Learning to cite authority to develop arguments in academic discussions

The study examines university students’ writing of the discussion text from the aspects of macro organisational structure, language features and citation practices. The study was conducted in a public university and a private university in Malaysia. The students were given four texts on a selected topic and asked to extract relevant points for discussing a given issue. Prior to this, they had been taught how to cite authoritative sources. The analysis of 72 discussion texts indicated that while students provided supporting evidence for arguments, the ability to formulate the issue and the main ideas was weaker. The modal verbs frequently used as hedging devices were can, could and may. Connectors were frequently used to develop arguments as well as to signal similar and contrasting viewpoints but there was a lack of variety in connectors used. To report authoritative sources, the students were balanced in their focus on author and information in their citations. However, the reporting verbs they relied on indicated an attitude of reporting facts. The findings suggest that an important skill to teach in academic writing is the use of reporting verbs to show degree of commitment to the cited claims