coursera academic writing

coursera academic writing

The Importance of Academic Writing Skills

1. Understanding the Significance of Academic Writing

When writing an academic essay, remember that you are trying to persuade others that you are an expert who can make an intelligent argument. Using big words just to sound intelligent often results in the opposite effect—it is easy to detect when someone is overcompensating in their writing. If you aren’t sure of the exact meaning of a word, you risk using it incorrectly. Using obscure language can also take away from the clarity of your argument—you should consider this before you pull out that thesaurus to change that perfectly good word to something completely different. In the case that you are an expert on the topic, simply put, you should convey your expertise. Coming across as intelligent also helps, so the language used should be polished.

The idea of an academic essay is to convince readers of an idea based on evidence. The starting point for anything written is the idea. Whether it be in answering a question on an exam or writing a formal essay, idea generation is crucial. This can be facilitated by discussing the given topic with peers, tutors, and family. Coming up with ideas helps to solidify an understanding of the topic at hand. This is a similar process to our assignment writing as it is a building process that, in order to achieve the best results/grades, should not be rushed.

In order to get a clear understanding of why writing an academic paper is so important, you must begin by asking the underlying question: “Why write?”

2. Developing a Strong Thesis Statement

From the definition we have established, a thesis statement is a claim. It is not a statement of fact. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up. An evidence-based claim means that your thesis is an arguable statement. It is not based on a single source or even a couple of sources. A claim that is evidence-based will rely on a much wider range of evidence from various different sources. Keep in mind here that the evidence for the thesis should not be solely from personal experience or knowledge. It may be possible that you can argue your claim, but in many cases, claims based on personal knowledge are not evidence-based, and these will usually lead to a weaker thesis in comparison to a more evidence-based one. A further analysis claim is stating what the unstated but obvious meaning of your claim may be. This type of claim will break down or specifically identify the angle or meaning behind the claim. This contrasts with a statement of fact, which is saying what the claim is. A statement of fact thesis only identifies what the claim is. A fact statement has limited or no evidence and analysis. This is not what we are aiming for in an academic argument.

A thesis statement is “a proposition stated or put forward for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved or to be maintained against objections.” It is the main claim that links and anticipates a writer’s development. A thesis statement is not just a statement or a fact, but it is an assertion. A fact is a supported statement. The difference is that as a student, you might gather evidence and information from a vast number of sources, but you should only use what is relevant to support your claim. A good thesis will help to organize and structure your argument. This will make it easier not only to understand what you are going to write, but it will also make it easier for your audience to understand what you are saying.

3. Structuring Your Academic Paper

The reader should be clear about the aim of your writing. Failing to plan your essay or assignment can lead to you producing a paper that is unclear and difficult to read. Make sure that you understand the assignment or essay topic and requirements. Spend time working out what the tasks required you to do. It is much easier to write your paper if you know what is expected. Build from the question or guidelines provided. Use a mind map or outline a collection of points related to the topic. After generating your collection of points, you should then group them into sections to form the basic structure. This process will provide a focus when working through your draft and aid in clearly identifying and linking your ideas. Remember that it is easier to add information to an existing framework than to write new content that is not related to a topic.

4. Incorporating Credible Sources and Evidence

Good evidence usually is an anecdote that is used to explain the move from a generalization to a claim. Using personal experiences is always good to help explain a point, but never assume that because something happened to you it will happen to the reader. This may result in a hasty generalization which could be used against you. In the Principles of Psychology in 1890, James wrote, ‘the greatest teacher of all, in fact, is experience.’ To experience a phenomenon or event is not always the best way to learn about it, but it is usually the best way to prove a point. Coming up with a clear hypothesis and testing it is still the best way to prove a point, but if unavailable, personal experience can be used as solid evidence. Personal experiences aside from the author’s can also be good evidence, especially if it is recent and relevant.

When we say ‘credible’, we’re talking about someone that would be respected. Knowledge gained from the credibility of a source ultimately has the power to influence others. As a student, it is important to build your ethos. With your ethos being built, others’ opinions on you become higher and this can transfer over into many aspects of your life. When someone has developed a strong ethos, it is hard to believe them as anything other than who they have portrayed themselves to be. By always providing credible sources and citations, you will be planting a strong seed for your academic future. Developing the habit of using credible sources now will make life much easier when writing theses and other papers in the future.

5. Polishing Your Writing: Editing and Proofreading

In editing your paper, you will generally go through tightening your hold on the run-on and muddled sentences. Now is where you have to make some decisions about what is more and less relevant to your argument. Your task is to convey your argument and information clearly and effectively. Background details or an effort to cover every alternative or avenue of explanation may not serve this end, so pare your paper to the best and most relevant information. While you may have used a thesaurus to sound intelligent, now is the time to check that you have always used words that you understand. Incorrect word usage can damage your paper and your ethos. Always be on the lookout for any inaccuracies in your argument or the information you have conveyed. This is a good time to utilize the resources of the university library and the advice of the librarians to confirm any points of uncertainty in your information.

This is the most important part of the final stage. Having written something, you are not done. Step back and ask whether your argument is clearly presented and whether you have supported that argument throughout the paper. Check that every paragraph is relevant to your overall argument. If not, delete that paragraph. Check that every sentence in the paper is connected with the sentence before and the one after. One way to do this is to read your paper out loud. Listen to yourself. If you find yourself stumbling or having to reread as a result of awkward writing or unsuitable grammar, then you can be sure your reader will. Highlight every sentence in your draft one at a time. Now analyze and evaluate that sentence both in terms of its effectiveness and its suitability towards your argument. A comprehensive, clear, and concise paper is the fundamental requirement of effective academic writing, and the only way to achieve this is to eliminate the run-ons, fragmented, and otherwise muddled sentences that are the bane of the superficial writer.