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Academic Writing is a piece of literature that seeks to inform, report, or evaluate an old piece of literature. It is distinguished from other pieces of writing as it always seeks to be factual, brief and clear. It never claims anything without basis or evidence and it only uses technical terms when needed.
Reference : https://www.rlf.org.uk/resources/academic-writing/

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What it isn't

Dictionaries aren't much help. They sometimes define 'academic' like this: abstract, impersonal, cold, over-formal. This all sounds pretty off-putting and quite negative. If you talk to university tutors, they will tell you these are precisely the sorts of things that spoil essays because students think that's what writing at university is supposed to be like. Tutors will also tell you that academic writing isn't about jargon. This does not mean that academic writing does not use complex theoretical or technical terminology but it does not do so in place of clearly written everyday language. It also isn't about very long sentences and using six big words when two short ones will do. Academic writing does not mean putting yourself on hold and trying to write like a character out of Star Trek about the prevalence of sub-space frequencies being refracted by tachyon beam phase distortions.

So, what is it?

Buried among all those negative-sounding dictionary definitions of 'academic' are a few helpful ones: 'relating to scholarly performance' and 'speculative'. If we unpack those meanings a little we can try some definitions of our own:

i. Academic writing is writing that shows evidence of learning.

ii. Academic writing considers a subject in its different aspects, relations and implications.

iii. Academic writing reviews a subject with a sense of sceptical enquiry.

iv. Academic writing re-examines a subject in order to test and develop ideas or theories.

Yes, But What Does It Look Like?

Our definitions sound as if academic writing always looks and sounds the same. If we look at the opening sentences of articles from a number of academic journals this clearly isn't the case:
[1] Edwin Morgan will be seventy this year and his oeuvre is now a substantial one. [2] This essay examines some of the ways in which racialised ideologies were constituted in the nineteenth century in the context of British imperialism. [3] Edna O'Brien is a writer more often judged as dealing with private passions than the wider world of politics. [4] The rapprochement of bibliography and contemporary theory has become so familiar a fact of Shakespeare studies that it is now routinely invoked as a fait accompli.
Fingerprints 1: register & evidence of learning

All four passages have a number of identifying marks or fingerprints. We can see straight away that there's a particular register of language being used. The examples about Edwin Morgan, British imperialism and Shakespeare studies use words and terms that we might not recognise: 'oeuvre', 'racialised ideologies', 'rapprochement', 'fait accompli'. The writers aren't using these words and terms to show off. They are using them because these are the words and terms that writers about the subjects of these articles habitually use. For example, the writer on Edwin Morgan could have said 'body of work' instead of 'oeuvre' but 'oeuvre' is a recognised term in literary studies used to refer to the totality of a writer's work. It establishes that the writer is taking a serious approach to his subject. To go back to our first definition of academic writing, we might say that writing in this register is one way to show evidence of learning - although, of course, it's not the only one or even the most important. We can also say that writing in this register helps to establish the right degree of formality. When a reader sees a word like 'oeuvre' instead of 'books', she is already starting to form an opinion that the writer knows what he or she is talking about.

Fingerprints 2: specialised language used clearly

We can also see that while the writers on British imperialism and Shakespeare studies do use specialised or unfamiliar words and phrases - 'racialised ideologies', 'constituted', 'rapprochement' - they do so in the context of clear, direct statements. The writer on British imperialism announces clearly what the article is about. The writer on Shakespeare studies directs us clearly to the article's area of discussion.

Fingerprints 3: saying what you are going to do

The most important thing about all four examples is that they all announce clearly what the articles are going to be about and do so in particular ways.

Example [1] not only tells us the article is going to be about Edwin Morgan's works: by referring to his seventieth birthday, it tells us that this is a good moment to review aspects of those works.

Example [2] announces its subject but does so with a little of that element of doubt from our third definition. The writer is going to write about only 'some of the ways' - i.e. she's not claiming to be comprehensive. She's going to write about how 'racialised ideologies were constituted' i.e. made up. So she's going to talk about processes as much as finished facts. Finally she's going to do something from our second definition of academic writing: she's going to 'examine', i.e. look at carefully, look at in detail, look at from a number of different angles.

Example [3] seems to be just a straightforward statement about Edna O'Brien. However, by using the phrase 'more often' the writer is doing something from our third and fourth definitions of academic writing. She's introducing an element of doubt - yes, Edna O'Brien is more often judged in one way but there are others. And that, in turn, tells us that she's going to re-examine the ways in which Edna O'Brien is usually judged. She's already telling us that the focus of her article is going to be on 'the wider world of politics' in O'Brien's work.

Example [4] also uses particular phrases to tell us that it's going to re-examine its subject: 'become so familiar a fact', 'routinely invoked', 'fait accompli'. 'Rapprochement' is also used deliberately. It means both the 're-establishment or recommencement of harmonious relations' and 'the act or fact of coming or being drawn near or together'. So the writer might be telling us that once upon a time there was antagonism between bibliography and contemporary theory but now the two things are the best of friends. Or he might be telling us that the differences between bibliography and contemporary theory are becoming blurred. 'Fait accompli' means something that's been done and is therefore regarded as irreversible and/or no longer worth arguing against. The writer is telling us that his view of the subject is going to be that something isn't necessarily so just because we keep seeing it and keep talking about it.

Fingerprints 4: objectivity

This points to another important aspect of academic writing: objectivity. By telling us that they are going to take a new view of their subjects, writers [three] and [four] are standing apart from them. They are saying 'Yes, I know everyone says it looks like this but is that really true?' Being objective means looking at the facts without letting feelings or prejudices - our own or other people's - get in the way. I usually tell students: imagine you are a detective. You've been to the scene of the crime, you've interviewed the witnesses and you've got the forensic reports. Now you are sitting back at the police station weighing it all up and asking yourself questions about what it looks like. Does piece C of forensic evidence contradict witness A? Or do the two things just make each other clearer? If you spend any time talking to academics you'll often hear them say that research can be frustrating because it does not always tell them what they were expecting, but that this in itself can be exciting and challenging.

Fingerprints 5: located in a body of knowledge

The other thing that all the writers of our four examples do is to locate themselves in existing bodies of knowledge. They take certain facts for granted and then move on to their particular take on the subject. Our four writers aren't going to and don't need to spend time on proving that Edwin Morgan has a substantial oeuvre; that British imperialism involved racialised ideologies; that there's a dominant view of Edna O'Brien; and that bibliography and contemporary theory were once opposed but aren't any more. This is also why, for example, the writer in [1] uses the word 'oeuvre' and the writer in [2] uses the phrase 'racialised ideologies'. Using a particular register of language helps to tell your readers where you are coming from and where you are going. These are important points to bear in mind for any piece of writing: who you are writing for; what you can assume they know; what you can assume they want you to tell them; and what language they expect to be told it in.

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What it isn't Dictionaries aren't much help. They sometimes define 'academic' like this: abstract, impersonal, cold, over-formal. This all sounds pretty off-putting and quite negative. If you talk to university tutors, they will tell you these are precisely the sorts of things that spoil essays because students think that's what writing at university is supposed ...

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Academic writing aims to convey information in an impartial way. The goal is to base arguments on the evidence under consideration, not the author’s preconceptions. All claims should be supported with relevant evidence, not just asserted. To avoid bias, it’s important to represent the work of other researchers and the results of your own research fairly and accurately. This means clearly outlining your methodology and being honest about the limitations of your research.

An academic text is not just a collection of ideas about a topic—it needs to have a clear purpose. Start with a relevant research question or thesis statement, and use it to develop a focused argument. Only include information that is relevant to your overall purpose. A coherent structure is crucial to organize your ideas. Pay attention to structure at three levels: the structure of the whole text, paragraph structure, and sentence structure. Academic writing uses sources to support its claims. Sources are other texts (or media objects like photographs or films) that the author analyzes or uses as evidence. Many of your sources will be written by other academics; academic writing is collaborative and builds on previous research.

It’s important to consider which sources are credible and appropriate to use in academic writing. For example, citing Wikipedia is typically discouraged. Don’t rely on websites for information; instead, use academic databases and your university library to find credible sources. You must always cite your sources in academic writing. This means acknowledging whenever you quote or paraphrase someone else’s work by including a citation in the text and a reference list at the end.

