Literary and Cultural Studies:Writing academic texts

Choosing a topic: Your paper has to be a contribution to the ongoing scientific debate

Do follow your interest and your curiosity. Think of something that startled you when first looking at the thing. Think, secondly, of readings you came across and that convinced you or did not convince you. Think of clarity you could try to offer.

Your paper is supposed to be a contribution to the ongoing scientific debate. Whatever you did, you will have to sell it to an anonymous audience of experts (e.g. at a conference or in a scientific journal). The story of how you dealt with the problem, what your learned in the seminar, what you felt when you first read the book... etc. is not part of your work.

Can you have personal views? Yes. But to win the audience you must sell these your results as results others can accept as simply advantageous in the ongoing debate. The absolute no go is the statement you define as personal with the assertion that others can have their own views and hence should not challenge yours. Some students feel they received a bad mark, because their professor did not like their view. You misunderstand the role of your professor and your work if you come to this conclusion. Your professor should discuss your work to find out: what is merely personal opinion and what has the power to make point in the ongoing debate (as for instance an interesting refutation of views, or a viable substantiation of positions you dealt with).

The Preface

Has to be rewritten in the end:

• Lead into the topic: Why is it interesting? What are present problems? How far have they been solved?
• What is your contribution?

• What statement can you make?
• What kind of look on the problem did you offer (method)
• What results were you aiming at?
• What steps of argumentation did you chose in oder to deal with the problem?

How to deal with research done by others

Summarise the present view(s) in a section at the end of the introduction, or (if more specific) in greater detail at the beginning of a respective chapter

• Are there different viewpoints?
• Is it possible to present them in a discussion?
• Did certain arguments evolve in the course of the debate? (This will enable you to state more clearly where you are with your contribution.)

Quote research (only) where this is necessary

• Common knowledge (as presented in dictionaries and handbooks) remains unquoted. Mention it casually where it clarifies a point you make: Marlowe wrote his Jew of Malta (1589 or 1590) without knowing Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice (1600). Get out of further summaries of common knowledge as soon as you realise they are designed to help students, whilst those within the debate want to hear what you have to add.
• Common perceptions and views (on "the Elizabethan period" or "morals of the Victorian age") are strictly off-topic. Refer to them only where you want to criticise them. (And criticise them only if you can show that they still influence scholars.)
• Knowledge we would not have without the work of a particular scholar (e.g. archival information he/she made available, a book he/she first moved into the debate) has to be referenced with that respect.
• All Views and opinions of other experts must be evaluated: What led this scholar to formulate such a view? Does your research substantiate this particular view?

A golden rule on this topic: Consider your own paper and reflect where you would feel exploited and disrespected by readers using your thoughts, your analysis... without stating that they received this insight out of your work.

See our Literary Studies:Research guide and our Literary Studies:Style sheet for specific hints.

Structure your argument

Your work should have

• a problem analysis
• a look into materials with the aim to give answers on the specific questions
• an evaluation of possible views
• a statement of your position in the particular field of observation

When you begin your work try to think of different answers one could give. Write with knowledge about them.

Streamline your presentation

Avoid any knowledge you just want to add for readers who know as little as you knew in the beginning

You offer such knowledge in a lecture if you feel your readers cannot understand you otherwise (they cannot look things up while you are speaking). In a written paper they can be expected to close information gaps themselves, you are not supposed to improve their general knowledge. You are, however, supposed to prove your points. (General information usually does not prove any new idea.)

Write Chapters that actually offer answers

Every chapter you write must strictly refer to your question. Begin each chapter with a look back on the question you are now about to answer. You move from chapter to chapter with a look at what you were able to prove and what questions arose with these your observations.

Use your headlines

• to state the respective field of your observation and
• to make a statement in the respective question

The conclusion and the introduction

Use the conclusion to think of questions you have or might not you have been able to answer. Evaluate your own work.

• It can be that the question imploded - there is no bigger work to write on this, you did not foresee the result
• It can be that you realised one has to do quite different work to answer your question - state what kind of work that would need, so that others can do it (or you yourself in a bigger piece of research)

Can I risk to state my own opinion - even if it contradicts my professor's?

Yes! The most interesting work is the one which leads your readers to second thoughts.

The real problem is the interpretation you expect others to accept and respect as simply your own personal opinion and as the most plausible view at least in your eyes. Any such interpretation is basically a plea not to discuss things any further but just to state different opinions. "Anyone might have his or her view...", you might add with pseudo-tolerance and actual readiness to discredit the entire discussion. The scientific debate is interested in people who study ongoing arguments until they can join with valuable statements, i.e. with statements that pay respect to the serious considerations brought forth so far.

People will listen with interest if you can say: "The debate has moved into a problematic situation - I can show how and why it did that, and I feel I can say into which direction it will eventually go..." That is an interesting statement helping us to evaluate our work and our exchange, but it is a statement one can only make with immense insight. During your student years it will be enough if you show an understanding of the problems, and if you can prove your own skills in exploring materials in order to substantiate views.

How does your professor evaluate your work?

He or she will try to understand what you wanted to do and with what circumspection you did it.

• The excellent piece of work is one fully aware of present research and assuming a position in it - up to the point that your reader realises: you would defend this your work against critical questions - you anticipate them, you know why you would still say what you said as you have an aim to continue with that thought.

• The good piece of work shows that you have learned to evaluate research and to make your statement. The self critical option is not there, your work is not yet designed to lead you on.

• The moderate piece of work shows you understood the question, you were able to summarise other thoughts, you could arrive at at least one of these views with your own work.

Basically we aim at performances you can offer anywhere else in the public. Hence, do avoid references to "our seminar" and all thoughts of your professor as your reader. Think of a public audience.

Practical hints / Style sheet

• Observe the Literary and Cultural Studies:Style sheet
• Take a look at the Literary Studies:Research guide
• Remember the advice that helped you in your first assignments

Links

• Jack Lynch's advice to his students at Rutgers