Nature and Characteristics of Academic Writing
NATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC WRITING
 An academic text is reading material that provides information which
includes concepts and theories that are related to specific disciplines
 Research paper, conference paper, feasibility study, thesis/dissertation,
reviews, essay, academic journals & reports are considered as
academic writing
STRUCTURE
 The overall structure of academic text is formal and logical
(Introduction, Body, Conclusion)
 Cohesive and possess a logically organized flow of ideas
 Various parts are connected to form a unified whole
TONE
 Refers to the attitude conveyed in a piece of writing
 When presenting a position or argument that disagrees with one's
perspectives, describe the argument accurately without loaded or
biased language
 
LANGUAGE
 Important to use unambiguous language
 Clear topic sentences enable a reader to follow your line of thinking
without difficulty
 Formal language and third person POV should be used
 Technical language appropriate to the area of study may also be used,
however it does not mean using "big words" just for the sake of doing
so.
CITATION
 Always acknowledge the source of any ideas
 Citing sources in the body of paper and providing a list of references
as either footnotes or endnotes is a very important aspects of academic
writing.
COMPLEXITY
 An academic text addresses complex issues that require higher-order
thinking skills to comprehend
 
EVIDENCE-BASED ARGUMENTS
 What is valued in an academic text is that opinions are based on a
sound understanding of the pertinent body of knowledge and academic
debates that exists within, and often external to a specific discipline
THESIS-DRIVEN
 The starting point of an academic text is a particular perspective, idea
or position applied to the chosen research problem, such as
establishing, providing, or disproving solutions to the questions posed
for the topic.
 
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
 Refers to the oral, written, auditory, and visual language proficiency
required to learn effectively in schools and academic programs
 It is also the language used in classroom lessons, books, tests, and
assignments
Analyzing the Structure and Language of Academic and Professional Texts
 Language students are expected to learn and achieve fluency
ACADEMIC WRITING
WHY IS ACADEMIC LANGUAGE IMPORTANT?
 Students who master academic language are more likely to be
successful in academic and professional setting
 
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND
SOCIAL LANGUAGE
 Social Language - is the simple, informal language we use when
talking face to face with family members and friends, Includes writing
emails, friendly letters, and, texts or retelling stories
 Academic Language - it is the vocabulary students or adults must learn
to succeed in the classroom or workspace, used to comprehend and
describe complex ideas, process higher-order thinking, and
understanding abstract concepts
INFORMATIONAL TEXT STRUCTURE
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC LANGUAGE
 Formal
 It should not be conversional or casual, avoid colloquial
and idiomatic expressions, slang, and contractions
 Examples to avoid: dig in, cup of tea, dude,
don't
 Impersonal
 Do not refer yourself as the performer of actions and do not
use personal pronouns.
 Example: "It is commonly said that …" instead
of "Many of my friends and colleagues say
that…" & "Research revealed that…" instead of
"I discovered that…"
 Precise
 Clear, concise, accurate
 Example: "85% of the population", "The results
are okay (satisfactory).", asphyxiation (medical
term)
 A process that starts with posing a question, problematizing a concept,
evaluating an opinion, and ends in answering the question, clarifying
the problem and arguing for a stand
 Has specific purpose, which is to inform, to argue a specific point, and
to persuade
 Academic writing is thinking; you cannot just write anything that
comes to your mind. You have to abide by the set of rules and
practices in writing. You have to write in language that is appropriate
and formal but not too pretentious.
 Academic writing is clear, concise, focused, structures and backed up
by evidence.
 Its purpose is to aid the reader's understanding.
9 MAIN INFORMATIONAL TEXT STRUCTURES
1. Definition/Elucidation
i. Explains the nature of something
ii. Some words that signal definition texts are: the verb is/are,
for example, is defined as means; words that refer to
composition such as contain, make up, involves; words that
suggests likeness such as as, appears to be, refers to; and
general words that refer to a class or genus, such as a form
of (exercise), a branch of (engineering), a type of (worship),
a kind of (ship), etc.
2. Description
i. Gives concrete details about appearances, characteristics,
and actions.
ii. Some words that signal description are adjectives to
describe size, numbers that specify dimension, shape,
position, color, and adverbs to qualify an action, or thing.
3. Recount of sequence
 i. Chronological narration of a historical period, a sequential
description of a process or a procedure. Some signal words
are first, second, now, before, after, then, finally, while,
meanwhile, during, and other expressions of time and
duration describing the steps in a process or procedure.
4. Cause-effect
i. Presents reason why a situation is obtained
ii. The cause comes before the results in academic writing, it
is the effect that is usually presented first, perhaps to
achieve a more dramatic effect.
iii. Some signal words that you have to watch out for are
expressions that indicate effect or consequence or result,
such as so, so that, as a result, consequently, explanation
for,
thus, and accordingly. On the other hand, some
expressions that indicate cause are due to, as a result of,
because of, and a cause of.
5. Problem-solution
i. A problem-solution text starts off with a negative situation
(a problem) and ends with a positive situation (a solution.
Some key expressions that indicate a problem-solution text
are: the problem/dilemma is, if/then, so that, solves, an
answer to, and address the problem of.
6. Comparison and contrast
i. discusses the similarities and differences between two or
more topics
ii. The paper should contain an introduction with a thesis
statement, a body where the comparisons and contrasts are
discussed, and a conclusion.
iii. Some expressions that point to similarities are, in like
manner, and in the same way, to
talk about difference, the following expressions are
commonly used: on the other hand, on the contrary, the
opposite, compared to, in contrast, although, unless, and
however.
7. Enumeration
i. An enumeration is a listing, as in list of parts, of
characteristics, of examples etc.
ii. Some words that indicate enumeration are to start with,
first, second, in addition, next, then another, finally, and
also.
8. Classification
i. A classification text presents groupings, types, classes,
categories, and sub-categories that constitute a concept,
presented in hierarchical order.
ii. Some are types of personalities, groupings, in a school,
species of animals, categories of films, and television
shows.
iii. Some language cues are: there are several types/kinds of, a
part of, an example of, groups/kinds/ways/types/classes of,
another kind of, divided into.
iv. Graphically, hierarchy may be represented through size
(usually the bigger is a bigger figure) and placement or
positioning.
9. Thesis-evidence
i. Primarily to serve the purpose of arguing a point/position or
interpretation, the Thesis evidence text organization or
thought pattern may be arranged deductively (general
statement or thesis followed by supporting details) or  Some compound nouns are standard expressions in business, like tax
inductively (details from which an inference or thesis is collection system, company car, price list, and bulk buying
drawn). o Could you please…
ii. Some words that signal this thought pattern are some verbs
like assert, claim, prove/show that..., support and allege o We are extremely sorry…
that; and nouns like evidence, proof and argument. o May I suggest…
OUTLINING o Thank you for your inquiry on…
 Another way of determining text structure, though it's not visual, is by o Please let us know…
outlining. An outline shows the framework of a text through division
 Common text structures in business communication are problem-
and subdivision of ideas.
solution in which cause(s) of a problem situation is/are explained,
followed by the company's proposed solution
BASIC RINCIPLES AND RULES IN OUTLINING
 