Reference:
https://www.scribbr.com/category/academic-writing/

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Academic writing is a formal style of writing used in universities and scholarly publications. You'll encounter it in journal articles and books on academic topics, and you'll be expected to write your essays, research papers, and dissertation in academic style.

Academic writing follows the same writing process as other types of texts, but it has specific conventions in terms of content, structure and style.

Types of academic writing

Academics mostly write texts intended for publication, such as journal articles, reports, books, and chapters in edited collections. For students, the most common types of academic writing assignments are listed below.

Different fields of study have different priorities in terms of the writing they produce. For example, in scientific writing it's crucial to clearly and accurately report methods and results; in the humanities, the focus is on constructing convincing arguments through the use of textual evidence. However, most academic writing shares certain key principles intended to help convey information as effectively as possible.

Whether your goal is to pass your degree, apply to graduate school, or build an academic career, effective writing is an essential skill.

Academic writing is...

Academic writing aims to convey information in an impartial way. The goal is to base arguments on the evidence under consideration, not the author's preconceptions. All claims should be supported with relevant evidence, not just asserted.

To avoid bias, it's important to represent the work of other researchers and the results of your own research fairly and accurately. This means clearly outlining your methodology and being honest about the limitations of your research.

The formal style used in academic writing ensures that research is presented consistently across different texts, so that studies can be objectively assessed and compared with other research.

Because of this, it's important to strike the right tone with your language choices. Avoid informal language, including slang, contractions, clichés, and conversational phrases:

It's important to use clear and precise language to ensure that your reader knows exactly what you mean. This means being as specific as possible and avoiding vague language:

Avoid hedging your claims with words like "perhaps," as this can give the impression that you lack confidence in your arguments. Reflect on your word choice to ensure it accurately and directly conveys your meaning:

This could perhaps suggest that...

This suggests that...

Specialist language or jargon is common and often necessary in academic writing, which generally targets an audience of other academics in related fields.

However, jargon should be used to make your writing more concise and accurate, not to make it more complicated. A specialist term should be used when:

It conveys information more precisely than a comparable non-specialist term.

Your reader is likely to be familiar with the term.

The term is commonly used by other researchers in your field.

The best way to familiarize yourself with the kind of jargon used in your field is to read papers by other researchers and pay attention to their language.

Focused and well structured

An academic text is not just a collection of ideas about a topic-it needs to have a clear purpose. Start with a relevant research question or thesis statement, and use it to develop a focused argument. Only include information that is relevant to your overall purpose.

A coherent structure is crucial to organize your ideas. Pay attention to structure at three levels: the structure of the whole text, paragraph structure, and sentence structure.

Overall structure

Always include an introduction and a conclusion.

Divide longer texts into chapters or sections with clear headings.

Make sure information is presented in a logical order.

Paragraph structure

Start a new paragraph when you move onto a new idea.

Use a topic sentence at the start of each paragraph to indicate what it's about, and make clear transitions between paragraphs.

Make sure every paragraph is relevant to your argument or question.

Sentence structure

Academic writing uses sources to support its claims. Sources are other texts (or media objects like photographs or films) that the author analyzes or uses as evidence. Many of your sources will be written by other academics; academic writing is collaborative and builds on previous research.

It's important to consider which sources are credible and appropriate to use in academic writing. For example, citing Wikipedia is typically discouraged. Don't rely on websites for information; instead, use academic databases and your university library to find credible sources.

You must always cite your sources in academic writing. This means acknowledging whenever you quote or paraphrase someone else's work by including a citation in the text and a reference list at the end.

In-text citation

Elsewhere, it has been argued that the method is "the best currently available" (Smith, 2019, p. 25).

Reference list

Smith, J. (2019). Statistical analysis methods (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Norton.

There are many different citation styles with different rules. The most common styles are APA, MLA, and Chicago. Make sure to consistently follow whatever style your institution requires. If you don't cite correctly, you may get in trouble for plagiarism. A good plagiarism checker can help you catch any issues before it's too late.

You can easily create accurate citations in APA or MLA style using our Citation Generators.
APA Citation Generator MLA Citation Generator
As well as following the rules of grammar, punctuation, and citation, it's important to consistently apply stylistic conventions regarding:

In some cases there are several acceptable approaches that you can choose between-the most important thing is to apply the same rules consistently and to carefully proofread your text before you submit. If you don't feel confident in your own proofreading abilities, you can get help from Scribbr's professional proofreading services or Grammar Checker.

Academic writing is not...

Academic writing generally tries to avoid being too personal. Information about the author may come in at some points-for example in the acknowledgements or in a personal reflection-but for the most part the text should focus on the research itself.

Always avoid addressing the reader directly with the second-person pronoun "you." Use the impersonal pronoun "one" or an alternate phrasing instead for generalizations:

As a teacher, you must treat your students fairly.

As a teacher, one must treat one's students fairly.

Teachers must treat their students fairly.

The use of the first-person pronoun "I" used to be similarly discouraged in academic writing, but it is increasingly accepted in many fields. If you're unsure whether to use the first person, pay attention to conventions in your field or ask your instructor.

When you refer to yourself, it should be for good reason. You can position yourself and describe what you did during the research, but avoid arbitrarily inserting your personal thoughts and feelings:

In my opinion...

I think that...

I like/dislike...

I conducted interviews with...

I argue that...

I hope to achieve...

Many students think their writing isn't academic unless it's over-complicated and long-winded. This isn't a good approach-instead, aim to be as concise and direct as possible.

If a term can be cut or replaced with a more straightforward one without affecting your meaning, it should be. Avoid redundant phrasings in your text, and try replacing phrasal verbs with their one-word equivalents where possible:

Interest in this phenomenon carried on in the year 2018.

Interest in this phenomenon continued in 2018.

Repetition is a part of academic writing-for example, summarizing earlier information in the conclusion-but it's important to avoid unnecessary repetition. Make sure that none of your sentences are repeating a point you've already made in different words.

An academic text is not the same thing as a literary, journalistic, or marketing text. Though you're still trying to be persuasive, a lot of techniques from these styles are not appropriate in an academic context. Specifically, you should avoid appeals to emotion and inflated claims.

Though you may be writing about a topic that's sensitive or important to you, the point of academic writing is to clearly communicate ideas, information, and arguments, not to inspire an emotional response. Avoid using emotive or subjective language:

This horrible tragedy was obviously one of the worst catastrophes in construction history.

The injury and mortality rates of this accident were among the highest in construction history.

Students are sometimes tempted to make the case for their topic with exaggerated, unsupported claims and flowery language. Stick to specific, grounded arguments that you can support with evidence, and don't overstate your point:

Charles Dickens is the greatest writer of the Victorian period, and his influence on all subsequent literature is enormous.

Charles Dickens is one of the best-known writers of the Victorian period and has had a significant influence on the development of the English novel.

Useful tools for academic writing

There are a a lot of writing tools that will make your writing process faster and easier. We'll highlight three of them below.

Paraphrasing tool

AI writing tools like ChatGPT and a paraphrasing tool can help you rewrite text so that your ideas are clearer, you don't repeat yourself, and your writing has a consistent tone.

They can also help you write more clearly about sources without having to quote them directly. Be warned, though: it's still crucial to give credit to all sources in the right way to prevent plagiarism.

Grammar checker

Writing tools that scan your text for punctuation, spelling, and grammar mistakes. When it detects a mistake the grammar checker will give instant feedback and suggest corrections. Helping you write clearly and avoid common mistakes.

Summarizer

You can use a summarizer if you want to condense text into its most important and useful ideas. With a summarizer tool, you can make it easier to understand complicated sources. You can also use the tool to make your research question clearer and summarize your main argument.

Academic writing checklist

Use the checklist below to assess whether you have followed the rules of effective academic writing.

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What Is Academic Writing? | Dos and Don'ts for Students

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Academic writing is used in universities and scholarly publications. It aims to be clear, unbiased, concise, consistent, and well structured.

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Academic writing is clear, concise, focussed, structured and backed up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader’s understanding.

It has a formal tone and style, but it is not complex and does not require the use of long sentences and complicated vocabulary.

