Unit 2 Using Sources, Data and Graphics; Taking Notes

Writing
Getting Taking Organising Linking Academic
Referencing Revising a final
ideas notes ideas ideas style draft

The writing process

Session 1

In this session you will learn how to do the following:

 Select suitable sources for writing essays/reports

 Understand the role of note-taking in writing essays/reports
 Make effective notes

Activity 1: Gathering ideas for a writing task

As you found out in Unit 1, brainstorming for ideas can help you
identify what you know or don’t know about a topic. The next stage is to start
looking at some sources to find out more about your topic.

a) Which of the following sources (1-12) do you currently use to gather ideas
for a writing task?

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12

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b) List the sources you use according to how frequently you use them.

most frequent use less frequent use

Compare your group responses with that of another group. How are they
similar / different?

c) Which sources are the most useful? Why?

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

Activity 2: Which sources are the most useful?

It is important to be able to think critically about the content of a source.

Thinking critically involves asking yourself questions about the source and its
contents to help you evaluate the source’s usefulness.

a) Read the text to find out how to identify useful sources.

Evaluation of sources

Whether printed or electronic, you need to evaluate the suitability and

reliability of your sources. The factors below may help you do this.

Purpose and scope

After locating a source, consider its scope* and purpose and the context in
which it was written. Such questions will help you determine the relevance of
a source for your topic.

Know the author

A source is not considered very reliable, if no author or organisation is

named. If named, it is preferable that the author is well-known and well-cited
in his/her field.

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Audience

Who are the intended readers for this text? A too specialised or too general
text may not suit your purpose.

Timeliness

Do not use an old edition if a new one is available. For some disciplines, for
example scientific disciplines, it is important to use a recent source, while in
others it is not always as essential.

Reliability

Reliability is connected with the quality of publications in which sources

appear. Peer-reviewed journals are usually treated as reliable sources since
anything published there goes through a rigorous process before it is
published.

Identify bias

It is important to notice whether a researcher has financial or emotional

connection with the subject. In such cases, there can be the possibility of
bias.

b) Now come up with questions for each section that can help you evaluate a
source. For example:

Purpose and Scope: Why did the author write this text?
Know the author: Have I heard of this author? What else has s/he published?
Do other writers mention him/her in their writings?
Audience:_______________________________________________________
Timeliness:______________________________________________________
Reliability:______________________________________________________
Identify Bias:____________________________________________________

Study tip
With Internet sources, check the domain in the URL. What kind of
information source is most appropriate for your topic?

.com is generally used for commercial and business websites

.net is for the Internet infrastructure and service network websites
.org is for non-profit and charity organisations
.gov is for government provided services
.edu is for sites providing education

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Activity 3: Effective note-taking strategies

Work in pairs.
a) Fill up the gaps with the word(s) given in the box to learn about effective
note-taking strategies*.

relevant sentences
sources you
judge purpose
words thoughts
time copy quickly

 Make notes on ideas which you find are _________ to your question /
argument. Always ___________ the ideas in light of your argument /
question in mind.
 Identify the __________ and function of a text before you start
making notes. This will save you __________.
 It is very important that you use your own _________ and do not
______ from the text to avoid the risk of plagiarism*.
 Write notes for _______ and not for an imaginary reader.
 Keep a record of your _________ while making notes. This will help
you when you make reference or when you may need to go back to
your source.
 It is useful to write your __________ when you take notes for an
assignment. Write your thoughts in a separate column in a different
colour.
 Notes are written _________. To save time, do not write _________ ,
instead use symbols (<, =), numbers, headings and abbreviations.

b) Discuss in pairs.
1. Which note-taking strategies do you currently use from the text
above?
2. Can you add any other helpful strategies?

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Activity 4: Taking relevant notes

Students of the History of Art Department, Faculty of Fine Arts need to

write an essay on ‘Rickshaw Art in Bangladesh’.

a) Use the ideas you have learnt about effective note-taking to make notes
on the text in the Notes box that follows.

