Introduction to

ACADEMIC WRITING
 ACADEMIC WRITING
the discussion

1. What is academic writing?

2. Define your purpose and reader
3. Structure your work
4. How to incorporate evidence
5. Use clear and concise language
6. Demonstrate balance in your
writing
7. Choose the correct tense and
voice
8. Build your argument
 Welcome!!
the definition

Academic Writing is

type of writings which is clear, concise, focussed, structured and

backed up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader’s
understanding.
 Academic Writing
things we should know

01
the DOs

It has a formal tone and style

02
the DON’Ts
it is not complex and
does not require the use of long
sentences
and complicated vocabulary.
 Academic
Writing
Each subject discipline will
have
certain writing conventions,
vocabulary and types of
discourse that you will
become familiar with over the
course of your degree.
However, there are some
Subject / Discipline general characteristics of
academic writing that are
relevant across all
disciplines.
 Characteristics of ACADEMIC
Writing
1 Planned and focused
answers the question and demonstrates an understanding of the
subject.

2 Structured is coherent, written in a logical order, and brings

together
related points & material.

3 Evidenced
supports
demonstrates knowledge of the subject area,

opinions and arguments with evidence, and is referenced

accurately.

4 Formal in tone and style

uses appropriate language and tenses, and is clear, concise and
balanced.
 Types of
Research Design
END OF 1ST DISCUSSION
 Introduction

Before beginning your paper, you need to decide how you plan to design the
study.

Note that your research problem determines the type of design you should
use, not the other way around!
 The function of a research design is to ensure that the evidence
obtained
enables you to effectively address the research problem logically
and as
General unambiguously
The as possible.of describing research designs in your
length and complexity
paper can vary considerably, but any well-developed design will

Structure achieve the following:

1. Identify the research problem clearly and justify its selection,
particularly in relation to any valid alternative designs that could
and have been used,
2. Review and synthesize previously published literature associated
Writing with the research problem,
3. Clearly and explicitly specify hypotheses [i.e., research

Style questions] central to the problem,

4. Effectively describe the data which will be necessary for an
adequate testing of the hypotheses and explain how such
data will be obtained, and
5. Describe the methods of analysis to be applied to the data in
determining whether or not the hypotheses are true or
false.
Action Research Design
Definition & purpose
The essentials of action research
design
follow a characteristic cycle
whereby
initially an exploratory stance is
adopted, where an understanding of
a problem is developed and plans
are made for some form of
interventionary strategy.
The new interventional strategies
are
carried out, and this cyclic process
repeats, continuing until a sufficient
understanding of [or a valid
implementation solution for] the
problem is achieved.
The protocol is iterative or cyclical
in
nature and is intended to foster
deeper understanding of a given
situation and
moving through several
interventions
 Case Study Design

Definition & purpose

A case study is an in-depth study of a particular research

problem rather than a sweeping statistical survey or
comprehensive
comparative inquiry.
It is often used to narrow down a very broad field of
research into one or a few easily researchable examples.
The case study
research design is also useful for testing whether a specific
theory and model actually applies to phenomena in the
real world.
It is a useful design when not much is known about an
issue or phenomenon.
 Causal Design

Definition & purpose

Causality studies may be thought of as understanding a phenomenon in terms of conditional
statements in the
form, “If X, then Y.” This type of research is used to measure what impact a specific change will have
on existing
norms and assumptions. Most social scientists seek causal explanations that reflect tests of
hypotheses. Causal
effect (nomothetic perspective) occurs when variation in one phenomenon, an independent variable,
leads to or
 Define Your
Purpose and Reader
END OF 1ST DISCUSSION
 Let’s Start
the first step

The first step to writing academically is to clearly define the

purpose of the writing and the audience.
You will need to spend some time interpreting your question and
deciding how to tackle your assignment.
Planning
It is important to plan your approach to an assignment.
Your It will ensure that you understand the task, can manage

Assignmen your
time, and present a structured and focused argument.

t For each assignment you should make time to:

• interpret your assignment
• create a schedule
• plan your answer
 ?

