FOURTH QUARTER

• state what is academic writing and its features;

1
•

identify what feature of academic writing

2
is being applied or focused in a situation;

determine lines or statements which should be included or

3
stated in an academic writing;

distinguish features of academic writing through writing a

4
paragraph
Write four (4) characteristics, qualities
or features that a Marian student
should have.
What is an academic writing?
Academic Writing is the type of writing students
are expected to produce in response to content
they learn about in an academic setting (school,
college, etc.)
Academic writing is clear, concise, focused,
structured and backed up by evidence. Its purpose
is to aid the reader’s understanding.
It has a formal tone and style, but it is not
complex and does not require the use of long
sentences and complicated vocabulary.

It keeps to the point.

It looks thoroughly at a subject.
There is no humor.
It accurately defines things.
It isn’t flowery.
It analyses situations, looking at many sides of an argument
Description plays only a small part.
Complexity
The language is relatively more
complex and has longer words
with a more varied vocabulary.

Academic writing incorporates

language particular to your
audience and field and addresses
more intricate issues than other
types of text.
Formality
Academic writing is relatively
formal. It does not include
colloquial expression that we
consider natural in daily
dialogues we have with
friends or colleagues.
Academic writing should be
free of contractions, slang,
and abbreviations.
Precision

Academic writing is precise.

Factual information, figures
or charts, should all be
provided and nothing written
there should leave room to
interpretation.
Accuracy

An accurate use of vocabulary is a

must in a text that wants to be
academic. Extra attention should be
paid when using words with a
specific meaning.

Vocabulary, facts, and figures are

used accurately and are consistent
with the standards of your field.
Objectivity

Written language is in general objective rather than personal. It has

fewer words that refer to the writer or the reader. The main
emphasis should be on the information that you want to give and
the arguments you want to make, rather than the writer getting
involved in a personal manner.

The emphasis of the writing is on the information you are

conveying or the argument you are making rather than on you.
Responsibility

Academic writing should be treated with responsibility. Everything

stated should be accompanied by proofs and justifications and no
assumptions are allowed. Sources should also be mentioned.

You are responsible for the claims you make and for understanding
the sources from which you draw. These sources should be
reputable. You are also responsible to the people whose work you
draw on to make your claims. This responsibility is reflected in
proper in-text citations and proper reference list form.
Explicitness

The author of an academic writing is responsible for making it

explicit and for making clear how different parts of the text are
connected between them and why are they relevant for the central
theme.

There are certain words that can be used in order to emphasis this
connection and they are called transitional words.
The relationship between ideas is clarified through the use of
signaling words and transitions.
Exercise 1
Identify what feature of academic writing is being applied or focused in
the following situations.
(Complexity, Formality, Precision, Accuracy, Objectivity, Responsibility, or
Explicitness)
1. Maria gathered some factual information and provided charts for her
dissertation.
2. To avoid plagiarism, Maria was responsible enough to give credits to
the authors or writers of the sources where she got her gathered
information.
3. Max is more focused on the information he gathered or the argument
he wanted to make rather than his own personal opinion.
4. Jin was very careful and accurate when using vocabulary words
especially with a specific meaning.
5. Nadine’s ideas in her essay were connected and clarified.
6. Max uses “going to” because he believes that “gonna” is
not appropriate for his research.
7. Maria uses different vocabulary words in her essay.
8. Max uses transitional words and signaling words to
emphasize the connections of information in his research.
9. Nina uses “does not” instead of “do not when she was
writing her thesis statement.
10. When Nina wrote her research, she included proofs and
evidences. She also mentioned the sources of the gathered
information.
Exercise 2
Determine if the following statements or lines should be stated,
included or written in an academic writing. Write a check mark on if it
should be written or stated and cross mark if not.
1. Kinda outta luck.
2. Finally, he was able to recover.
3. (Alexander, 2018)
4. “I’m a mess of unfinished thoughts.”
5. Want to
6. According to Lao Tzu that silence is a source of great strength.”
7. For me, it is better this way because…….
8. It was est. 1999.
9. This curriculum for the Elementary teachers…….
10. c/o