On February 17, 2020, the Women's Scientific Research Committee of the Bachelor of Arts in English program inaugurated the first session of its Academic Writing Workshop series. The workshop was led by Dr. Nada Alqarni, Department of English Supervisor.

Nuanced Communication

"Effective academic writing hinges on interactional elements which supplement propositional information in the text, signaling the writer's stance to the reader," stated Dr. Alqarni. She delved into the importance of using hedging techniques in academic writing, a strategy that softens the certainty of provided information, subtly conveying that the writer is not fully committed to the explicit truth of the data. Dr. Alqarni demonstrated how hedging could be employed through a variety of linguistic structures, emphasizing that its appropriate usage is key to achieving academic communicative competence, aiding writers in cultivating a rapport with their readers and the authorities in their respective field.

Following this section, Dr. Alqarni guided the attendees through the structure of an academic research paper, with a particular focus on the introduction. She underscored the importance of establishing the relevance of the topic, outlining its historical trajectory, identifying gaps in the current knowledge, and acknowledging potential limitations. Furthermore, she stressed the need to clarify the paper's objectives and contributions, explain the field-specific terminology, indicate the paper's structure, and define what is included and excluded.

Structuring a Compelling Introduction

The workshop participants had the opportunity to practice crafting the three primary components of an introduction: the general research area, the gap in the literature, and the purpose of the research paper. The workshop garnered significant attention, attracting graduate students, staff members, and scientific research committee members, indicating its successful delivery.

She further elaborated on the rules of citation tense and its reflection of the relationship between the writer and the cited researchers. She offered advice on providing an overview of literature from past to present, reporting specific authors' contributions, and highlighting previous studies' limitations.

It's worth mentioning that this workshop marks the start of a series of seven academic writing sessions, scheduled from February 17 to March 30, 2020. These workshops are set to occur at 9:00 am on Mondays at the College of Languages and Translation, King Abdullah Road Campus.