Introduction to Academic Writing PDF

Introduction to academic writing INTRODUCTION Academic writing is a formal type of witing which communicates ideas, information and research to the wider academic community. It can be divided into two types: student academic writing, which is used as a form of assessment at university, as well as at...

Introduction to academic writing INTRODUCTION Academic writing is a formal type of witing which communicates ideas, information and research to the wider academic community. It can be divided into two types: student academic writing, which is used as a form of assessment at university, as well as at schools as preparation for university study; and expert academic writing, which is writing that is intended for publication in an academic journal or book. Features of Academic Writing Structured Academic writing should have a clear structure. The writing should be coherent, with logical progression throughout, and cohesive, with the different parts of the writing clearly connected. Careful planning before writing is essential to ensure that the final product will be well structured, with a clear focus and logical progression of ideas. Evidenced Opinions and arguments in academic writing should be supported by evidence. Often the writing will be based on information from experts in the field, and as such, it will be important to reference the information appropriately, for example via the use of in-text citations and a reference section. Critical As an academic writer, you should not simply accept everything you read as fact. You need to analyse and evaluate the information you are writing about, in other words make judgements about it, before you decide whether and how to integrate it into your own writing. This is known as critical writing. Critical writing requires a great deal of research in order for the writer to develop a deep enough understanding of the topic to be truly critical about Balanced Balanced means giving consideration to all sides of the issue. As noted above, all research, evidence and arguments can be challenged, and it is important for the academic writer to show their stance on a particular topic, in other words how strong their claims are. Precise Academic writing should use clear and precise language to ensure the reader understands the meaning. This includes the use of technical (i.e. subjectspecific) vocabulary, which should be used when it conveys the meaning more precisely than a similar nontechnical term. Sometimes such technical vocabulary may need defining, though only if the term is not commonly used by others in the same discipline and will therefore not be readily understood by the reader. Objective Academic writing is objective. In other words, the emphasis is placed on the arguments and information, rather than on the writer. As a result, academic writing tends to use nouns and noun phrases more than verbs and adverbs. It also tends to use more passive structures, rather than active voice, for example The water was heated rather than I heated the water. Formal academic writing is more formal than everyday writing. It tends to use longer words and more complex sentences, while avoiding contractions and informal words or expressions that might be common in spoken English. There are words and collocations which are used in academic writing more frequently than in non-academic writing, and researchers have developed lists of these words and phrases to help students of academic English, such as the Academic Word List, the Academic Vocabulary List, and the Academic Collocation List. MERCURY VENUS JUPITER Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest one in the Solar System—it’s only a bit larger than our Moon Venus has beautiful name and is the second planet from the Sun. It’s terribly hot, even hotter than Mercury Despite being red, Mars is a cold place, not hot. It’s full of iron oxide dust, which gives the planet its reddish cast LET’S WRITE TOPIC 1 FALL BREAK TOPIC 2 TOPIC 3 TELL US WHAT IS THE ABOUT KEY OF YOURSELF SUCCESS? Types of academic writing Descriptive Its purpose is to provide facts or information. An example would be a summary of an article or a report of the results of an experiment. Persuasive Convincing 'argue', 'evaluate', 'discuss', and 'take a position'. Analytical Analytical writing includes descriptive writing, but also requires you to reorganise the facts and information you describe into categories, groups, parts, types or relationships. 'analyse', 'compare', 'contrast', 'relate', and 'examine'. Critical critical writing requires you to consider at least two points of view, including your own. critique', 'debate', 'disagree' Types of academic writing Essays Research paper An essay is a relatively short piece of writing that, like a research paper, makes and supports a specific point. A research paper is a comprehensive work that thoroughly demonstrates the author’s understanding of the subject they researched. Thesis and dissertation Literature review The term thesis refers to the culminating project of a master’s program (and some bachelor’s programs) while the term dissertation is used for a project that A literature review is a piece of academic writing that summarizes, describes, and evaluates a topic through analysis of other authors’ Commonly Confused Words and Phrases Affect or effect? As a verb, effect means “to bring about” or “to accomplish,” while affect means “to influence.” Can or may? Can refers to ability; may refers to permission. Farther or further? Farther is more appropriate as a distance word, while further works best as a term of time or quantity. Good or well? In reporting conditions such as health or performance use well rather than the adjective good, although when describing attitude, it is proper to say, “I feel good today.” Imply or infer? When you imply, you indicate or suggest something by word or action, without actually say it. When you infer, you deduce or draw a conclusion from the evidence. Irregardless or regardless? Irregardless is incorrect. Precede or proceed? When you go ahead or in front of, you precede. When you begin or carry on some action, you proceed. Principle or principal? A principal is the head of a school or a chief official. A principle is a fundamental truth. “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”