Intepreting You will need to spend some time interpreting your

question

Your Assign
and deciding how to tackle your assignment.
The Steps
ment What type assignment is it?
What are you being asked to do?
by
Analyse the topic
University of Leeds
(https://resources.library.leeds.ac.uk/a
Questioning the question
ctivities/writing/interpreting-your-assig Next step
nment/)
Making Notes
If you are writing for yourself – for example making notes
to
record or make sense of something – then you can set
your own criteria such as clarity, brevity, and relevance.
 Creating a schedule

Planning your schedule before you begin an assignment will help you to ensure you have
enough time to complete a high-quality piece of work.

Break down your assignment into manageable tasks and deadlines. As well as planning,
these will
include: searching for information and finding material; reading and note making; drafting
and writing; editing and proofreading.
 Structure
Your Work
END OF 2nd DISCUSSION
Create Report Writing

the Overall What is a report and how does it differ from writing an
Structure essay?
Reports are concise and have a formal structure. They
are often used to communicate the results or findings of
a project.

Essays by contrast are often used to show a tutor what

you
think about a topic. They are discursive and the structure
can be left to the discretion of the writer.
Report writing
Who and what is the report for?

Before you write a report, you need to be clear

about who you are writing the report for and why
the report
has been commissioned.

Keep the audience in mind as you write your

report,
think about what they need to know. For
example, the report could be for:
Create
• the general public the Overall
• academic staff
• senior management Structure
• a customer/client.

Reports are usually assessed on content,

structure,
layout, language, and referencing. You should
consider the focus of your report, for example:
• Are you reporting on an experiment?
• Is the purpose to provide background
 Language of report
writing
Reports use clear and
concise
language, which can differ
Report considerably from essay
writing. Structure and
organisation
Writing They are often broken down
in
Reports are much more
structured than essays. They
vs to sections, which each have
are divided in to sections and
sub-

Essay
their own headings and sub-
sections that are formatted
headings.
using bullet points or
numbering.
Writing Paragraphs are usually
shorter in a report than in an
essay.

Both essays and reports are

examples of academic
writing.

You are expected to use

grammatically correct
sentence
 Title page
The title page needs to be
informative and descriptive,
concisely
stating the topic of the report.

Report Abstract (Executive

Summary)
The abstract is a brief summary
of the context, methods, findings
Structures and
conclusions of the report. It is

& Organization intended to give the reader an

Report structures do vary
among
disciplines, but the most
common
structures include the following:
overview of the report before they
continue reading, so it is a good
idea to write this section last.
An executive summary should
outline the key problem and
objectives, and
then cover the main findings and
key
Table of contents
recommendations.
Readers will use this table of
contents to identify which
sections are most relevant to
them. You must make sure your
contents page correctly
represents the structure of your
 Introduction
In your introduction you should
include
information about the background
to
your research, and what its aims
and
objectives are.
You can also refer to the literature Methodology
in this section; reporting what is
already known about your If your report involved research
question/topic, and if there activity,
are any gaps. you should state what that was, for
example you may have interviewed
Some reports are also expected to clients, organized some focus
include a section called ‘Terms of groups, or done a literature review.
references’, where you identify who
asked for the report, what is covers, The methodology section should
and what its limitations are. provide an accurate description of
Results/findings the material
and procedures used so that others
The results/findings section should could replicate the experiment you
be conducted.
an objective summary of your
findings, which can use tables,
graphs, or figures
to describe the most important
results
and trends.
 Discussion
In the discussion you are expected
to
critically evaluate your findings. You
may need to re-state what your
report was
aiming to prove and whether this
has
been achieved. You should also
assess
the accuracy and significance of Conclusion/recommendation
your s
Your conclusion should summarize
findings, and show how it fits in the
the
context of previous research.
outcomes of your report and make
suggestions for further research or
action to be taken.
You may also need to include a list of
specific recommendations as a result
of
your study.
References
The references are a list of any
sources
you have used in your report. Your
report should use the standard
referencing style preferred by your
school or department eg MYP
Sekolah
 Presentation
and layout
Reports are written in several
sections
and may also include visual data
such as figures and tables. The
layout and
presentation is therefore very
important.
Your tutor or your module handbook
will state how the report should be
presented in terms of font sizes,
margins, text alignment etc.

