose a binary opposition from the examples given in Explain and Elaborate (or try to
come up with your own) and briefly describe how two disciplines might use them
differently.
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Unit 1.2: Academic Texts across the Disciplines
Wrap Up ___________________________________________________________________________________________
● Academic disciplines have different branches under them, and each discipline and
branch have distinct communities that make use of their own vocabularies, styles,
and modes of communication.
● The different academic disciplines were created and developed for similar reasons,
so connections between them can always be found.
● Binary oppositions and being more familiar with them can help you understand
issues, debates, problems, and solutions you might encounter in your chosen
discipline as well as in other disciplines.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Bibliography “Exploring Academic Disciplines.” ER Services. Accessed February 17, 2020.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-jeffersoncc-styleguide/chapter/exploring-academic-disciplines/
“Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: Academic Writing Style.” Research Guides.
Accessed February 20, 2020. https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/academicwriting. Purdue Writing Lab. “Writing in Psychology Overview.” Purdue Writing Lab. Accessed
February 20, 2020. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_the_social_sciences/writing_in_psychology_experimental_report_writing/index.html.
“Writing in the Humanities.” Lumen Learning. Accessed February 20, 2020.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/chapter/writing-in-the-humanities/.
“Writing in the Natural and Social Sciences: The Research Paper and the IMRAD Model.”
Lumen Learning. Accessed February 20, 2020. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/chapter/writing-in-the-natural-and-social-sciences-the-research-paper-and-the-imrad-model/.
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