types of academic writing

types of academic writing

Types of Academic Writing

1. Introduction

This guide to academic writing will take you through an expected pathway of a usual assignment, illustrating and explaining each step to be able to show you in a clear and informative manner what is expected of an academic writer. Having a good understanding of the different styles of academic writing is essential for success if you’re to be able to meet your assignments’ requirements to the letter and impress the reader with your knowledge on your subject.

Academic writing is conducted in several sets of forms and genres, normally in an impersonal and dispassionate tone, targeted for a critical and informed audience, based on closely investigated knowledge, and intended to reinforce or challenge concepts or arguments. It usually circulates within the academic world (‘the academy’), but the academic writer may also find an audience outside via journalism, speeches, pamphlets, etc. Usually there are 5 different types of academic writing in each culture: descriptive, analytical, persuasive, critical, and creative. Each of these types has its own pattern and conventions, and to know all of them means to be most proficient not only in preparing one type of assignment, but for all so that when one comes, it is not a difficult and unknown task.

2. Descriptive Writing

A descriptive paper often takes the form of either a narrative or a story. The focus of a narrative is the plot, which is told using enough details to build a climax. These details need to be structured in a way that keeps the reader’s interest. The three structural parts are the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Whereas the narrative has a plot, the focus of the descriptive paper is an item that is often focused using some form of spatial order, which is another element of descriptive writing. A good descriptive writing often makes use of comparison using similes and metaphors. Rhetorical questions might also be used, and a good example of figurative language is personification. Onomatopoeia adds a sound effect to the writing, and clear language will leave the reader with no confusion.

Descriptive writing is often included in other forms of academic writing as its purpose is to provide a clear image of a person, place, thing, or event that is real or imagined. Writing is most effective when it is read by an audience that can visualize a complete and accurate image of what is being described. Descriptive writing is relatively simple. There are five aspects/elements: the use of sensory details, spatial order, figurative language, onomatopoeia, and precise and clear language. Spin-off forms include comparison/contrast and cause/effect writing.

3. Persuasive Writing

Persuasive writing is used in presentations and editorials. The writer takes a stand on an issue—either “for” or “against”—and builds the strongest possible argument to win over the reader. In a persuasive essay, it is essential that you present the strongest argument initially and then move on to the weaker arguments. Strong evidence is also needed to convince the reader. The conclusion must restate the thesis and the strongest evidence. While taking the reader through the evidence, the writer must also present the counterarguments while disproving them. This is what is called a concessive strategy. Another strategy is using the cost-benefit approach, which is to say weigh the benefit of what you are trying to prove against the benefits of what there is a chance they will be influenced to do. Finally, there is a Toulmin Analysis, which involves the warrant, backing, rebuttal, and modality. This is the method that is used in a paper included in the Toulmin Analysis. The warrant is the reason that the audience will accept that the data links to the claim. The backing is supporting evidence to the warrant. The rebuttal is the problematic part of the issue which the claim attempts to dismiss, while the modality is the degree of necessity of the claim.

4. Argumentative Writing

Consider explaining the concept of an argument in academic writing as a debate in writing a paper is an ideal and a discussion with yourself. A persuasive paper has the aim to convince the audience, whereas an argument paper is looking to complete the action of convincing the audience to believe. The written argument should follow a specific format beginning with a firm statement of the topic and leading to the explanation of your position on the topic. You will then be required to prove the topic with solid evidence to back up what you are saying. To make it easier in writing, the evidence should be broken down into subtopics, each with a paragraph explaining the topic and enough evidence to confirm your position on the topic. After you have done this, you should conclude your findings in the argument or a reiteration of the position in your thesis. It is important to remember the primary purpose of writing an argument in an academic context is to use evidence-based reasoning from your research to convey a more refined understanding of your paper’s topic. This can be accomplished in many ways: defining the cause and effect of an issue, comparing complex issues, or offering a lengthy and dramatic single example. The above-listed serve as ways to enhance the understanding and learning of your audience to better comprehend your point of view on the topic you have written. It is important to structure the paper so that the cause and effect taken is an analyzable option. You do not want to leave the audience speculating about what you intended.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, academic writing skills are a very complex process. It is always a cycle of prewriting, writing, and rewriting. Prewriting is the process of gathering the information to be used in writing. After collecting the information, the writer needs to put it in a specific arrangement that will be understood by the reader. Therefore, a clear understanding of the topic is a necessity. Clarity in expression is visible when the writer already has a clear picture of what he/she wants to write. Then, writing is just putting the ideas into words. The writer should be free from grammatical mistakes, underlining the sentences that give a clue to the reader that he/she might need to recheck the sentence whether it’s true or not. Dependencies on one or two sources in writing are very common. But mostly it’s because the writer does not know where the source ends. If the writer takes the sentence and rewrites it again in different wording, it is considered a form of plagiarism. Using the correct method in paraphrasing, the writer can restate it in his/her own words and give complete credit to the source. Then, the rewriting process is done by rereading the writing and changing it to a better sentence. This process can be done until the writer is satisfied with it. Whether he/she realizes it or not, the writing has been changed many times. There’s no end to rewriting because the more we read, the more we can find errors.