What is the structure of a seminar
paper?
· Font: Times New Roman
· Size: 12 – double spaced
· References: 10-15
A seminar
paper must include the following components, which must appear in a sequential
order:
1.
Title: States your topic exactly in the
smallest possible number of words.
2.
Student’s details: (under title) Includes: your
name, ID number, the name of the instructor, the name of the department, the
name of the college, and the month/year of submission.
3.
Table of Contents
4.
Abstract: States the most important facts
and ideas in your seminar paper (the number of words in the abstract should not
exceed 150-250). The abstract should relate to:
·
The problem studied,
·
The method used,
·
The main results,
·
And the main conclusions.
(No
references, figures, or tables should appear in the abstract)
5.
Text: The body of the seminar paper
should be clearly divided into sections, each with a separate heading. The
sections are:
·
Introduction: Reviews the background of your
topic and gives an outline of the contents of your paper.
·
Literature
Review:
Reviews the work done by other people on your topic (you must include subtitles
related to your topic and the references). This section is mainly based on
scholarly work published in academic journals and books. Appropriate in-text
citation techniques and methods MUST
be used in writing this section.
·
Methodology
and Research question(s):
Is based on the literature review and presents the methodology used in the
seminar paper for answering the research question(s). This section must logically
connect the theoretical review with the topic studied in the seminar paper.
·
Results
·
Findings
and discussion:
Presents the findings of the study in any organized or summarizing manner (e.g.
tables, figures, listings, etc.). This section should not include
questionnaires, detailed transcriptions of linguistic data, or materials
studied. These items, if necessary, should appear at the appendix section at
the end of the paper (following the references section). You may, however,
include excerpts from your findings or examples specifically if such a practice
facilitates your analysis or discussion of findings.
·
Conclusion: States the conclusions you have
drawn from your work, compares your conclusions with the opinions of other
people, and suggests what new work should be done in order to answer a question
you raised on your paper that may further extend our knowledge.
·
Limitations
·
References: You must give references to all
the information that you obtain from books, papers in journals, and other
sources. References need to be alphabetically organized based on the APA style
of documentation.
·
Appendix
(Appendices):
(optional) Includes all the documents you used in your paper such as: a sample
questionnaire/test, full transcription of an interview/conversation, examples
of subjects’ responses/performances in a certain task, etc.
How long is a seminar paper?
The
minimum number of words for writing a seminar paper must be at least 2500 words.
What writing techniques should I
use in writing my seminar?
1.
Use:
·
A normal, plain font: 12-point Times New Roman for
text (10-points for indented in-text citations).
·
Italics for emphasis.
·
The automatic page numbering function to number the
pages (start numbering at the introduction page).
·
Double space.
2.
Start a new page for each new section.
3.
Revise your work for grammar, spelling, lexical
choices, and proper academic style.
4.
Use appropriate in-text citation techniques when using
information from other people.
1- Research Question: What is the relationship between the transparency of
grapheme-phoneme correspondence of English words and the English spelling
proficiency of Arab learners, learning English as a foreign language in Israel?
Topic: The Relationship Between the Transparency of Grapheme-Phoneme Correspondence
and Spelling Proficiency.
Task: The researcher will read two lists
of words:
the
first list contains 15 English words with one-to-one grapheme-phoneme
correspondence. (low ambiguity)
the students
(eighth graders) will be asked to spell the words on their papers.
the
second list contains 15 English words with ambiguous grapheme-phoneme
correspondence. (high ambiguity)
then
the student will be asked to spell them.
* The students learned and reviewed all
the words.
List 1: (Low ambiguity)
pretend
several
reporter
artist
travel
event
blanket
inform
program
develop
band
evil
clap
benefit
apartment
List 2: (High ambiguity)
character
imagination
disease
naturally
hilarious
pressure
scientist
scene
health
decision
measure
pause
solution
trousers
especially
* Then the relationship between the
transparency and the spelling will be checked.
References:
1- Bassetti, B., Cerni, T., & Masterson, J. (2022). The
efficacy of grapheme-phoneme correspondence instruction in reducing the effect
of orthographic forms on Second language phonology. Applied
Psycholinguistics, 43(3), 683–705. https://doi.org/10.1017/s014271642200008x.
2- Goswami, U., Ziegler, J.
C., & Richardson, U. (2005). The effects of spelling consistency on
phonological awareness: A comparison of English and German. Journal of
Experimental Child Psychology, 92(4), 345–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2005.06.002.
3- Kaani, B., Mulubale, S., & Mutau
Mufalo, S. (2022). Effects of orthographic opacity on reading fluency among
Zambian Nyanja-English bilinguals. International Journal on Studies in
English Language and Literature, 10(12), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.20431/2347-3134.1012001.
4- Larsen, L., Schauber, S. K., Kohnen, S., Nickels, L.,
& McArthur, G. (2020). Children’s knowledge of single- and multiple-letter
grapheme-phoneme correspondences: An exploratory study. Early Childhood
Research Quarterly, 51, 379–391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.12.001.
5- Martin-Chang, S.,
Ouellette, G., & Madden, M. (2014). Does poor spelling equate to slow
reading? the relationship between reading, spelling, and orthographic quality. Reading
and Writing, 27(8), 1485–1505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-014-9502-7.
6- Paschoal, L., & Chacon, L. (2023). Influence of
transparency and opacity on the spelling of fricative phonemes. CoDAS, 35(3).
https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/20232021212en.
7- Perry, C., & Ziegler, J. C.
(2004). Beyond the two-strategy model of skilled spelling: Effects of
consistency, grain size, and orthographic redundancy. The Quarterly Journal
of Experimental Psychology Section A, 57(2), 325–356. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724980343000323.
8- Rossi, M., Martin-Chang,
S., & Ouellette, G. (2018). Exploring the space between good and poor
spelling: Orthographic quality and reading speed. Scientific Studies of
Reading, 23(2), 192–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2018.1508213.
9- Suliman, J. M. A. (2018). Impact of English Orthography
on Learning English Sounds and Spelling. Journal of Education and Practice,
9(15), 53–60.
10- Treiman, R., Berch, D.,
& Weatherston, S. (1993). Children’s use of phoneme-grapheme
correspondences in spelling: Roles of position and stress. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 85(3), 466–477. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-0663.85.3.466.