Academic Writing Webinar: Session 7
On March 3, 2021, the Women's Scientific Research Committee of the Bachelor of Arts in English program presented the seventh and final session of its academic writing webinar series, featuring Dr. Nada Alqarni.
Emphasizing the importance of a well-crafted conclusion, Dr. Alqarni said, "The inclusion of a short concluding section is highly recommended." She pointed out that many readers focus on the conclusion and abstract, as they succinctly summarize the research paper's main findings in non-technical language. "The conclusion should clearly signal to the reader that the writing is finished and leave a clear impression that the purpose has been achieved," she stated.
Dr. Alqarni also underscored the key features of a conclusion, which include providing a summary of the whole paper and explaining the paper's main purpose. Consequently, she stressed the need for a conclusion to be both concise and clear in her section on "possible structures of the conclusion."
Moving on to common pitfalls in writing conclusions, Dr. Alqarni outlined several mistakes authors should avoid. She advocated for the use of a basic synthesis of information in the conclusion. Furthermore, she urged authors to restate results, highlight achievements, outline possible applications and implications of their work, and suggest avenues for future research by third parties.
Shifting her focus to the abstract, the second part of the session, Dr. Alqarni described it as a "very important paragraph at the beginning of your research paper." She detailed the multiple features of research paper abstracts and introduced two main approaches to their writing: the "result-driven" abstract and the "research paper summary" abstract. Dr. Alqarni also explained the correct sequence for a research paper abstract, concluding with an example from the article "Use of A Writing Web-Site by Pre-Masters Students on An English English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Course."
At the conclusion of the seventh session in this academic writing webinar series, attendees were encouraged to ask questions and share their thoughts and suggestions, creating a rich and interactive learning experience.