Each subject discipline will have certain writing conventions, vocabulary and types of discourse that you will become familiar with over the course of your degree. However, there are some general characteristics of academic writing that are relevant across all disciplines.

Reference:
University of leeds. Retrieved from:
https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

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The book report, research paper, essays, and many more that you are writing, have you wondered what are those? Academic writing is the formal writing style used in colleges and universities. It’s what students are expected to produce for classes and what professors and academic researchers use to write scholarly materials. High schools sometimes require academic writing style in certain classes. A simple academic writing definition is hard to come by because there are many types and forms of academic writing, produced for a variety of reasons. However to put it simply, its purpose is to provide facts or information.

Reference:

White, M. G. (n.d.). Definition of Academic Writing With Examples. YourDictionary. Retrieved September 3, 2021, from https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/word-definitions/definition-of-academic-writing.html

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The book report, research paper, essays, and many more that you are writing, have you wondered what are those? Academic writing is the formal writing style used in colleges and universities. It’s what students are expected to produce for classes and what professors and academic researchers use to write scholarly materials. High schools sometimes require academic writing style in certain classes. A simple academic writing definition is hard to come by because there are many types and forms of academic writing, produced for a variety of reasons. However to put it simply, its purpose is to provide facts or information.

Reference:

White, M. G. (n.d.). Definition of Academic Writing With Examples. YourDictionary. Retrieved September 3, 2021, from https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/word-definitions/definition-of-academic-writing.html

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Academic writing is a form of writing that allows you to communicate, access information and research that can reach wider academic communities which may be divided into two types.

1. Student academic writing - Most commonly used in universities as a form of assessment. In schools, it serves as a preparation for their study in higher education.
2. Expert Academic Writing - Used and intended for publishing academic journals or books.

Both types of writing were made to the same goals, but students might find it hard to master.

Reference:
Smith, S. (2021). What is Academic Writing? https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/what/

Maria Johanna Alexandrea Nietes

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Academic writing is a specific form of expression used by academics to identify the boundaries of their fields and areas of competence. A usage of the third-person perspective rather than the first-person perspective, a clear focus on the research subject under inquiry, and exact word choice are all characteristics of academic writing. Academic writing, like specialty languages used in other professions such as law, is designed to communicate agreed-upon meaning regarding complicated topics to a community of academic experts.

Reference:

Hartley, J. (2008). Academic Writing and Publishing: A Practical Handbook. New York: Routledge,

https://libguides.sph.uth.tmc.edu/writing_support_services_getting_started/AcademicWriting

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According to Charles Lowe, Pavel Zemliansky that in academic writing you need to identify the following.

Who's the audience?

What's the context?

What's the purpose?

What type did you use?

Academic writing is a form of argument. It is an argument because you need to organize your data that will support your paper and help the audience understand what you are writing about.

Academic writing is also an analysis because you need to be curious about the topic you are writing about. You also need to know the most meaningful part of your paper. lastly, you need to know the relationship of every sentence to your topic and learn to organize them by paragraph. In short you need to be critical.

In the end, the success of your academic paper depends on how well you know the topic and how you executed your idea through writing.

Reference:

Lowe, Charles, & Zemliansky, Pavel (Eds.). (2010). Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 1. Parlor Press; The WAC Clearinghouse.

-Christine Palma

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Academic writing is an important skill to develop in academic community since it also serves as a tool of communication. Academic writing is formal writing that will help students to analyze, convey understanding, and think critically. The characteristics of academic writing are as follows: planned and focused; structured; formal in tone and style; and backed up by evidence. Academic writing should answer the question, demonstrate an understanding, be written in a logical order, and support arguments with evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader's understanding.

Reference:
Library. (2021). Academic Writing. Retrieved from https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

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Academic writing is a formal style of writing used in universities and scholarly publications. You’ll encounter it in journal articles and books on academic topics, and you’ll be expected to write your essays, research papers, and dissertation in academic style.Academic writing follows the same writing process as other types of texts, but it has specific conventions in terms of content, structure and style.

# data[].attributes.subject
Academic writing is a formal style of writing used in universities and scholarly publications. You’ll encounter it in journal articles and books on academic topics, and you’ll be expected to write your essays, research papers, and dissertation in academic style.Academic writing follows the same writing process as other types of texts, but it has specific conventions in terms of content, structure and style.

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What Is Academic Writing? | Dos and Don’ts for Students (scribbr.com)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Academic writing is a formal style of writing used in universities and scholarly publications. You'll encounter it in journal articles and books on academic topics, and you'll be expected to write your essays, research papers, and dissertation in academic style.

Academic writing follows the same writing process as other types of texts, but it has specific conventions in terms of content, structure and style.

Types of academic writing

Academics mostly write texts intended for publication, such as journal articles, reports, books, and chapters in edited collections. For students, the most common types of academic writing assignments are listed below.

Different fields of study have different priorities in terms of the writing they produce. For example, in scientific writing it's crucial to clearly and accurately report methods and results; in the humanities, the focus is on constructing convincing arguments through the use of textual evidence. However, most academic writing shares certain key principles intended to help convey information as effectively as possible.

Whether your goal is to pass your degree, apply to graduate school, or build an academic career, effective writing is an essential skill.

Academic writing is...

Academic writing aims to convey information in an impartial way. The goal is to base arguments on the evidence under consideration, not the author's preconceptions. All claims should be supported with relevant evidence, not just asserted.

To avoid bias, it's important to represent the work of other researchers and the results of your own research fairly and accurately. This means clearly outlining your methodology and being honest about the limitations of your research.

The formal style used in academic writing ensures that research is presented consistently across different texts, so that studies can be objectively assessed and compared with other research.

Because of this, it's important to strike the right tone with your language choices. Avoid informal language, including slang, contractions, clichés, and conversational phrases:

It's important to use clear and precise language to ensure that your reader knows exactly what you mean. This means being as specific as possible and avoiding vague language:

Avoid hedging your claims with words like "perhaps," as this can give the impression that you lack confidence in your arguments. Reflect on your word choice to ensure it accurately and directly conveys your meaning:

This could perhaps suggest that...

This suggests that...

Specialist language or jargon is common and often necessary in academic writing, which generally targets an audience of other academics in related fields.

However, jargon should be used to make your writing more concise and accurate, not to make it more complicated. A specialist term should be used when:

It conveys information more precisely than a comparable non-specialist term.

Your reader is likely to be familiar with the term.

The term is commonly used by other researchers in your field.

The best way to familiarize yourself with the kind of jargon used in your field is to read papers by other researchers and pay attention to their language.

Focused and well structured

An academic text is not just a collection of ideas about a topic-it needs to have a clear purpose. Start with a relevant research question or thesis statement, and use it to develop a focused argument. Only include information that is relevant to your overall purpose.

A coherent structure is crucial to organize your ideas. Pay attention to structure at three levels: the structure of the whole text, paragraph structure, and sentence structure.

Overall structure

Always include an introduction and a conclusion.

Divide longer texts into chapters or sections with clear headings.

Make sure information is presented in a logical order.

Paragraph structure

Start a new paragraph when you move onto a new idea.

Use a topic sentence at the start of each paragraph to indicate what it's about, and make clear transitions between paragraphs.

Make sure every paragraph is relevant to your argument or question.

Sentence structure

Academic writing uses sources to support its claims. Sources are other texts (or media objects like photographs or films) that the author analyzes or uses as evidence. Many of your sources will be written by other academics; academic writing is collaborative and builds on previous research.

It's important to consider which sources are credible and appropriate to use in academic writing. For example, citing Wikipedia is typically discouraged. Don't rely on websites for information; instead, use academic databases and your university library to find credible sources.

You must always cite your sources in academic writing. This means acknowledging whenever you quote or paraphrase someone else's work by including a citation in the text and a reference list at the end.

In-text citation

Elsewhere, it has been argued that the method is "the best currently available" (Smith, 2019, p. 25).

Reference list

Smith, J. (2019). Statistical analysis methods (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Norton.

There are many different citation styles with different rules. The most common styles are APA, MLA, and Chicago. Make sure to consistently follow whatever style your institution requires. If you don't cite correctly, you may get in trouble for plagiarism. A good plagiarism checker can help you catch any issues before it's too late.