IT Skills You will need good IT skills to

manipulate graphical data and work
with columns and tables.
 How
to incorporate
evidence
END OF 3rd DISCUSSION
This evidence will:

• add substance to your

own ideas
• allow the reader to see
what has informed your
thinking and how your
ideas fit in with, and differ
from, others' in your
Incorporate
field
• demonstrate your evidence
understanding of the Academic writing must be
general concepts and supported by evidence
theories on the topic such as data, facts,
quotations,
• show you have researched
arguments, statistics,
widely, and know about research, and theories.
specialist/niche areas
of interest.
There are several methods that you can use to incorporate other people's work into your own
written work. These are:

Paraphrasing Summarising Synthesising Quoting

Using your own Providing a Synthesising Quoting is where you
words to condensed involves copy an author's text
express version of combining different word for word, place
someone else’s someone else’s information and quotation marks
ideas. key points. ideas to develop around the words and
your own add a
argument.  citation at the end of
the quote.
 How to Incorporate Evidence
some notes to be remembered

You are likely to use a

combination of these
throughout your writing,
depending on the purpose
The main characteristics of that you are
the trying to achieve.
different methods you can use
to Be aware that your writing
incorporate others' work into should not just be a
your own writing are shown in patchwork of other people's
our  ideas made
comparison table (PDF). up of quotes, paraphrases
You need to show how the and summaries of other
information you found has people's
helped you to develop your work.
own
arguments, ideas and
opinions.
 Quoting

Quoting is where you copy an author's text word for word, place
quotation marks around the words and add a citation at the
end of the quote.

When quoting others’ work, make sure that you:

How to • copy the quote exactly from the original, as the author has
written it, taking care to include quotation marks
Quote from • show where you have made any changes to the text
(see citing quotations using Harvard and citing
Others’ Work quotations using Numeric for more guidance on this)
• include an in-text citation and reference to the original author.

Common pitfalls include:

• Using too many quotes throughout your work
• Incorporating a quote without explaining the significance to
your own argument or point you are trying to make.
 Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is using your own words to express someone else’s

ideas.

When paraphrasing, make sure that you:

How to • identify a relevant theme or point, depending on your purpose
• write the point in your own words
Paraphrase • focus on the meaning of an idea or argument
• include a reference to the original author.
Others’ Work Common pitfalls include:
• describing an author's idea/argument but not explaining the
significance to your own argument, or the point that you
are trying to make
• using too many of the original author's words, this includes
using the same structure
• not distinguishing between the author's point and your own
viewpoint
• providing too much detail.
 Summarising

Summarising is providing a condensed version of someone else’s

key
points.

How to When summarising other people’s work, make sure that you:
• identify the relevant points of the idea or arguments,
Summarise depending on your purpose
• write a shortened version, in your own words, to show your
understanding
Others’ Work • include an in-text citation and reference to the original author.

Common pitfalls include:

• describing an author's idea/argument but not explaining the
significance to your own argument or point you are
trying to make
• providing too much detail such as examples, anecdotes,
unnecessary background information rather than being
selective and applying the information to the question you are
trying to answer.
 Synthesising

Synthesising involves combining different information and ideas

to develop your own argument.

When synthesising others’ work, make sure that you:

• Group sources into relevant categories, for example, authors
How to with
results
similar viewpoints or research that reveals the same

Synthesise • Write about these in your own words. Do not discuss each
author separately; you must identify the overall points
you want to make
Others’ Work • Include references to all the original authors.

Common pitfalls include:

• Not distinguishing clearly which viewpoint/s belong to which
author/s
• Listing authors separately or one by one, thus not grouping
relevant authors or points together
• Giving too much detail about different perspectives rather
than being selective of the key features relevant to your line of
argument
• Describing the idea/argument but not explaining the