THE DOCUMENTED ESSAY ON A CONCEPT

Many people are often mistaken academic writing as synonymous to

research paper based on the following 1) highfaluting language, 2) absence of the
writer’s opinion and 3) having rehashed topics. But by “academic” we mean a
student’s informed, scholarly and insightful to relevant issues and topics.

I wonder how do these phrases sound?

- Scintillate, scintillate globule aurific

- Fair would I fathom thy nature specific
- Loftily perched in the either capacious
- Strongly resembling a gem carbonaceous

The first is simply an archaic version of “Twinkle, twinkle little star”,

“carbonaceous gem” is simply called “diamond” while the rest meant William
Shakespeare’s version of “Auld Lang Syne” or better known as “Hokey Pokey” and
the other is the other way of saying “I don’t understand”. Academic writing is
meant for everyone to share – that is the words should be easy to understand. It
should not be too deep for students might find it boring and may lead to “thesaurus
syndrome” – the use of the most obscure meaning for a word. Plain and simple
language is enough to be understood.

By academic writing it should be noted that no specific writing style is

necessary just as long as Standard English is used. It should not be ungrammatical
or non-standard which means it should not be colloquial and informal. For example
in the usual conversation with our peers it is a must to avoid contraction such as
“kinda”, “wanna” or “sorta” instead of “kind of”, “want to” or “sort of”. No problem
if your readers belong to your type of readers but we cannot choose our readers,
right? It might end up in the wrong context, “shippers” may mean sea vessels but
it is actually a word that meant “relationshippers” their term for love teams that is
popular among moviegoers. The table below are examples of nonstandard from
standard phrases.
 Informal versus Formal usages

Informal/Non Standard Usages More Formal/Precise Equivalents

alright, alot, result to, discuss about, cope up with (non- all right, a lot, result it, discuss, cope with (acceptable
standard, informal, or unique to certain varieties of usages in Standard written English)
English)
good – as in a “good” book (imprecise) entertaining, insightful, interesting, instructive
(precise)
can’t, won’t, I’ll, she’s, didn’t (conversational, speech- cannot, will not, I will, she is, did not (spelled out as two
based contractions) words)
gonna, gotta, (conversational speech-based shortcuts) going to, have to (spelled out)
anyways, boring as hell, bored to death, major downer anyway, boring or uninteresting, extremely bored,
(conversational/informal) depressing (more formal/precise/uncluttered)
I got here late; she got out of the office; he got a call; I arrived here late; she left the office; he received a call;
they got gas (overused, imprecise verb) they loaded gas or they refueled (more specific
alternatives)
UP, ADMU, DLSU, UST (acronyms for institutions) University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila
University, De La Salle University, University of Santo
Tomas (spelled out the first time they are used, but
later may be substituted with acronyms)
ASAP, BTW, SOP (acronyms that may not be universally as soon as possible, by the way, standard operating
known) procedure (spelled out)
hit the sack, loo, and comfort room (expressions from sleep, toilet or bathroom, and toilet or bathroom (more
American English, British English and Philippine English) widely known usages)
lol, afk, nm, #feels (informal internet or text messaging laugh out loud, away from keyboard, no reply
languages) necessary, a wave of emotions (spelled out or
explained)
Other terms that must be avoided are technical terms that are too
professional for simple readers to comprehend. For example are lawyer’s terms like
“bench trial” that is simply trial without jury or perpetua which is “life
imprisonment”. Doctors often use CBC or “stat” which meant as “complete blood
count” and “immediately” that came from the Latin word startinum which meant
the same thing. Ordinary readers may find these difficult especially if there is a need
to include them in their writings to avoid it definitions must be provided. In doing
so, meanings must be placed in a parenthesis, italicized or the use of quotation
marks. As mentioned in previous writings, words that meant to discriminate others
must also be avoided, in doing so the pronoun “he” and “man” is a bane especially
for women. Academicians also refrain from using critical phrases such as “Jesus
killer” (Jews), “Lady President” (other term for First Lady), “little old woman”
(expression of weakness and feeble-mindedness), “redneck” (white person from a
low-class community) and “retard” (mentally insane).
A Balanced and Credible Voice

Although writings are not as emotional as speeches, they still convey

emotions especially when we write letters that used emoticons or emojis. However
academic writings will have none of that, the use of exclamation marks is a no-no
that may be single (!) or multiple (!!!) as well as dramatic ellipses (…) when we are
about to end or shift to another topic. Contrary to popular belief, the pronoun “I”
should not be used but this is not the case, the writer may have the option to use
it if it is informal. But, in formal writing the writer may use the third person (“the
writer” or “the researcher”) which Lynn Bloom calls the “Middle level” which she
regarded as “the author’s personality and personal reactions are more subdued”.
In doing so the focus of the reader shall fall on the topic instead of shifting to the
writer. Still, the writer still has the freedom to use the pronoun “I” but may clutter
the paper. Let us study the following examples:

Cluttered writing:

I found the Dulaang UP play “Haring Lear” (King Lear) to be not just
entertaining but because insightful because I felt the Tagalog translation
effectively and humorously conveyed the spirit of Shakespeare’s original
dysfunctional family, To a contemporary Filipino audience.

Tighter Writing:

The Dulaang UP play “Haring Lear” (King Lear) was not just
entertaining but insightful because the Tagalog translation effectively and
humorously conveyed the spirit of Shakespeare’s original dysfunctional
family to a contemporary Filipino audience.

Writer-focused:

Our group conducted a survey on 100 University of the Philippines

freshmen to find out their opinions on the new academic calendar.
 Focus on the subject:

A survey was conducted on 100 University of the Philippines freshmen

to find out their opinions on the new academic calendar.

A writer’s voice is not enough for his opinion alone cannot prove or disprove
anything. He mays start with his original argument but should be followed up by
arguments with facts, concrete illustrations and examples. As mentioned by Google
Scholar researchers “stand on the shoulder of giants”.

Socially and Culturally Relevant Topics

One final important myth to debunk is that academic paper deals with topics
that are likely to bore both the writer and the reader. In reality, student writers are
often allowed to select their own topics within a more general area specified by the
teacher, the course or the discipline. Academics often identify their research
interests, that is, subjects or questions that they are eager to engage with and
study. Later, when they have studied more on these subjects, these research
interests become areas of expertise. A student should begin by considering the
topics that are particularly interesting and relevant for him/her. These are topics
he or she would like to find out more about.

It is also essential to consider such topics or research areas in light of their

social and cultural significance. The following questions are helpful: Does their
significance extend beyond the writer’s personal stake in them? Do they matter to
larger context to like one’s local community, the larger region, the nation, a group
of countries, the world? Academic papers are read by members of the academic
communities – professors, fellow students, future students, and other scholars – as
well as researchers outside the community, like journalists, entrepreneurs, lawyers
etc. What students write should, therefore, be both interesting and useful to this
larger community, and it is the writer’s task to help them to better understood the
topic or to see it in a new way.

End