Short Paper

1. Short Paper By Anselmus Sudirman Th Laksmi Widyarini STIKES Jenderal Ahmad Yani Yogyakarta

2. Pointers • Thesis versus controlling idea • Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating active and passive verb forms • Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating word forms

3. Thesis versus controlling idea • Short paper is generally three to five pages in length. • A paper of six, seven, or eight pages can also be considered a short paper. • But the short paper is not a formal research paper. • In assigning a short paper, a professor usually specifies the subject matter and the manner in which students approach it.

4. Thesis versus controlling idea • Based on the nature of assignment, three elements are common to all short papers: • All short papers begin by explicitly stating the controlling idea or thesis. Therefore, are all developed deductively (general to specific). • All short papers require that evidence or examples from some objective sources are provided to support the generalization made at the beginning. • All short papers are written objectively.

5. Thesis versus controlling idea • In persuasive writing – a special type of controlling idea called a thesis – is most often used. • Persuasive writing presents arguments on an issue. It requires connections between (1) ideas, (2) systematic use of information, and (3) especially careful use of examples. • A thesis is a controlling idea that limits and predicts the kinds of information that are most likely to follow.

6. Thesis versus controlling idea • A thesis makes a statement about a subject which the writer will support by providing evidence of the “truth” of the statement. • The search for “truth” is the goal of all academic papers. • A thesis evaluates and judges, and it is supported by evidence to convince the reader that the judgment or interpretation is “true”.

7. Thesis versus controlling idea • The following types of information are not considered theses: • Simple Enumerativestatements (naming things on a list one by one) • Infectious diseases occur for severalreasons. • There are many kinds of internal diseases which kill thousands of patients.

8. Thesis versus controlling idea • Statistical or Descriptive Information • There are thousands of infectious diseases in Indonesia each month. • More students attend STIKES A. Yani today than two years ago. • Historical Facts • Henry Dunant was responsible for the invention of the red cross.

9. Thesis versus controlling idea • The statements in the previous slides appear as the controlling ideas, but none qualifies as an acceptable thesis statement. • Why? • Because a thesis identifies important thought relationships – it talks about causes and results, • or it suggests important similarities or differences – and evaluates information according to the perception of the writer.

10. Thesis versus controlling idea Example: • There are three types of barriers which inhibit good communication: physical, human, and semantic. (Controlling idea) • Of the three barriers to communication – physical, human, and semantic – perhaps the most difficult to remedy is that of human limitations. (Thesis)

11. Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating active and passive verb forms • In general, academic writing aims at being “objective” in its expression of ideas. • Therefore, a writer tries to avoid specific reference to personal opinion. • Example • I propose… • In my opinion… • It seems to me…

12. Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating active and passive verb forms • The ability to alter or change between active and passive structures is a useful paraphrasing technique. • There are situations in which the passive is preferred to the active – when the performer of the action (1) is not known, (2) is not important, (3) is perfectly obvious, or (4) refers to the writer.

13. Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating active and passive verb forms • No one knows the exact period when language was first spoken. • (The actual performer of the action is not known.) • The sweater was made in England. • (The identity of the industrial worker who made the sweater is not important.) • French is spoken in France. • (“By the French people” is obvious.) • It can be concluded that further research is necessary. • (It is the writer who is drawing the conclusion: “I conclude that….)

14. Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating active and passive verb forms • Basic sentence structures: • Subject Verb Direct Object • Nurses playan important role. active (direct object) • An important roleis played by nurses. passive

15. Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating active and passive verb forms • That-clauses as direct objects -You can seethat nurses play an important role. ACTIVE (direct object = that-clause) -It can be seenthat nurses play an important role. PASSIVE (direct object = that clause)

16. Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating word forms • A pre-paraphrasing is a way of expressing an author’s thought in your own words. • So you need to change the form of one word, from a verb to a noun, adjective, or adverb. Example • Verb: to succeed • Noun: success/successor • Adjective: successful/succeeding • Adverb: successfully.

17. Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating word forms • to persevere (verb) • Perseverance (noun) • Persevering (adjective) • To manage (verb) • Manager (noun) • Management (noun) • Managing (adjective) • Managerial (adjective) • Managed (adjective) • Managerially (adverb)

18. Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating word forms • Verb: to succeed (menggantikan) Soeharto succeeded Soekarno as President of the Republic of Indonesia. • Noun: successor (“the person who…”) Soeharto was Soekarno’s successor. Soekarno’s successor was Soeharto. • Noun: succession (“the act of…”) The Republic of Indonesia Constitution provides for the peaceful succession of power.

19. Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating word forms • ORIGINAL SENTENCE: A manager’s success is due to perseverance. (perseverance = ketekunan, kegigihan) • POSSIBLE PARAPHRASES: • A manager often succeeds because of perseverance. • Perseverance often leads to managerial success.

20. Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating word forms • A persevering manager is often successful. • Successful management is often a result of perseverance. • A manager who perseveres often succeeds. • Perseverance often causes a manager to achieve success.

21. Pre-paraphrasing technique: alternating word forms • Success is often a result of perseverance on the part of a manager. • If a manager perseveres, s/he will succeed. • Perseverance often contributes to a manager’s success. • A manager’s success often stems from perseverance. • A manager’s success often depends on (rests upon) perseverance.

22. Exercise: Paraphrase each of the following sentences by changing the italicized words or phrases in the suggested manner. (1) • A variety of definitions of leadership have been proposed over the years. • Leadership has long been considered one of the most important factors influencing performance in organizations. • Early research focused on traits, or personality characteristics, typically found in leaders who have achieved success.

23. (2) • Fiedler believes that no one leadership style is equally successful in all job situations. • Indeed, the effectiveness of a leadership style depends on the “three situational factors” and how they relate to the job in question. • One factor of extreme importance, “leader-member relations”, refers to the amount of confidence subordinates have in a leader.

24. (3) • Secondly, there is “task structure” – that is, the degree of routine which exists in carrying out assigned tasks. • “Position power” is the third important factor; the term refers to how authoritative a leader’s position actually is within the entire structure of an organization.