academic writing styles

academic writing styles

Academic Writing Styles: A Guide to Effective Communication

1. Introduction

The sheer mass of available classifications of types of writing is often so great, each with contradictory definitions, that a student becomes perplexed by it. Alternatively, people use recognition of specific example writing in order to identify what type of writing it is, but then proceed to arbitrarily affirm that the example writing is not relevant to the example they want to discuss. A common point is that any sort of writing that is done with an attempt to learn something for the purpose of understanding and remembering it is always best learned in an environment of minimal deprivation to the writer’s resources. An example of this would be a student trying to teach himself something that he has learned in a mechanical engineering textbook about physics. He would think that he is taking a course in learning physics from an engineering textbook. Nonetheless, there are many students who hope to teach themselves physics engineering in English, and it is likely that they understand very little of actual physics. A better example of resultant translational loss of knowledge would be the activity of continuing to try and teach oneself physics using an engineering textbook. When the writing to learning occurs with no clear specification and is not easy to categorize, it is likely that very any kind of writing that would be something a student or incomplete about attempt understand what can be done a simpler version translations from the study material.

Before learning the various forms of citation and format of a research paper, it is necessary to ensure that you have a firm understanding of what academic writing is. Developing clear writing – a paper that presents and describes content, features a logical organization, and uses language in a way that effectively communicates the intended meaning to the reader – is more difficult than people believe. It does not necessarily involve writing a persuasive paper. These are things that most people can access without extensive written explanation. Usually, in an attempt to categorize a type of writing and well-defined, people sort to contrast it with other types of writing. This discussion is akin to trying to identify a medical disease by looking at its symptoms, and the problems in diagnosis that medical students face are usually consistently the result of there being no clear delineation between the disease it is trying to identify and others. In certain cases, the absence of writing to describe than at present and likely no clearer coming will result in an inability to identify whether the disease is actually present [next individual and link to cause and result?]. This is the problem about loose categoric of many types of academic writing against each other.

This is a book for those who have already had a course in composition text and now need to take a writing course to write university-level papers. This book is specifically for students who have access to a composition instructor who will read assigned drafts and meet individually with students in conferences. A heavy emphasis on teacher-student interaction during the writing process led me to include assignment-specific guides of the sort found in Writing.

2. Understanding Academic Writing Styles

Not having a good understanding of what a particular style of writing requires can often be seen as a lack of effort or a misunderstanding of the learning material. For example, when writing in an essay style, it is essential that the writer has a good understanding of the topic and conveys all information clearly and comprehensively. If the writer has used the wrong type of essay or misunderstood the topic, it might be reflected in the structure of the essay and the writing style.

You need to understand that there is a huge difference when you are writing in different academic writing styles. The type of writing you are doing has a significant bearing on what style you use. For example, the way in which you write a letter to your friend is different from the way you are required to write an academic essay, a creative writing piece, a journal article, or a thesis. This is because each of these types of writing will be written or constructed in a particular way, and all of them will require you to use language for a particular purpose or audience. You need to have an understanding of each type of writing, and for each piece you will write, you should take into consideration the type of writing and attempt to write in the style required.

3. Key Elements of Effective Academic Writing

Successful academic writing consists of following key elements: – Focus All stages of essay writing should reflect back to, or support directly, the thesis statement; i.e. you should continue to ask yourself, “Is this what I want to say?” continuously while you are writing your essay. – Logic and argument All good academic essays will use logic and reason to support an idea. A logical argument is imperative. Your reader needs to see a clear line of logical progression, which will aid in understanding the topic. – Intellectual standards Clarity and rationality are the keys to convincing your reader of the merit of your critical thought. A comprehensive understanding of the topic under discussion is completely essential. – Clarity Clear and defined writing in an academic style requires a conscious effort to develop and construct. Being aware of the source of your information is a start; never using obscure references always explain the information in your own words, making a note of its source. Your work should present well and look professional. – Accepted convention Academic writing must be formal at all times. It should not be written in the first person. Third person (passive and impartial) is paramount. A good grasp of the conventions of accepted essay writing is important. – Personal Understanding An academic essay should be a compact, lucid, structured and fact-based answer to a question or questions that have been posed. It is not a literary piece. It suggests at no point that creative writing is a component. A successful academic essay will only try to persuade on a select few points. It will not give a deliberate opinion, and it is not informal.

4. Common Types of Academic Writing Styles

Cause and effect essays will propose an argument and then present its consequences.

Expository: This writing is used to explain. In your academic writing, you will probably need to use expository writing in order to explain a number of things that are relevant to your research. Primarily you will be explaining a complex phenomenon, a series of events, or a concept. This would be done with providing a step by step explanation. E.g. work through it as though you are teaching or instructing someone on the said topic.

Persuasive: This writing is used to persuade the reader into believing or doing something. A persuasive paper is written to convince the audience of the author’s beliefs. The paper should start with an issue, and then the author’s opinion on the issue, following with evidence that supports the opinion. Propaganda is a form of this persuasion.

Descriptive: As its name suggests, it is a style of writing that is used to describe something. It can be an event, a person, or a place. When you are using this style of writing, you should use a lot of details. For example, if you are writing a descriptive essay about your old summer camp, you would describe the camp using very descriptive language.

In academic writing, there are a number of common styles that you can employ. The key is to adhere to the style that your research supervisor or tutor recommends. The four most common writing styles that are used in academic writing include:

5. Conclusion: Mastering Academic Writing for Success

Critical knowledge of constructing a well-formed idea into a thesis/argument, supported with a clear systematic approach to persuade the reader that the idea is correct, is a skill that I still require more practice on. I understand that it may be somewhat difficult to translate what I think is comprehensible and reasonable; others may not see it the same way. The risk is in getting the idea or argument misunderstood or lost in the complex of ideas. To be able to formulate a very clear written statement or question that is relevant to the matter is one of the tools needed to solve this problem. This is to get my audience to understand what I am trying to convey and believe that it’s true with very little persuasion. The question or statement made should be factual and not presumptuous. This is where I would need to understand more on developing a clear idea and writing a clear and specific purpose.

Having followed through all the chapters and gained much knowledge on the general idea of what academic writing is all about, I would now be able to present it in my own point of view. Academic writing, in particular, is a mode of communication that is used in all forms of academic situations. As a beginner to novice academic writer, I’ve learned much from the chapters covered and would consider my first foray into understanding academic writing is definitely more beneficial.