Hierarchical outlining

MII7130 Academic Writing and Hypertext 21.11.2007

Participants?
• Reveal last time's original

Hierarchical structure

• Opposite of flat structure, sequential
Why use hierarchical structure?
Because it is your statement of:
• How you see the domain to exist (ontology)
• What you think consists of what (mereology, part of ontology)
Because it is your order of telling the story (narrative).

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When to use hierarchical structure

When you want to introduce a domain as it is or can be structured (Introduction or Background).
• When you want to claim (ontological claim) that a domain is structured in a certain way. Expert view. (Not always recommendable!)
• When you want to structure your results of findings of a domain
• When you want to express your perspective to the domain, assuming some ontology

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|When not to use hierarchical structure

When you want to allow or encourage other perspectives besides yours!

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|Titles and subtitles

Rules:
Every title should reflect and cover what is included under it, no more no less. Indicate this framing under each (main) title.
Subtitles of a title on the same level should be in some way commensurate.

||Example

• 1. Felidae
There are many kinds of cat animals (felidae). They can be classified, for example, by size.
• 1.1. Cats
Cats are small felidae that can be classified with respect to hair length.
• 1.1.1. Long hair cats
• 1.1.1.1. Nebelung
• 1.1.1.2. Persian
• 1.1.2. Middle-long hair cats
• 1.1.3. Short hair cats
• 1.1.3.1. Abyssinian
• 1.1.3.2. Chartreux
• 1.2. Lynxes
• 1.3. Lions

||What's wrong?

• 1. Citizen activity in the Internet
• 1.1. eVoting
• 1.2. eParticipation
• 1.3. Estonian policies of encourage citizes

||What's wrong?

• 1. Internet games
• 1.1. Single player games
• 1.1.2. Multi-player games

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Nebelung http://catouweb.free.fr

Abyssinian http://catouweb.free.fr

Chartreux http://catouweb.free.fr

|Differing ways of indexing hierarchies

• MS Word

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|Exercise

• 1. Play around with the ontological space of creatures
• 2. Choose your ontological perspective
• 3. Compose a hierarchichal structure of the creatures
4. Write a leading sentence under each title: What does it cover?

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|Main mapping

• Graphical outline, hierarchical but not sequential
• Social media websites mind map

Screenshot of Social media websites mind map Software:
• FreeMind
• ConceptDraw
• MindMeister
Etc.

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|Assignment

1. Choose a mind map program/web service (see above). Compare different soiftware. Register if needed. Buy?
2. Draw a mind map of one of these:
• Your Introduction course essay
• Your master thesis topic area
• Your team's stunt article
3. Save on some server, preferably your IVA portfolio, and link to the wiki!

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Only for educational purposes of Tallinn University.