In graduate school, you may be expected to produce new types of texts, though this will vary considerably based on your course of study. Common texts in graduate school include:
If you are required to write a text that you are not familiar with, it is important to determine the genre conventions so that you can approach the task with confidence.
Begin by asking the following questions:
In answering these questions, you will gain a better understanding of the tone, content, and structure of the text. In situations where you do not know the answer, you will need to investigate more deeply.
Start by looking for resources—style guides are often a rich source of information as are many university writing centres (including the Writing Help Centre). Next, locate sample texts. These samples will help you gauge what is conventional; if the same aspects appear across several examples (e.g., use of short paragraphs), this is a strong indication that it is a text convention and something that you are meant to emulate in your own work. Lastly, ask questions! Professors, peers, and writing tutors are always a good source of information.
Some of the more popular academic texts are also featured on this page for your reference.
Annotated bibliographies are a list of sources that include not just the publication information but also a writer’s commentary on that text, ranging from a simple summary to a brief critique. Annotated bibliographies are useful for tracking what one has read and for identifying texts that will be of value when synthesizing sources for a literature review, methodology, or discussion section.
Annotated bibliographies may be assigned as part of coursework so that professors can provide feedback on the nature of the sources you are locating and advise on their suitability before you continue with your project.
Looking for more information on annotated bibliographies?
Critical reviews briefly summarize and then evaluate an academic article or book. They may also be referred to as an article or book review, a critical commentary, or a critique. Published reviews help other academics determine whether they should read the article or book in question, whereas critical reviews that are part of course assessment help instructors determine a student’s understanding of and their ability to critically analyze scholarly work.
Evaluation of texts may be guided by some questions or disciplinary protocols. That said, general questions that can be investigated in a critical review include the following:
Overview
Methodology
Results
Data
Discussion
Next Steps
Value
Style
Additional Questions
Note: Sometimes “article review” is synonymous with synthesis review, so be sure to double-check requirements.
Writing reviews for publication can be a good first step for graduate students who want to experience the academic publication cycle but who do not yet have original research to publish. Book reviews are often more common than article reviews, and, by becoming a reviewer, graduate students can often build their professional library through acquisition of reviewer copies. However, one barrier to becoming a reviewer may be a lack of sufficient disciplinary knowledge, which can make it difficult to situate and critique the text within the larger academic conversation.
Interested in publishing a critical article or book review? Review the guidelines in style guides or journals in your field.
Sample reviewer guidelines:
Looking for more information on writing critical reviews?
Research posters are visual texts that are frequently used at academic conferences to share new research (including preliminary results) with a wider scholarly audience. Posters are especially popular in STEM subjects, but many conferences will feature poster presentations regardless of discipline.
Effective posters provide enough information to intrigue readers but do not overwhelm with too much detail. Increasingly, presenters will include a link to the full paper that readers can review if they so choose.
Looking for more information on creating research posters?
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