Generalization

Use of Generalization in Academic Writing

Generalization is defined as the broad idea or statement that is applied to the things or groups of people. It prevents the lengthy details of some topic. A generalized statement is formed from several examples or facts and what they have in common. Generalizations are not always true because sometimes situations and circumstances may vary from regions. Countries have different cultures and religions. Also, some rules may vary from boarders to boarders. So generalizations are not always reliable. While writing a piece of a research paper we must be careful with the facts and figures of the statements. The statements that cannot be supported by facts and research-based evidence should be avoided in academic writing.

Generalizations are used to give the broader picture of the topics for example

“5G waves are a threat to life”

Compared to:

5G is based on high wave frequencies ranging from 25GHz-39GHz; this electromagnetic wave is carcinogenic and it can wipe out the insect life.

Even though the second statement is more accurate and rich with details but the first sentence is easy to remember.

Moreover, The act of generalization is very common for everyday life people as well as for academic researchers. So it is very important to clarify the difference between the types of generalizations because academic researchers use facts, figures and pieces of evidence based on their research to provide a general statement. On the other hand, people generalize every day a lot of things around them. So it is necessary to differentiate which one should be valid.

Statements in everyday life may look like:

1)      All parents try to make their children’s life difficult.

2)      Assignments are very hard.

3)      Women are bad drivers.

4)      Dogs are smarter than cats.

5)      Only a fool will believe what that advertisement says.

These statements are vague and they cannot be proved, therefore, it is important to avoid such type of statements which are too hazy. For instance, a thesis statement for an article is the most generalized statement. A thesis statement must contain supporting details and facts. The information must be relevant to the topic of your research.

Example;

Generalization:

The president of America has numerous powers.

Supporting evidence:

1)      The president has the authority to reject bills passed by the assembly.

2)      The president can appoint the members of the Supreme Court.

3)      The president is the chief of the cabinet.

4)      The president is the commander in chief of the army.

The statement;  “ The president of America has numerous powers.” contains supporting details. The statement can be proved based on the facts and figures. Factual generalization is usually easy to convince our readers.

A common principle of academic writing is the general-specific pattern. It involves a general statement carried up with specific examples or details. However, Most of the academic research topics are based on reasoning and logic therefore; there is a method of inductive reasoning which helps to build a valid general statement based on facts. Since, inductive reasoning moves from specific details to a generalized one. So it helps to provide supporting details about the given statement.

Minor premise:

1)      Malaria is caused by a parasite named Plasmodium.

2)      The parasite infects the female mosquitoes when they bite the infected person.

Major or General premise:

All-female mosquitoes can cause malaria.

This is how a statement can be generated from specific details. Indeed Generalization is a very essential component for researches because sometimes we cannot provide every detail about the research thus we provide a general statement based on the research topic. This method is mostly used by scientists during research about any disease. In an ideal world to test a hypothesis, a scientist would sample an entire population. It allows researchers to take what they have learnt at a small scale and to apply it on a broader scale.

Table.1 General Statements may include the following words:

In breif  generalization is important in academic researches but it should be based on facts and figures. Each generalized statement must have specific details based on pieces of evidence. Consequently, it will make the article more reliable.