You can easily create accurate citations in APA or MLA style using our Citation Generators.
APA Citation Generator MLA Citation Generator
As well as following the rules of grammar, punctuation, and citation, it's important to consistently apply stylistic conventions regarding:

In some cases there are several acceptable approaches that you can choose between-the most important thing is to apply the same rules consistently and to carefully proofread your text before you submit. If you don't feel confident in your own proofreading abilities, you can get help from Scribbr's professional proofreading services or Grammar Checker.

Academic writing is not...

Academic writing generally tries to avoid being too personal. Information about the author may come in at some points-for example in the acknowledgements or in a personal reflection-but for the most part the text should focus on the research itself.

Always avoid addressing the reader directly with the second-person pronoun "you." Use the impersonal pronoun "one" or an alternate phrasing instead for generalizations:

As a teacher, you must treat your students fairly.

As a teacher, one must treat one's students fairly.

Teachers must treat their students fairly.

The use of the first-person pronoun "I" used to be similarly discouraged in academic writing, but it is increasingly accepted in many fields. If you're unsure whether to use the first person, pay attention to conventions in your field or ask your instructor.

When you refer to yourself, it should be for good reason. You can position yourself and describe what you did during the research, but avoid arbitrarily inserting your personal thoughts and feelings:

In my opinion...

I think that...

I like/dislike...

I conducted interviews with...

I argue that...

I hope to achieve...

Many students think their writing isn't academic unless it's over-complicated and long-winded. This isn't a good approach-instead, aim to be as concise and direct as possible.

If a term can be cut or replaced with a more straightforward one without affecting your meaning, it should be. Avoid redundant phrasings in your text, and try replacing phrasal verbs with their one-word equivalents where possible:

Interest in this phenomenon carried on in the year 2018.

Interest in this phenomenon continued in 2018.

Repetition is a part of academic writing-for example, summarizing earlier information in the conclusion-but it's important to avoid unnecessary repetition. Make sure that none of your sentences are repeating a point you've already made in different words.

An academic text is not the same thing as a literary, journalistic, or marketing text. Though you're still trying to be persuasive, a lot of techniques from these styles are not appropriate in an academic context. Specifically, you should avoid appeals to emotion and inflated claims.

Though you may be writing about a topic that's sensitive or important to you, the point of academic writing is to clearly communicate ideas, information, and arguments, not to inspire an emotional response. Avoid using emotive or subjective language:

This horrible tragedy was obviously one of the worst catastrophes in construction history.

The injury and mortality rates of this accident were among the highest in construction history.

Students are sometimes tempted to make the case for their topic with exaggerated, unsupported claims and flowery language. Stick to specific, grounded arguments that you can support with evidence, and don't overstate your point:

Charles Dickens is the greatest writer of the Victorian period, and his influence on all subsequent literature is enormous.

Charles Dickens is one of the best-known writers of the Victorian period and has had a significant influence on the development of the English novel.

Useful tools for academic writing

There are a a lot of writing tools that will make your writing process faster and easier. We'll highlight three of them below.

Paraphrasing tool

AI writing tools like ChatGPT and a paraphrasing tool can help you rewrite text so that your ideas are clearer, you don't repeat yourself, and your writing has a consistent tone.

They can also help you write more clearly about sources without having to quote them directly. Be warned, though: it's still crucial to give credit to all sources in the right way to prevent plagiarism.

Grammar checker

Writing tools that scan your text for punctuation, spelling, and grammar mistakes. When it detects a mistake the grammar checker will give instant feedback and suggest corrections. Helping you write clearly and avoid common mistakes.

Summarizer

You can use a summarizer if you want to condense text into its most important and useful ideas. With a summarizer tool, you can make it easier to understand complicated sources. You can also use the tool to make your research question clearer and summarize your main argument.

Academic writing checklist

Use the checklist below to assess whether you have followed the rules of effective academic writing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Is Academic Writing? | Dos and Don'ts for Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Academic writing is used in universities and scholarly publications. It aims to be clear, unbiased, concise, consistent, and well structured.

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing is scholarly writing that is supported by facts and evidence. Discover the definition of academic writing, as well as its purpose and examples. Understand academic writing techniques, such as how to write body paragraphs and conclusions.
The process of breaking down concepts and applying logical reasoning, formal voice, and third person point-of-view in academic writing is known as academic writing. It's about what you believe and how evidence has influenced that belief.

Reference:
Vineski, P. (2021) What is Academic Writing? - Definition & Examples. https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-academic-writing-definition-examples-quiz.html

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing is distinct in that it is clear, brief, focused, systematic, and evidence-based. Its goal is to improve the reader's comprehension. Academic writing also follows the same process as other sorts of writing, but it has its own set of rules.

References:

Library. (2017, June 30).
Academic Writing.
University of Leeds.
https://library.leeds.ac.uk
/info/14011/writing/106/
academic_writing

Scribbr. (2021).
Academic Writing.
Archieven.
https://library.leeds.ac.uk/
info/14011/writing/106/
academic_writing

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing is distinguished principally by the audience for whom it is written. Whereas a piece of reflective writing, for example, is written for yourself or for a personal development diary, academic writing, which is usually written for assessment purposes or for publication, is written for an informed audience. As such, even if it is a formative piece of work, it represents an attempt to engage in the academic discourse written about a specific topic. It therefore needs to display certain features that are the hallmarks of scholarly work. More importantly, effective academic writing is also characterized by being sharply focused on the question.

Reference:

Cardiff Metropolitan University (n.d.) Academic Writing: Principles and Practice. Retrieved from: https://study.cardiffmet.ac.uk/AcSkills/Documents/Guides/AS_Guide_Academic_Writing.pdf (Access date: 4/2/21).

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing is relevant across disciplines. It follows the same writing process, but it is clear, concise, focused, structured, and backed up by evidence/s. It uses a formal tone but is not complex and does not require long sentences and complicated vocabulary. This formal style of writing is commonly used in universities and scholarly publications.

References:

University of Leeds Library (N.D). Academic writing: What is academic writing? Retrieved from: https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

Scribbr. (N.D). The dos and don’ts of academic writing. Retrieved from: https://www.scribbr.com/category/academic-writing/

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing is clear, concise, focussed, structured and backed up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader’s understanding. It has a formal tone and style, but it is not complex and does not require the use of long sentences and complicated vocabulary.
Each subject discipline will have certain writing conventions, vocabulary and types of discourse that you will become familiar with over the course of your degree. However, there are some general characteristics of academic writing that are relevant across all disciplines.

Reference:
Library. (2021). What is academic writing? University of Leeds. Retrieved August 29, 2021 from https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

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Skip to main content

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Try searching the website here to see if you can find it:

If you are looking for books, journals or other resources, check our Library Search

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The Library is transforming student study with state-of-the-art learning spaces where knowledge is shared and new skills learnt with our Skills@Library service. We create, manage and make available huge digital and print collections for study and research.

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing is precise, compact, focused, structured, and backed up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader’s comprehension. It has a formal tone and style, but it is not complex and does not require a long sentence and complicated vocabulary. Academic writing is always a form of evaluation that asks you to demonstrate knowledge and proficiency with specific disciplinary abilities of thinking, interpreting, and presenting.

Reference:

Library. (2021). Academic writing. University of Leeds. https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

Irvin, L. (2010). What Is “Academic” Writing? . https://wac.colostate.edu/docs/books/writingspaces1/irvin--what-is-academic-writing.pdf

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing is distinct in that it is clear, concise, focused, structured, and evidence-based. Its goal is to aid the reader's comprehension. It has a formal tone and style, but it is not overly formal, and it does not necessitate the use of long sentences or a large vocabulary. And  is a type of writing that is used to communicate ideas, information, and research to other academics. It is divided into two types: student academic writing, which is used as a form of assessment at universities and in schools as part of the preparation for university study; and expert academic writing, which is written for publication in an academic journal or book.

Reference:
Library. (2021). What is academic writing? University of Leeds. Retrieved August 26, 2021 from
https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

Alexander, O., Argent, S. and Spencer, J. (2008) EAP Essentials: A teacher's guide to principles and practice. Reading: Garnet Publishing Ltd from
https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/what/

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing is arguably the most crucial skill in a scholastic environment since writing is the primary method of academic communication. Academic writing is writing which imparts thoughts, data, and research to the more extensive academic community. This can be sorted into two categories: student academic writing, which is utilized as a type of appraisal at university, as well as at schools being groundwork for college; and expert academic writing, which is writing that is expected for publication in an academic journal or book. These types of academic writing are relied upon to hold the same standards, which can be hard for students to master.