Rickshaw
art
Figure 1 Rickshaw art
Source: http://www.trip2bangladesh.com/rickshaw-art-rickshaw-painting/

Rickshaw art is mainly an urban phenomenon and dates back to the late
1940s. It shares some similarity of theme and execution with movie banners,
which may be ascribed to the fact that many rickshaw painters had either
themselves painted movie billboards or had been apprenticed to such
painters. The art of the rickshaw painter is passed on from the ustad or
master to the apprentice. There is a lot of repetition, either because of the
popularity of some motifs or because of the influence of the master
craftsman. The paintings are executed quickly, with readymade enamel
paints, which do not allow paints to be mixed. Bright primary colours are
popular and the painting is flat, lacking shadows, perspective, and scale.

There are variations in rickshaw art in different towns of Bangladesh. For

example, nearly eighty per cent of rickshaws in Dhaka city are decorated with
animal and natural scenes, and pictures of movie themes. Chittagong and
Comilla areas show less enthusiasm about decorating rickshaws and the
rickshaw art there contains few human images and a lot of images of flowers,
birds, animals and so on. Rickshaws in Sylhet, considered to be a conservative
area, are rarely decorated. Because rickshaw backboards have to be painted
from time to time, rickshaw artists often depict topical themes. Increasingly
futuristic cities, planes and other fast-moving forms of transport are being
painted on rickshaws and three-wheeler auto rickshaws.

Text source: (Adapted from) Banglapedia (2006) Rickshaw art.

http://www.banglapedia.org/HT/R_0201.HTM

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Write your notes in the box below.

Notes

Comments

b) Share your notes with a partner. Evaluate each other’s notes. Have you
used the note-taking strategies?

c) Discuss with a partner:

1. Would this text be a good source for students to use for their essay?
2. What is the purpose of the ‘Comments’ section in the Notes
template?

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Extension: Evaluating sources

Students of ‘Tourism and Hospitality Management’ need to write a

report on ‘Tourism in Bangladesh: Problems and Possibilities’. Study the table
below. Which of the sources do you think could contain useful information?
Use what you have learnt in Activity 1 and 2 to help you.

Fill in the table with a tick (√), cross (x) or question mark (?).

Source Purpose Know Audi- Time- Reli- Bias

& scope the ence liness ability
author
Bangladeshi Porjoton
Akorshon (Tourism
Attraction in Bangladesh)
(Debashish Das, Self-
published Book, 1998)
‘Tourism in South Asia:
Constraints
and Possibilities’
(NK Sengupta, South Asian
Journal, 1987)
‘Bangladesh going to be the
next tourist haven in South
Asia’
(Fantasy, Magazine, 14
December, 2012)
‘Discover Beautiful
Bangladesh’
(http://www.parjatan.gov.b
d) (2013)

Home task

a) Portfolio task

Think of a topic that interests you and find a suitable

source of information about your topic (for example a website page, an
article, a page from a book). Make some notes about your topic using the
note-taking strategies that you have learnt about in this session.

Add your completed task to your portfolio.

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Unit 2 Using Sources, Data and Graphics; Taking Notes

Writing
Getting Taking Organising Linking Academic
Referencing Revising a final
ideas notes ideas ideas style draft

The writing process

Session 2

In this session you will learn how to do the following:

 Identify types of data and graphics

 Judge how and why to use data and graphics in texts
 Use appropriate language to interpret data and graphics

Activity 1: Functions of data and graphics

Discuss in pairs.

a) Look at the text below. Why did the writer include Figure 2.1 in his report?
1998 Bangladesh Flood
The 1998 flooding of Bangladesh was one of the most destructive flooding
events in modern world history - about two-thirds of Bangladesh was covered by
the waters of the Brahmaputra, the Ganges and the Meghna rivers. Natural
physical causes of the flood include the fact that 80% of Bangladesh is a flood
plain, with 70% of the total area only about 1 meter above sea level and 10% of
the land area is made up of lakes and rivers. While monsoons are a natural part
of the climate of Bangladesh, 1998 year brought tropical storms with heavier
than average rainfall and coastal flooding which, along with snowmelt from the
Himalayas in late spring and summer, caused all three major rivers in
Bangladesh to have their peak flow at the same time. (see Figure 2.1).

