academic writing characteristics

academic writing characteristics

The Importance of Academic Writing Characteristics

1. Introduction

Through the writing process, it is important and useful to develop a deeper understanding of the topic at hand. This allows for an enhancement of critical thinking and makes an analysis rather than a judgment on a subject.

Deep learning occurs through an individual’s thinking about a subject and making an analysis that goes beyond the immediate. Thought is sequential and communication needs to be of some persistent form to ‘translate’ this thought to the reader. This is the first reason why writing is important – it serves as a means to capture learning and thinking in a form that can be communicated to another.

Academic writing carries an expectation that the reader should be informed about the comparative level of thinking demonstrated with the writer on the subject and the analysis made. An academic piece is not one in which the audience should speculate on the precise meaning. It is evident: the goal in writing a paper is to demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of the topic. This requires a written record of some serious thinking; this is why it is referred to as ‘writing’.

So why is this important? Each task prepared in the academic setting is focused upon the development of an understanding and the informing of this to others. Whether this is done through essays, reports or dissertations, there is an expectation that the reader should be informed – after all, why would someone bother to read something that leaves them incapable of understanding its significance?

Academic writing is an art of organizing ideas and logical reasoning with precision and clarity. This means good academic writing forms and articulates ideas, and supports these with evidence. Any piece of academic writing requires a strong emphasis on the writer’s interpretation of the topic to give an analysis that is clear and coherent.

2. Clear and Concise Writing

The advantage of clear writing is that it is easier to achieve understanding, more likely to be read, and more likely to have the intended impact. This is true of all types of writing and is undoubtedly true of assignment writing. Given what we know about the characteristics of clear writing, the principles of clear writing can be defined into characteristics of academic writing.

The differences are hard to spot, but undeniably clear writing is sophisticated in that it is targeting the right audience, has plain intentions, and is free of distractions. Simple writing can often be oversensitive to what the audience needs, making the writing less targeted. This doesn’t mean that the writing is clear because it’s targeting the right audience, but that the writing is clear because its intention is never disguised or waylaid. This is why the term ‘clear and concise’ is often used as if the two terms are inseparable.

It’s hard, if not impossible, to differentiate between ‘clear’ and ‘simple’ writing. A piece of writing like this can be described as ‘clear’ if it is easy to understand and has a good flow. Simple writing is described as a piece of text that has a limited range of vocabulary, is relatively easy to understand, and has a clear outcome on what the author is trying to achieve.

3. Proper Use of Citations

An indirect quote is when you paraphrase ideas from a source. This can be an effective way to incorporate another’s ideas into your writing while still demonstrating understanding. It avoids the disruption of a quote and is usually more concise.

A direct quote is taking the exact wording from the original source. This can demonstrate understanding of the material, convey a powerful point, or add authority to the work. It is important to use direct quotes effectively. Do not use quotes to pad the essay; be concise. Only include the quotes that you feel will add value to your writing. This usually means that long quotes (40 words or more) are not appropriate. Long quotes can often detract from the flow of your writing; short quotes usually do a better job.

The great benefit of using sources effectively comes when you can express the ideas of others as your own within your writing. This shows a clear understanding of the subject and the implications of the original author’s work. If done effectively, this can provide a strong framework within your own writing and may help explain the author’s ideas to the reader.

4. Logical Organization of Ideas

Information that can easily help you in completing your academic essay as it is a necessity for the students. The organization of the information must be possible if the students spend extra time making a rough diagram of how they want their essay to come. Before writing the assignment, the students should have sketched out a plan of what they want to say and done this by writing an outline of the essay. In this, it must be easy to see the connections between the essay’s different sections. Next, identify on which points to elaborate the topic, which concludes the idea to be discussed in the paragraph. This involves defining the idea and then choosing synonyms for this definition. Doing so will make the idea clearer to yourself. This is due to language always playing the most important and vital role in the process of learning. When transferring thoughts to pen and paper, it is always a good idea to have a second pair of eyes to proofread. This will be done clearly, providing the reader an explanation of what the idea on this specific point is.

5. Effective Communication of Arguments

The Importance of Academic Writing Characteristics This plan is part of a package that will be provided to you to guide your essay writing. It is aimed specifically at honing your writing style, and the guidelines provided by this plan are not meant to curb your natural flair as a writer. This need for comparison of how writing can be manipulated to provide an ideal result can, in fact, be an ideal platform to use the essay itself as a test case. This is due to the general framework of an essay being the easiest type of paper to organize, with an introduction, conclusion, and body containing an x amount of paragraphs. A theory or an idea may be written down, and then the writer can decide to compare it with the way the theory has been portrayed. Tracking back to our original intention, the progression made by the writer can be referenced against the readability and fluency of the argument itself.

In analyzing the effectiveness of communication as a crucial factor in academic writing, the importance of developing strong arguments and being able to convey them effectively cannot be overstated. The success of the whole argument can be directly linked to the quality of the points provided and the supporting material used to back these up. This necessitates that the writer provides thorough and clear insight on the subject matter, and an argument that is presented with this clarity and fluency will be of a higher persuasiveness. This point can be expounded further in that an effective argument is one that is ‘easy to follow’ for the reader. Unfortunately, no matter how strong and well-researched an argument may be, if it is not conveyed clearly and coherently then it will not have the desired impact, and may be interpreted in several different ways. This can result in the dispute of its validity, or assume the refutation of the argument altogether. Therefore, the original intention of the writer in its communication is of great importance. This may involve drafting the plan of the argument, and continually reviewing how it is being portrayed to the reader.