Reference:
Smith, S. (2021, June 5). What is academic writing? EAPFoundation. https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/what/

Patricia Gwen B. See - STEM2C

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing is writing which communicates ideas, information and research to the wider academic community. It can be divided into two types: student academic writing and expert academic writing. Both types of academic writing adhere to the same standards, which can be difficult for students to master.

Reference(s): GET FREE EBOOK. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/what/

Nakeisha Gabrielle V. Dupio

# data[].attributes.headline
Academic writing is a clear, concise, focused, structured, and backed up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader's understanding. It has a formal tone and style, but it's not complex and does not require the use of long sentences and complicated vocabulary. Each subject discipline will have certain writing conventions, vocabulary and types of discourse that you will become familiar with over the course of your degree.

# data[].attributes.subject
Academic writing is a clear, concise, focused, structured, and backed up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader's understanding. It has a formal tone and style, but it's not complex and does not require the use of long sentences and complicated vocabulary. Each subject discipline will have certain writing conventions, vocabulary and types of discourse that you will become familiar with over the course of your degree.

# data[].attributes.body
Reference:
Library. (n.d.). Academic writing. University of Leeds. Retrieved August 26, 2021, from https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Skip to main content

Sorry - we cannot find the page you are looking for.

Try searching the website here to see if you can find it:

If you are looking for books, journals or other resources, check our Library Search

If you still have problems, please contact us. We like to help.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Library is transforming student study with state-of-the-art learning spaces where knowledge is shared and new skills learnt with our Skills@Library service. We create, manage and make available huge digital and print collections for study and research.

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing is clear, concise, focused, systematic, and evidence-based. Its objective is to improve the reader's comprehension. It has a formal tone and style, but it is not sophisticated and does not necessitate the use of long phrases or extensive language.

Reference:
Library. (2021). What is academic writing? University of Leeds. Retrieved August 26, 2021 from https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing is clear, concise, focused, systematic, and evidence-based. Its objective is to improve the reader's comprehension. It has a formal tone and style, but it is not sophisticated and does not necessitate the use of long phrases or extensive language.

Reference:
Library. (2021). What is academic writing? University of Leeds. Retrieved August 26, 2021 from https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

# data[].attributes.headline
Academic writing is a clear, concise, focused, structured, and backed up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader's understanding. It has a formal tone and style, but it's not complex and does not require the use of long sentences and complicated vocabulary. Each subject discipline will have certain writing conventions, vocabulary and types of discourse that you will become familiar with over the course of your degree.

# data[].attributes.subject
Academic writing is a clear, concise, focused, structured, and backed up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader's understanding. It has a formal tone and style, but it's not complex and does not require the use of long sentences and complicated vocabulary. Each subject discipline will have certain writing conventions, vocabulary and types of discourse that you will become familiar with over the course of your degree.

# data[].attributes.body
Reference:
Library. (n.d.). Academic writing. University of Leeds. Retrieved August 26, 2021, from https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Skip to main content

Sorry - we cannot find the page you are looking for.

Try searching the website here to see if you can find it:

If you are looking for books, journals or other resources, check our Library Search

If you still have problems, please contact us. We like to help.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Library is transforming student study with state-of-the-art learning spaces where knowledge is shared and new skills learnt with our Skills@Library service. We create, manage and make available huge digital and print collections for study and research.

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing aims to convey information in an impartial way. The goal is to base arguments on the evidence under consideration, not the author’s preconceptions.

Academic writing should be transparent brief, focused, systematic, and evidence-based.  Its goal is to improve the reader's comprehension. It also has a formal tone and style, but it is not overly formal, and it does not need the use of long phrases or a broad vocabulary.

Reference:

Scribbr. (n.d.). Academic writing Archieven. Retrieved August 26, 2021, from
https://www.scribbr.com/category/academic-writing/

# data[].attributes.body
Academic writing is writing which portrays ideas, and content. It is a formal way of writing, it is very different from everyday writing. You have to analyze the information you are writing about, in other words evaluate it, before you decide whether or not on how to integrate it into your own writing. It can be divided into two types: student academic writing, which is a form of assessment at university, as well as at schools for  preparation in university; and expert academic writing, which is writing that is intended for publication in an academic journal or book. Both of the  types of academic writing are expected to adhere to the same standards, which can be difficult for students to master. It is more complex than the daily conversations but is more structured and put together.
Reference:

Smith, S. (2021, June 5) What is academic writing. Retrieved from https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/what/

# data[].attributes.headline
What is Academic Writing?                         Academic writing is always a sort of assessment that requires you to demonstrate knowledge and competency in certain disciplinary thinking, interpreting, and presenting skills. The writing element of the paper is never just that. To be successful in this type of writing, you must understand exactly what the lecturer expects you to do and achieve with that specific writing work.                 

# data[].attributes.subject
What is Academic Writing?                         Academic writing is always a sort of assessment that requires you to demonstrate knowledge and competency in certain disciplinary thinking, interpreting, and presenting skills. The writing element of the paper is never just that. To be successful in this type of writing, you must understand exactly what the lecturer expects you to do and achieve with that specific writing work.                 

# data[].attributes.body
Reference:
Irvin, L.L. (2010)What is “academic” writing?

https://docplayer.net/84969-What-is-academic-writing-by-l-lennie-irvin.html

# data[].attributes.headline
Academic writing is always a sort of assessment that requires you to demonstrate knowledge and competency in certain disciplinary thinking, interpreting, and presenting skills. The writing element of the paper is never just that. To be successful in this type of writing, you must understand exactly what the lecturer expects you to do and achieve with that specific writing work.

# data[].attributes.subject
Academic writing is always a sort of assessment that requires you to demonstrate knowledge and competency in certain disciplinary thinking, interpreting, and presenting skills. The writing element of the paper is never just that. To be successful in this type of writing, you must understand exactly what the lecturer expects you to do and achieve with that specific writing work.

# data[].attributes.body
Reference:
Irvin, L.L. (2010)What is “academic” writing?

https://docplayer.net/84969-What-is-academic-writing-by-l-lennie-irvin.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
2 What Is Academic Writing? L. Lennie Irvin Introduction: The Academic Writing Task As a new college student, you may have a lot of anxiety and questions about the writing you ll do in college. * That word academic, especially, may turn your stomach or turn your nose. However, with this first year composition class, you begin one of the only classes in your entire college career where you will focus on learning to write. Given the importance of writing as a communication skill, I urge you to consider this class as a gift and make the most of it. But writing is hard, and writing in college may resemble playing a familiar game by completely new rules (that often are unstated). This chapter is designed to introduce you to what academic writing is like, and hopefully ease your transition as you face these daunting writing challenges. So here s the secret. Your success with academic writing depends upon how well you understand what you are doing as you write and then how you approach the writing task. Early research done on college writers discovered that whether students produced a successful piece of writing depended largely upon their representation of the writing task. The writers mental model for picturing their task made a huge differ- * This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License and is subject to the Writing Spaces Terms of Use. To view a copy of this license, visit creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. To view the Writing Spaces Terms of Use, visit org/terms-of-use. 3

3 4 L. Lennie Irvin ence. Most people as they start college have wildly strange ideas about what they are doing when they write an essay, or worse they have no clear idea at all. I freely admit my own past as a clueless freshman writer, and it s out of this sympathy as well as twenty years of teaching college writing that I hope to provide you with something useful. So grab a cup of coffee or a diet coke, find a comfortable chair with good light, and let s explore together this activity of academic writing you ll be asked to do in college. We will start by clearing up some of those wild misconceptions people often arrive at college possessing. Then we will dig more deeply into the components of the academic writing situation and nature of the writing task. Myths about Writing Though I don t imagine an episode of MythBusters will be based on the misconceptions about writing we are about to look at, you d still be surprised at some of the things people will believe about writing. You may find lurking within you viral elements of these myths all of these lead to problems in writing. Myth #1: The Paint by Numbers myth Some writers believe they must perform certain steps in a particular order to write correctly. Rather than being a lock-step linear process, writing is recursive. That means we cycle through and repeat the various activities of the writing process many times as we write. Myth #2: Writers only start writing when they have everything figured out Writing is not like sending a fax! Writers figure out much of what they want to write as they write it. Rather than waiting, get some writing on the page even with gaps or problems. You can come back to patch up rough spots. Myth #3: Perfect first drafts We put unrealistic expectations on early drafts, either by focusing too much on the impossible task of making them perfect (which can put a cap on the development of our ideas), or by making too little effort be-