Figure 2.1Flood in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floods_in_Bangladesh
Text source: (Extract from) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Bangladesh_floods

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b) Look at the text below. Why did the writer include table 2.1 in his report?

Official Damage Statistics of Bangladesh Flood-1998

Heavy rainfall caused flooding across the country. Half of the country was affected
with severe loss of lives and damage to properties. It can be seen from Table 2.1
that the flooding caused widespread destruction leading to more than a thousand
deaths and the loss of 26,000 head of livestock. A huge number of homes and large
areas of crops were destroyed. In addition, schools, tube wells, river embankments
and roads were seriously damaged.

Table 2.1 Official Damage Statistics of Bangladesh Flood-1998

Serial No. Item Damage
1 Districts affected 32 of 64 Districts
2 People dead 1,050
3 People left homeless 25 million
4 Livestock lost 26,000
5 Crops destroyed 575,000 hectares
Source: Government of Bangladesh

Activity 2: Different types of data and graphics and their

functions

a) Read the paragraph to find out more about using data and
graphics in your academic writing. Underline the different types of data and
graphics mentioned in the text.

You may often use data and graphics in your academic essays and reports to
support, elucidate and complement your ideas. The term data refers to any
numerical record in the form of a table, graph, or chart, while the term
graphics refers to any image, photograph, screenshot, sketch or diagram. A
table presents intricate and multiple data in columns and rows in a way that
helps the readers easily identify and understand the data. A graph/chart
presents the relationship usually between two sets of data in the form of
dots, lines, curves, or bars. While the data support your ideas, the graphics
enhance ideas in the texts.

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b) Match the types of data and graphics from the box to the examples. Use a
dictionary to help you with unfamiliar words.

pie chart bar chart diagram line graph histogram

table picture photo screenshot Venn-diagram

 (You do not need to use all the types)

1: photo 2: 3:

4: 5: 6:

7: 8: 9:

Share your responses with the rest of the class.

c) Write down the differences between data and graphics

Data:

Graphics:

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Activity 3: Deciding what information from data/graphics to
interpret and how

A student, Abid, has some more questions for his teacher

about how he should use data and graphics in his academic writing.

a) How do I refer to the information from the data / graphics in my

writing?
b) Should I describe or analyse the data / graphics?
c) Do I write about all the information that is in the data?

a) Match Abid’s questions to the appropriate comments of the teacher

below:

Abid’s questions a) b) c)
Teacher’s comments

Usually you will focus on the striking points (for example, highest value,
considerable variation, an appealing attribute) and the patterns, such as
trends over time. This will make your interpretation more focused and
ensure a better piece of academic writing.

Teacher comment 1

As you discuss and interpret the information from the data/graphics,

you will need to provide critical comments. As you give your critical
comments you may justify the results with probable causes; compare
the results with the results of other studies, and generalise the result.

Teacher comment 2

You can talk about the information in the data/ graphics in different
ways. You may:
a) start with the table/fig. number, then discuss the information.
b) discuss the information first and then give the table/fig. number.
c) put the table/figure number in brackets.

Teacher comment 3

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b) Look at Table 7 below, which shows students’ attitude toward English
language in higher education. Discuss in pairs: which information would
you focus on in writing about this data?

Table 7: Students’ attitude towards English language

Questionnaire*Statements Agree Neutral Disagree

I would like to take more English courses. 74.69 20.25 5.06

If an academic text is available in English and in Bangla, 62.03 21.51 16.46

I will read the text in English.

English should be the medium of instruction in tertiary 84.82 13.92 1.26

studies.

I need English in order to succeed in higher education. 83.54 15.20 1.26

Table source: (Adapted from) Mamun, S., Rahman, M., Rahmin, A., Hossain, A. (2012) ‘Students’
Attitudes towards English: The Case of Life Science School of Khulna University’. International Review of
Social Sciences and Humanities.3 (1).

