Academic Writing PDF

ACADEMIC WRITING S O U R C E : D I A N A. N. N U R M A L A D E W I , H T T P S : / / W W W. S L I D E S H A R E. N E T / L A L A F I R D A U S / A C A D E M I C - W R I T I N G DEFINITIONS It is the process of writing analytically — the breaking down of ideas with the purpose of presenting...

ACADEMIC WRITING S O U R C E : D I A N A. N. N U R M A L A D E W I , H T T P S : / / W W W. S L I D E S H A R E. N E T / L A L A F I R D A U S / A C A D E M I C - W R I T I N G DEFINITIONS It is the process of writing analytically — the breaking down of ideas with the purpose of presenting information that depicts a clear understanding of a certain subject. Academic writing is the process of presenting ideas in a rational, organized, systematic, reasonable, and logical way CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC WRITING (HTTPS://LIBRARY.LEEDS.AC.UK/INFO/14011/WRITING/106/ACADEMIC_WRITING) Planned and focused: answers the question and demonstrates an understanding of the subject. Structured: is coherent, written in a logical order, and brings together related points and material. Evidenced: demonstrates knowledge of the subject area, supports opinions and arguments with evidence, and is referenced accurately. Formal in tone and style: uses appropriate language and tenses, and is clear, concise and balanced. A LIST OF DOCUMENTS WHERE ACADEMIC WRITING IS USED Book reviews Essays Research report Research proposal Scientific paper Academic journal Dissertation and Thesis - These are written to obtain an advanced degree at a college or university. Abstract - This is a short summary of a long document. TYPES OF ACADEMIC WRITING (SOURCE:HTTPS:/ AUDIENCE/) /ACADEMICPLAGIARISM.COM/RESOURCES/STUDENTS/ACADEMIC-WRITING-PURPOSE-AND- EXPOSITORY NARRATIVE DESCRIPTIVE ARGUMENTATIVE EXPOSITORY The purpose of an expository paper is explain, discuss, or inform your audience about a given topic. Therefore, the expository approach offers an ideal structure for identifying features and characteristics in a given topic as in most research-driven papers, comparison-contrast essays, reaction essays, and business writing. NARRATIVE When you write a narrative paper, you are “narrating” or telling a story. A strong narrative essay is one that paints a vivid image of the story using a variety of writing techniques (characterization, descriptions, plot… etc). Like other types of essays, a narrative paper must have a clear structure and must include an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. DESCRIPTIVE In a descriptive essay, you describe an experience, a character, an object, a state of mind…etc. While this essay form comes with a level of freedom by allowing you to decide how to approach the task, you still need to effectively structure your ideas. Use vivid structures that are rich in sensory language to help your readers not only ARGUMENTATIVE The primary objective of an argumentative essay is to establish a point of view in regards to a particular topic and defend that point of view using logical arguments and relevant examples. Your point of view or perspective must be clearly stated in the thesis statement (generally in the introduction) that needs to be supported in the body of the essay using PURPOSE OF ACADEMIC WRITING (SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.SLIDESHARE.NET/IBCSCHOOLS123/ACADEMIC-WRITING-60177364) AUDIENCE OF ACADEMIC WRITING Audience is the actual person(s) who will be reading your paper. In an academic setting, your audience is generally your professor, your classmates and sometimes other professors who may be assessing your work at the end of the semester. It is, therefore, critical to consider how you will articulate your ideas in order to reach the RHETORIC AND STYLE OF ACADEMIC WRITING Academic papers are written in formal academic tone, so they must be free of cliches and slang language. You must also ensure that your writing does not include language that may be considered offensive or sexist. Ex: “I think the author is wrong about this issue” vs. “ I disagree with the author’s perspective on this issue” Ex: “She was acting crazy” vs. “Her behavior was unacceptable” Avoid making generalizations about a given point, especially when you are providing strong evidence to defend your claim. Instead, use like “most”, “may”, “it seems”…etc Ex: “Teenagers love Apple products” vs. “Most teenagers love Apple products” or “It seems that most teenagers are attracted to Apple products” SENTENCE STRUCTURE While your goal is not to impress your audience, academic writing is certainly more involved and requires a higher level of sophistication compared to high school writing. You are, therefore, expected to vary your sentence forms, using complex and compound sentence structures. Transitions help you establish relationships between ideas and paragraphs and improve the overall quality of your writing. The most common transitions are conjunctive adverbs such as “moreover, therefore, consequently…etc” and transitional phrases like “ in addition, in contrast…etc) CONTENT Consider your readers’ familiarity with the content of your writing. Assess your readers’ background knowledge of the topic and their ability to understand implications and references. In general, the less your audience knows about your topic, the more details you must present to ensure clarity. STRUCTUR E OF ACADEMIC WRITING S O U R C E :. S L I D E S H A R E C D N. C O M / A C A D E M I C W R I T I N G V  INTRODUCTION The introduction (opening paragraph) basically accomplishes the following goals: Gives an overview or background on the topic in broad terms Then narrows the scope of the topic to the presentation Prepares the reader for what is to come in the following writing Provides main points that will be discussed and why those are most important to the subject matter Grabs the readers attention BODY Developmental paragraphs (body paragraphs) are the heart of an essay. Contains only one main idea stated by the topic sentence of that paragraph Analyzes the evidence Directly supports the thesis statement* Paragraphs are arranged in logical progression The paragraphs should flow smoothly from one to the next and have internal fluidity while presenting supporting evidence to the paragraph’s main point *a short statement, usually one sentence, that summarizes the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, etc., and is developed, supported, and explained in the text by means of examples and evidence (www.dictionary.com) CONCLUSION The conclusion is the summary paragraph. It should accomplish the following: Clearly restates the thesis sentence but not in verbatim form  Briefly summarizes the evidence presented in the writing Provides a final judgement on the subject matter discussed by tying all themes and ideas together CITING SOURCES  Why use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries? Are required for each main point since the author cannot include personal feelings or opinions Are clearly identified in proper required formatting form and style  Provide evidence to support the argument of the writing  Are used at strategic places in the writing to support statements made THANK YOU!