4 What Is Academic Writing? 5 cause we don t care or know about their inevitable problems. Nobody writes perfect first drafts; polished writing takes lots of revision. Myth #4: Some got it; I don t the genius fallacy When you see your writing ability as something fixed or out of your control (as if it were in your genetic code), then you won t believe you can improve as a writer and are likely not to make any efforts in that direction. With effort and study, though, you can improve as a writer. I promise. Myth #5: Good grammar is good writing When people say I can t write, what they often mean is they have problems with grammatical correctness. Writing, however, is about more than just grammatical correctness. Good writing is a matter of achieving your desired effect upon an intended audience. Plus, as we saw in myth #3, no one writes perfect first drafts. Myth #6: The Five Paragraph Essay Some people say to avoid it at all costs, while others believe no other way to write exists. With an introduction, three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion, the five paragraph essay is a format you should know, but one which you will outgrow. You ll have to gauge the particular writing assignment to see whether and how this format is useful for you. Myth #7: Never use I Adopting this formal stance of objectivity implies a distrust (almost fear) of informality and often leads to artificial, puffed-up prose. Although some writing situations will call on you to avoid using I (for example, a lab report), much college writing can be done in a middle, semi-formal style where it is ok to use I. The Academic Writing Situation Now that we ve dispelled some of the common myths that many writers have as they enter a college classroom, let s take a moment to think about the academic writing situation. The biggest problem I see in freshman writers is a poor sense of the writing situation in general. To

5 6 L. Lennie Irvin illustrate this problem, let s look at the difference between speaking and writing. When we speak, we inhabit the communication situation bodily in three dimensions, but in writing we are confined within the twodimensional setting of the flat page (though writing for the web or multimodal writing is changing all that). Writing resembles having a blindfold over our eyes and our hands tied behind our backs: we can t see exactly whom we re talking to or where we are. Separated from our audience in place and time, we imaginatively have to create this context. Our words on the page are silent, so we must use punctuation and word choice to communicate our tone. We also can t see our audience to gauge how our communication is being received or if there will be some kind of response. It s the same space we share right now as you read this essay. Novice writers often write as if they were mumbling to themselves in the corner with no sense that their writing will be read by a reader or any sense of the context within which their communication will be received. What s the moral here? Developing your writer s sense about communicating within the writing situation is the most important thing you should learn in freshman composition. Figure 1, depicting the writing situation, presents the best image I know of describing all the complexities involved in the writing situation. Figure 1. Source: A Social Model of Writing Web. 10 March Used by permission from Mike Palmquist.

6 What Is Academic Writing? 7 Looking More Closely at the Academic Writing Situation Writing in college is a fairly specialized writing situation, and it has developed its own codes and conventions that you need to have a keen awareness of if you are going to write successfully in college. Let s break down the writing situation in college: Who s your audience? What s the occasion or context? What s your message? What s your purpose? What documents/ genres are used? Primarily the professor and possibly your classmates (though you may be asked to include a secondary outside audience). An assignment given by the teacher within a learning context and designed to have you learn and demonstrate your learning. It will be your learning or the interpretation gained from your study of the subject matter. To show your learning and get a good grade (or to accomplish the goals of the writing assignment). The essay is the most frequent type of document used. So far, this list looks like nothing new. You ve been writing in school toward teachers for years. What s different in college? Lee Ann Carroll, a professor at Pepperdine University, performed a study of student writing in college and had this description of the kind of writing you will be doing in college: What are usually called writing assignments in college might more accurately be called literacy tasks because they require much more than the ability to construct correct sentences or compose neatly organized paragraphs with topic sentences.... Projects calling for high levels of critical literacy in college typically require knowledge of research skills, ability to read complex texts, understanding of key disciplinary concepts, and strategies for synthesizing, analyzing, and responding critically to new information, usually within a limited time frame. (3 4)

7 8 L. Lennie Irvin Academic writing is always a form of evaluation that asks you to demonstrate knowledge and show proficiency with certain disciplinary skills of thinking, interpreting, and presenting. Writing the paper is never just the writing part. To be successful in this kind of writing, you must be completely aware of what the professor expects you to do and accomplish with that particular writing task. For a moment, let s explore more deeply the elements of this college writing literacy task. Knowledge of Research Skills Perhaps up to now research has meant going straight to Google and Wikipedia, but college will require you to search for and find more in-depth information. You ll need to know how to find information in the library, especially what is available from online databases which contain scholarly articles. Researching is also a process, so you ll need to learn how to focus and direct a research project and how to keep track of all your source information. Realize that researching represents a crucial component of most all college writing assignments, and you will need to devote lots of work to this researching. The Ability to Read Complex Texts Whereas your previous writing in school might have come generally from your experience, college writing typically asks you to write on unfamiliar topics. Whether you re reading your textbook, a short story, or scholarly articles from research, your ability to write well will be based upon the quality of your reading. In addition to the labor of close reading, you ll need to think critically as you read. That means separating fact from opinion, recognizing biases and assumptions, and making inferences. Inferences are how we as readers connect the dots: an inference is a belief (or statement) about something unknown made on the basis of something known. You smell smoke; you infer fire. They are conclusions or interpretations that we arrive at based upon the known factors we discover from our reading. When we, then, write to argue for these interpretations, our job becomes to get our readers to make the same inferences we have made. The Understanding of Key Disciplinary Concepts Each discipline whether it is English, Psychology, or History has its own key concepts and language for describing these important ways

8 What Is Academic Writing? 9 of understanding the world. Don t fool yourself that your professors writing assignments are asking for your opinion on the topic from just your experience. They want to see you apply and use these concepts in your writing. Though different from a multiple-choice exam, writing similarly requires you to demonstrate your learning. So whatever writing assignment you receive, inspect it closely for what concepts it asks you to bring into your writing. Strategies for Synthesizing, Analyzing, and Responding Critically to New Information You need to develop the skill of a seasoned traveler who can be dropped in any city around the world and get by. Each writing assignment asks you to navigate through a new terrain of information, so you must develop ways for grasping new subject matter in order, then, to use it in your writing. We have already seen the importance of reading and research for these literacy tasks, but beyond laying the information out before you, you will need to learn ways of sorting and finding meaningful patterns in this information. In College, Everything s an Argument: A Guide for Decoding College Writing Assignments Let s restate this complex literacy task you ll be asked repeatedly to do in your writing assignments. Typically, you ll be required to write an essay based upon your analysis of some reading(s). In this essay you ll need to present an argument where you make a claim (i.e. present a thesis ) and support that claim with good reasons that have adequate and appropriate evidence to back them up. The dynamic of this argumentative task often confuses first year writers, so let s examine it more closely. Academic Writing Is an Argument To start, let s focus on argument. What does it mean to present an argument in college writing? Rather than a shouting match between two disagreeing sides, argument instead means a carefully arranged and supported presentation of a viewpoint. Its purpose is not so much to win the argument as to earn your audience s consideration (and even approval) of your perspective. It resembles a conversation between two

