Making a
contribution
W R I T I N G I V
(HE285)
Prof. Dr. Ron Martinez
drronmartinez@gmail.com

Goals for the week
• Look at the “C.A.R.S.” model – its specific and
broader purpose.

Today’s agenda
• Visit classmates’ blogs
• A little language focus (from the midterms)
• Review the Miller & Parker paper
• Consider the importance of “problematizing”
• Reflect on what a “hypothesis” is and how it
fits into academic discourse
• Analyze real cases

Admire each other’s work!

Correction Tic-Tac-Toe
Her most recent novel
innovates in different
levels.
The writer is prolific in the
same proportion as he is
innovative.
Through the experiment
the hypothesis was
verified.
We will seek daily for
producing better results.
There are few research in
the area of Portuguese for
foreigners.
The fact that he hid the
money was an evidence of
corruption.
The study aims to indicate
their behavior differences
in eating.
He affirms that it is wrong to
say a man is always better
than a woman, as to state the
contrary.
The article does not
document chronologically
the history of education in
Brazil.

Correction Tic-Tac-Toe
Her most recent novel
innovates in different
levels.
The writer is prolific in the
same proportion as he is
innovative.
Through the experiment
the hypothesis was
verified.
We will seek daily for
producing better results.
There are few research in
the area of Portuguese for
foreigners.
The fact that he hid the
money was an evidence of
corruption.
The study aims to indicate
their behavior differences
in eating.
He affirms that it is wrong to
say a man is always better
than a woman, as to state the
contrary.
The article does not
document chronologically
the history of education in
Brazil.

Discuss: Who can an academic writer
be compared to?
• Politician?
• Salesperson?
• Teacher?
• Firefighter?
• Doctor?
• Lecturer?
• Architect?
• Other?

• Arguably the most important section in an
essay.

A “problem-solution” approach

Briefly discuss the Miller and Parker
article:
• Who is the article intended for?
• Did you like the article?
• Did you understand the “moves” (“establish
territory” etc.)?

“C.A.R.S.” (John Swales)

“C.A.R.S.” (John Swales)
YOUR (HIDDEN)
“POSITION”

Miller & Parker paper:Where’s the “gap”?
• Hint: Where could you insert the word “however”?
1
2
3
4
5
6

Where’s the “gap”?
• Hint: Where could you insert the word “however”?
3

Territory, Niche, and Occupation of
Niche

A typical “processo seletivo” dialogue.
What’s the problem?
BANCA MEMBER: Uh-huh. I see. OK, so what is
your hypothesis?
MESTRADO CANDIDATE: I want to compare the
work of Monteiro Lobato to J.K. Rowling.
BANCA MEMBER: Uh-huh. I see. OK, so… Do you
have a hypothesis?
MESTRADO CANDIDATE: I intend to look for
similarities between the use of imagery and
onomatopoeia.
BANCA MEMBER: Uh-huh. I see.

What is a hypothesis?

Analyze an abstract
1. Download the article (online).
2. Read the abstract.
3. What was the authors’ hypothesis? (Discuss.)

“C.A.R.S.” (John Swales)
OR “CONTRIBUTION”

A better “processo seletivo” dialogue:
What changed?
BANCA MEMBER: Uh-huh. I see. OK, so what is your
hypothesis?
MESTRADO CANDIDATE: I want to compare the work of
Monteiro Lobato to J.K. Rowling.
BANCA MEMBER: Uh-huh. I see. OK, so… Do you have a
hypothesis?
MESTRADO CANDIDATE: I intend to look for similarities
between the use of imagery. I have noticed that both
authors choose to only provide detailed imagery for
younger protagonists, and so I want to explore this
further.
BANCA MEMBER: Ah ha! I see. Interesting…

A “problem-solution” approach

Can you contribute?
Consider your midterm topic. Imagine you
wanted to propose a new research project on
that subject. Is there a research gap (or niche)
that could be occupied? What would be the
contribution of your research?

For homework…
• Do “Ex. 2” online (analysis of introductions)
• Write a brief introduction (1 paragraph) in
which you signal a “gap” in the area you wrote
about for your midterm.
• Bring the introduction to class on Monday
(you can email it to yourself).