Activity 4: Language for interpreting data

a) Look at the table of language you can use for interpreting data.
Then complete the activity that follows.

Table 1. Language for interpreting data

A. Sentence B. Sentence C. Nouns / D.

Pattern Pattern Verbs Adjectives*/Adverbs
Table 1/ Figure 1 It was found that… rise/ fall steady / steadily
presents / shows
drop significant/ -ly
/ indicates that …
The findings
decline noticeable/ -ably
The … is / are generally suggest
illustrated / that … may be … increase notable/ -ably
presented in
This could be decrease high/ -ly
Table 1 / Figure 1.
attributed to…
comparison substantial/ -ly

correlation apparent/ -ly

It can be seen
It seems /appears /
from Table 1 correlate unexpected/ -ly
is likely that …
that…
fluctuation dramatic/ -ally

…was found to fluctuate rapid/ -ly

be…

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b) Circle the words in the table that are new to you and check their meaning
in a dictionary.
c) Underline the language used to interpret the data in the example
sentences below. Then add three more sentences of your own in the
space. Use the table above for language and Activity 3b for data to help
you.

1. The group of students who regularly accessed BBC Janala were found
to have made a substantial improvement in their English language
skills compared to the other groups.
2. Table 2 shows that age is not significantly correlated with
performance in the exam.
3. Gender was found to be highly associated with learning style.
4. It was found that the dropout rate in universities decreased
dramatically after the introduction of the tutorial system.
5. ________________________________________________________
6. _________________________________________________________
7. _________________________________________________________

Extension: Integrating and interpreting data

Read below the interpretation of the data in Table 7, Activity 3b. Then
complete the activities that follow.

Table 7 shows respondents’ attitudes towards English language. It can be

seen from the Table that a majority of the respondents (74.69%) would like
to study more English courses. It was found that where an option between
English and Bangla is available, 62.03% of the respondents opted for
academic texts written in English. As far as medium of instruction is
concerned, 84.82% of the respondents agreed that English should be the
medium of instruction in tertiary studies. Finally, the majority of the
respondents (83.54%) reported that they need English in order to succeed in
higher education. What is apparent from the findings is that the respondents
have a positive attitude towards English language as they are aware of the
increased use of English language in education. This could be attributed to
the fact that English is necessary in many job sectors.
Text source: (Adapted from) Mamun, S., Rahman, M., Rahmin, A., Hossain, A. (2012) ‘Students’
Attitudes towards English: The Case of Life Science School of Khulna University’. International Review of
Social Sciences and Humanities.3 (1). http://irssh.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/20_IRSSH-264-
V3N1.131231435.pdf

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 1. Underline the language used for interpreting the data.
2. The paragraph is organised in three parts. Identify and mark the order
of the 3 parts in the paragraph.
a) Critical analysis and discussion of the findings
b) Reference to the table number where the information can be
found e.g. Table 7 shows
c) Reporting the important findings

Home task

a) Critical reflection

Think back on what you have learnt in this unit and reflect on the
experience.

1. Do you think that you can now find good resources for writing a
report or essay easily?
2. How will you make your note-taking method more effective?
3. Can you now identify different types of data / graphics?
4. What have you learnt about how to use data / graphics in your
writing?

b) Portfolio task

Choose items from each column and make appropriate

sentences. Add and modify any item if necessary.

A B C D E

The study the price of rise significantly / over the

showed books insignificantly, last two
fall
that … years
the population noticeably
drop
growth
notably
decline
Table 1 the performance in recent
remarkably
indicates of the students increase times

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 his fame decrease considerably

The the production correlate clearly in the

findings rate country
substantially
generally
the visitors to
suggest enormously
the Sunderbans
that … may last year
apparently
be the participation
of women expectedly /
unexpectedly, with the
the number of
It was skills
private TV steadily
found that
channels
dramatically
the GDP rapidly
woman and child slowly
trafficking

Add the competed task to your portfolio.

c) New vocabulary

Use your dictionary to search the meaning of the following

words which you will encounter in the next unit and write in the table.

Words Meaning
aptitude
erosion
habitat
implied
orient

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