9 10 L. Lennie Irvin people who may not hold the same opinions, but they both desire a better understanding of the subject matter under discussion. My favorite analogy, however, to describe the nature of this argumentative stance in college writing is the courtroom. In this scenario, you are like a lawyer making a case at trial that the defendant is not guilty, and your readers are like the jury who will decide if the defendant is guilty or not guilty. This jury (your readers) won t just take your word that he s innocent; instead, you must convince them by presenting evidence that proves he is not guilty. Stating your opinion is not enough you have to back it up too. I like this courtroom analogy for capturing two importance things about academic argument: 1) the value of an organized presentation of your case, and 2) the crucial element of strong evidence. Academic Writing Is an Analysis We now turn our attention to the actual writing assignment and that confusing word analyze. Your first job when you get a writing assignment is to figure out what the professor expects. This assignment may be explicit in its expectations, but often built into the wording of the most defined writing assignments are implicit expectations that you might not recognize. First, we can say that unless your professor specifically asks you to summarize, you won t write a summary. Let me say that again: don t write a summary unless directly asked to. But what, then, does the professor want? We have already picked out a few of these expectations: You can count on the instructor expecting you to read closely, research adequately, and write an argument where you will demonstrate your ability to apply and use important concepts you have been studying. But the writing task also implies that your essay will be the result of an analysis. At times, the writing assignment may even explicitly say to write an analysis, but often this element of the task remains unstated. So what does it mean to analyze? One way to think of an analysis is that it asks you to seek How and Why questions much more than What questions. An analysis involves doing three things: 1. Engage in an open inquiry where the answer is not known at first (and where you leave yourself open to multiple suggestions) 2. Identify meaningful parts of the subject

10 What Is Academic Writing? Examine these separate parts and determine how they relate to each other An analysis breaks a subject apart to study it closely, and from this inspection, ideas for writing emerge. When writing assignments call on you to analyze, they require you to identify the parts of the subject (parts of an ad, parts of a short story, parts of Hamlet s character), and then show how these parts fit or don t fit together to create some larger effect or meaning. Your interpretation of how these parts fit together constitutes your claim or thesis, and the task of your essay is then to present an argument defending your interpretation as a valid or plausible one to make. My biggest bit of advice about analysis is not to do it all in your head. Analysis works best when you put all the cards on the table, so to speak. Identify and isolate the parts of your analysis, and record important features and characteristics of each one. As patterns emerge, you sort and connect these parts in meaningful ways. For me, I have always had to do this recording and thinking on scratch pieces of paper. Just as critical reading forms a crucial element of the literacy task of a college writing assignment, so too does this analysis process. It s built in. Three Common Types of College Writing Assignments We have been decoding the expectations of the academic writing task so far, and I want to turn now to examine the types of assignments you might receive. From my experience, you are likely to get three kinds of writing assignments based upon the instructor s degree of direction for the assignment. We ll take a brief look at each kind of academic writing task. The Closed Writing Assignment Is Creon a character to admire or condemn? Does your advertisement employ techniques of propaganda, and if so what kind? Was the South justified in seceding from the Union? In your opinion, do you believe Hamlet was truly mad? These kinds of writing assignments present you with two counter claims and ask you to determine from your own analysis the more valid claim. They resemble yes-no questions. These topics define the

11 12 L. Lennie Irvin claim for you, so the major task of the writing assignment then is working out the support for the claim. They resemble a math problem in which the teacher has given you the answer and now wants you to show your work in arriving at that answer. Be careful with these writing assignments, however, because often these topics don t have a simple yes/no, either/or answer (despite the nature of the essay question). A close analysis of the subject matter often reveals nuances and ambiguities within the question that your eventual claim should reflect. Perhaps a claim such as, In my opinion, Hamlet was mad might work, but I urge you to avoid such a simplistic thesis. This thesis would be better: I believe Hamlet s unhinged mind borders on insanity but doesn t quite reach it. The Semi-Open Writing Assignment Discuss the role of law in Antigone. Explain the relationship between character and fate in Hamlet. Compare and contrast the use of setting in two short stories. Show how the Fugitive Slave Act influenced the Abolitionist Movement. Although these topics chart out a subject matter for you to write upon, they don t offer up claims you can easily use in your paper. It would be a misstep to offer up claims such as, Law plays a role in Antigone or In Hamlet we can see a relationship between character and fate. Such statements express the obvious and what the topic takes for granted. The question, for example, is not whether law plays a role in Antigone, but rather what sort of role law plays. What is the nature of this role? What influences does it have on the characters or actions or theme? This kind of writing assignment resembles a kind of archeological dig. The teacher cordons off an area, hands you a shovel, and says dig here and see what you find. Be sure to avoid summary and mere explanation in this kind of assignment. Despite using key words in the assignment such as explain, illustrate, analyze, discuss, or show how, these topics still ask you to make an argument. Implicit in the topic is the expectation that you will analyze the reading and arrive at some insights into patterns and relationships about the subject. Your eventual paper, then, needs to present what you found from this analysis the treasure you

12 What Is Academic Writing? 13 found from your digging. Determining your own claim represents the biggest challenge for this type of writing assignment. The Open Writing Assignment Analyze the role of a character in Dante s The Inferno. What does it mean to be an American in the 21st Century? Analyze the influence of slavery upon one cause of the Civil War. Compare and contrast two themes within Pride and Prejudice. These kinds of writing assignments require you to decide both your writing topic and you claim (or thesis). Which character in the Inferno will I pick to analyze? What two themes in Pride and Prejudice will I choose to write about? Many students struggle with these types of assignments because they have to understand their subject matter well before they can intelligently choose a topic. For instance, you need a good familiarity with the characters in The Inferno before you can pick one. You have to have a solid understanding defining elements of American identity as well as 21 st century culture before you can begin to connect them. This kind of writing assignment resembles riding a bike without the training wheels on. It says, You decide what to write about. The biggest decision, then, becomes selecting your topic and limiting it to a manageable size. Picking and Limiting a Writing Topic Let s talk about both of these challenges: picking a topic and limiting it. Remember how I said these kinds of essay topics expect you to choose what to write about from a solid understanding of your subject? As you read and review your subject matter, look for things that interest you. Look for gaps, puzzling items, things that confuse you, or connections you see. Something in this pile of rocks should stand out as a jewel: as being do-able and interesting. (You ll write best when you write from both your head and your heart.) Whatever topic you choose, state it as a clear and interesting question. You may or may not state this essay question explicitly in the introduction of your paper (I actually recommend that you do), but it will provide direction for your paper and a focus for your claim since that claim will be your answer to this essay question. For example, if with the Dante topic you decid-

13 14 L. Lennie Irvin ed to write on Virgil, your essay question might be: What is the role of Virgil toward the character of Dante in The Inferno? The thesis statement, then, might be this: Virgil s predominant role as Dante s guide through hell is as the voice of reason. Crafting a solid essay question is well worth your time because it charts the territory of your essay and helps you declare a focused thesis statement. Many students struggle with defining the right size for their writing project. They chart out an essay question that it would take a book to deal with adequately. You ll know you have that kind of topic if you have already written over the required page length but only touched one quarter of the topics you planned to discuss. In this case, carve out one of those topics and make your whole paper about it. For instance, with our Dante example, perhaps you planned to discuss four places where Virgil s role as the voice of reason is evident. Instead of discussing all four, focus your essay on just one place. So your revised thesis statement might be: Close inspection of Cantos I and II reveal that Virgil serves predominantly as the voice of reason for Dante on his journey through hell. A writing teacher I had in college said it this way: A well tended garden is better than a large one full of weeds. That means to limit your topic to a size you can handle and support well. Three Characteristics of Academic Writing I want to wrap up this section by sharing in broad terms what the expectations are behind an academic writing assignment. Chris Thaiss and Terry Zawacki conducted research at George Mason University where they asked professors from their university what they thought academic writing was and its standards. They came up with three characteristics: 1. Clear evidence in writing that the writer(s) have been persistent, open-minded, and disciplined in study. (5) 2. The dominance of reason over emotions or sensual perception. (5) 3. An imagined reader who is coolly rational, reading for information, and intending to formulate a reasoned response. (7) Your professor wants to see these three things in your writing when they give you a writing assignment. They want to see in your writing the results of your efforts at the various literacy tasks we have been discussing: critical reading, research, and analysis. Beyond merely stat-

