On the afternoon of March 7th, 2014, Ms. Zeng Xiaojie, associate senior editor of Comparative Education Review, gave a lecture for IICE of Beijing Normal University as one of its international education symposiums with the title of “Writing Skills for Academic Papers on Education” in Room 723, Yingdong Building, Beijing Normal University. Our doctoral and Master’s students participated in this symposium.
Ms. Zeng Xiaojie has engaged herself in editing for many years and had extensive experience in academic paper writing. In her lecture, first of all, Ms. Zeng highlighted the significance of academic writing for postgraduate students’ academic growth and future career, emphasizing the importance of academic integrity, and strict and conscientious academic attitude. Secondly, in terms of writing essentials, Ms. Zeng elaborated on issues such as the features, basic structures, assessment standards of academic and how to avoid problems that graduate students may have in academic writing. At last, she detailed some writing skills for academic papers on education:
1. Topics: one should: define the value, establish problem consciousness, enlarge or narrow down from a particular point of view;
2. Materials: one should: collect materials comprehensively, systematically and accurately, classify all of the materials and make them logical, form structure framework and choose the point of analysis;
3. Frame & Structure: one should: choose their own analysis system, pay attention to the logic and structure of the paper;
4. Demonstrations: one should: establish problem consciousness, accumulate theoretical attainment, practice the capability of logical analysis, combine argument with materials and have objective arguments;
5. Language: concepts and expression should be accurate and styles should be appropriate;
6. Academic norm: one should: guarantee an honest academic attitude, observe academic rules and follow the scholarship earnestly.
In the end of the lecture, Ms. Zeng Xiaojie had a discussion on problems in writing academic papers with the graduate students. She made everyone benefit a lot from her content-rich lecture by illustrating common problems in academic writing.