14 What Is Academic Writing? 15 ing opinions, they also want to see an argument toward an intelligent audience where you provide good reasons to support your interpretations. The Format of the Academic Essay Your instructors will also expect you to deliver a paper that contains particular textual features. The following list contains the characteristics of what I have for years called the critical essay. Although I can t claim they will be useful for all essays in college, I hope that these features will help you shape and accomplish successful college essays. Be aware that these characteristics are flexible and not a formula, and any particular assignment might ask for something different. Characteristics of the Critical Essay Critical here is not used in the sense of to criticize as in find fault with. Instead, critical is used in the same way critical thinking is used. A synonym might be interpretive or analytical. 1. It is an argument, persuasion essay that in its broadest sense MAKES A POINT and SUPPORTS IT. (We have already discussed this argumentative nature of academic writing at length.) 2. The point ( claim or thesis ) of a critical essay is interpretive in nature. That means the point is debatable and open to interpretation, not a statement of the obvious. The thesis statement is a clear, declarative sentence that often works best when it comes at the end of the introduction. 3. Organization: Like any essay, the critical essay should have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. As you support your point in the body of the essay, you should divide up the proof, which means structuring the body around clear primary supports (developed in single paragraphs for short papers or multiple paragraphs for longer papers). 4. Support: (a) The primary source for support in the critical essay is from the text (or sources). The text is the authority, so using quotations is required. ( b) The continuous movement

15 16 L. Lennie Irvin of logic in a critical essay is assert then support; assert then support. No assertion (general statement that needs proving) should be left without specific support (often from the text(s)). (c) You need enough support to be convincing. In general, that means for each assertion you need at least three supports. This threshold can vary, but invariably one support is not enough. 5. A critical essay will always document its sources, distinguishing the use of outside information used inside your text and clarifying where that information came from (following the rules of MLA documentation style or whatever documentation style is required). 6. Whenever the author moves from one main point (primary support) to the next, the author needs to clearly signal to the reader that this movement is happening. This transition sentence works best when it links back to the thesis as it states the topic of that paragraph or section. 7. A critical essay is put into an academic essay format such as the MLA or APA document format. 8. Grammatical correctness: Your essay should have few if any grammatical problems. You ll want to edit your final draft carefully before turning it in. Conclusion As we leave this discussion, I want to return to what I said was the secret for your success in writing college essays: Your success with academic writing depends upon how well you understand what you are doing as you write and then how you approach the writing task. Hopefully, you now have a better idea about the nature of the academic writing task and the expectations behind it. Knowing what you need to do won t guarantee you an A on your paper that will take a lot of thinking, hard work, and practice but having the right orientation toward your college writing assignments is a first and important step in your eventual success.

16 What Is Academic Writing? 17 Discussion 1. How did what you wrote in high school compare to what you have/will do in your academic writing in college? 2. Think of two different writing situations you have found yourself in. What did you need to do the same in those two situations to place your writing appropriately? What did you need to do differently? 3. Think of a writing assignment that you will need to complete this semester. Who s your audience? What s the occasion or context? What s your message? What s your purpose? What documents/genres are used? How does all that compare to the writing you are doing in this class? Works Cited Carroll, Lee Ann. Rehearsing New Roles: How College Students Develop as Writers. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, Print. Thaiss, Chris and Terry Zawacki. Engaged Writers & Dynamic Disciplines: Research on the Academic Writing Life. Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook, Print.

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What Is Academic Writing? by L. Lennie Irvin - PDF Free Download

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2 What Is Academic Writing? L. Lennie Irvin Introduction: The Academic Writing Task As a new college student, you may have a lot of anxiety and questions about the writing you ll do in college. * That word academic, especially, may turn your stomach or turn your nose.

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Academic writing is a form of communication that conveys knowledge gained in a particular field of study. It places a major emphasis on technique and how it should be applied to effectively communicate ideas. Academic writing will assist students in analyzing, communicating ideas, thinking critically, and focusing on technique and style, making it much easier for them to produce papers throughout university.

Reference:

Ahmad, A. & Lumpur, K. (2018, September 17) Importance of academic writing. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2018/09/17/importance-of-academic-writing in August 26, 2021.

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Academic writing is a part of a comprehensive process that includes gathering, analyzing, and evaluating information, planning, structuring, revising, and proofreading your work, and commenting on criticism. There are numerous tools available to assist you in honing your talents in all aspects of the process.

Reference:
University of Sheffield. (n.d.). Academic Writing - Writing - Study Skills - 301 - SSiD - The University of Sheffield. The University Of Sheffield. Retrieved August 26, 2021, from https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/301/study-skills/writing

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In general, academic writing is formal, objective (impersonal), and technical. It avoids casual or conversational language, such as contractions and colloquial terminology, to keep it official. By avoiding direct references to persons or sentiments in favor of objects, facts, and ideas, it is impersonal and objective. It is technical because it uses specialized terminology.

Reference:
Writing. (n.d.). The University of Sydney. Retrieved August 26, 2021, from https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/writing.html

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Writing that demonstrates learning is referred to as academic writing. Academic writing examines a topic's various features, relationships, and implications. Academic writing examines a topic with a skeptical mindset. Academic writing re-examines a topic in order to test and improve theories and ideas.

Reference:
Royal Literary Fund. (2014, August 6). Academic writing. The Royal Literary Fund. https://www.rlf.org.uk/resources/academic-writing/?cn-reloaded=1(edited)

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Academic writing has various types including theses, articles, paper, projects and posters. These types usually involve reporting a research process as a composition.
This discipline includes a variety of components, such as title writing and bibliography, as well as writing qualities such as language, expression, and form. Because scientists publish their research findings by writing numerous articles during their academic careers, the most prevalent kind of academic writing is academic articles, which has its own systematicity.

Reference:
Akkaya, A. & Aydin, G. (2018). Academics' Views on the Characteristics of Academic Writing. Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1186617.pdf

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Academic writing is a configuration that is useful in a variety of situations throughout one's life. Furthermore, academic writing differs from personal writing in that it adheres to its own set of norms and procedures; it is critical to remember who you are writing for. Being mindful of academic tone implies that you are knowledgeable of your audience and adhere to the formality that is typically associated with academic writing. Academic writing is used by students, teachers, and researchers from many disciplines to communicate ideas, make arguments, and engage in intellectual discussion. Knowledge reasoning, careful word choice, logical structure, and an indifferent tone characterise academic writing. Academic writing's purpose is to present a rational explanation from an objective point of view. Emotional, provocative, or otherwise prejudiced language is avoided in academic writing. Although either agree or disagree with a concept, it must be expressed in your article correctly and objectively.

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-academic-writing-1689052

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Academic writing is a form of writing that has its own set of standards and practices, with ideas organized in a formal structure comparable to that of an essay. Academic writing, in contrast to personal writing, explains the theories and causes of a certain subject. It also has a distinct tone, employing concise and formal vocabulary. Finally, citations and referencing of published writers are often used in Academic Writing.

Reference:
Director , C. T. L. (2018, November 29). What is academic writing? OWLL. https://owll.massey.ac.nz/academic-writing/what-is-academic-writing.php.

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Academic writing is a form of language used by researchers to describe the intellectual limits of their subjects and areas of competence. A formal tone, usage of the third-person perspective rather than the first-person perspective (typically), a clear focus on the research subject under inquiry, and exact word choice are all characteristics of academic writing. Academic writing, like specialty languages used in other professions like law or medicine, is intended to communicate agreed meaning regarding difficult ideas or concepts to a community of scholarly specialists.

Reference:
Hartley, J. (2008). What is academic writing? USCLibraries. https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/academicwriting

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Academic writing is a formal writing style used in universities and scholarly publications. Academic writing follows the same writing process as other types of texts, but it has precise content, structure, and style conventions. You'll encounter it in journal articles and books on academic topics, and you'll be expected to write your essays, research papers, and dissertation in academic style.

Reference:
Scribbr. (n.d.). Academic writing Archieven. Retrieved August 25, 2021, from https://www.scribbr.com/category/academic-writing/

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Academic writing is a type of writing that is used to transmit ideas, information, and research to other academics. It is split into two types: student academic writing, which is used as a form of evaluation at universities and in schools as part of the preparation for university study; and expert academic writing, which is written for publication in an academic journal or book. Both student and professional academic writing are required to meet the same standards, which can be difficult for pupils to do.

Reference:
Smith, S. (2021, June 5). What is academic writing? EAPFoundation. https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/what/

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Academic writing is characterized by its clarity, conciseness, emphasis, structure, and evidence-based support. Its goal is to make it easier for the reader to comprehend. It has a formal tone and style, but it isn't overly formal, and it doesn't necessitate the use of long phrases or difficult terminology.

Reference:
Library. (2021). Academic writing. University of Leeds. https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/106/academic_writing