Four Main Components for Effective Outlines
1. Parallelism - each heading and subheading should preserve a parallel SOCIAL SCIENCE TEXTS
structure. If the first heading is a verb, the second heading should be a  Graphs and tables are common features of social science readings
verb. Example:
 Knowing to analyze graphic data is a big advantage
i. Choose Desired Colleges
ii. Prepare Application  Text structures or thought patterns common in the social sciences are
Note: present tense of the verb definition and example, recount of an event (history), cause-effect, and
is usually preferred for an comparison and contrast.
outline.  Know the jargons of its specific discipline
2. Coordination - all information contained in heading 1 should have the o Political science (communism, monarchy, and executive
same significance as the information contained in heading 2. The same branch)
goes with the subheadings (which can be less significant than the
o Economics (market, profit, equity, and trade relations)
headings). Example:
I. Visit and Evaluate College Campuses
o Sociology (migration, social, class, and discrimination)
II. Visit and Evaluate College Websites o Psychology (depression, suicidal, personality, and
A. Note important statistics motivation)
B. Look for interesting classes
3. Subordination - the information on the headings should be more
NATURAL SCIENCE TEXTS
general, while the information in the subheadings should be more
specific. Example:  Such as physics, chemistry and biology are technical terms, symbols
I. Describe an Influential Person in Your Life (ph, NaCl, and CO2) and abbreviations are common
A. Favorite high school teacher  Similar to other disciplines, common words like power, pressure,
B. Grandparent force, work, and impulse have a technical meaning.
4. Division - each heading should be divided into 2 or more parts.
Example:
I. Compile Resume LITERATURE AND ARTS
A. List relevant coursework  Know its jargons
B. List work experience o Gothic mood, symbol, balance, mosaic, hue, etc.
C. List volunteer experience
 Common structures in literature and the arts are definition, description,
and cause-effect, which may be in the form of a recount (fiction).
Language and Text Structure Across Disciplines  
MATHEMATIC TEXTS READING STRATEGIES TO DETERMINE TEXT STRUCTURES
 Linguistics – language cues
 Most prominent language feature is the use of symbols
 Uses place of words, such as symbols for operations like '+' for  Text mapping – graphical representation of text (venn diagram,
addition, 'x' for multiplication semantic web boxes, use or arrows
 Often uses letters with special meaning, like the variables 'x', 'y', and 'z'  Outlining – classifying major topics and sentences.
 The dominant structure of mathematics text is problem-solution,
comparison and contrast of two units or situations
  Key Take Aways in Stating the Main Idea
BUSINESS TEXTS  Main Idea
 Business has a special vocabulary (jargon), so first of all you have to o is the thesis or main point of an informational text
learn its jargon, like remit, obligate, loan, collateral, interest, stock, etc. o Can be expressed anywhere in a material or paragraph
(beginning, middle, end)
 i. Fever is present in about a third of cases.
7. Introductory phrases - to our knowledge, it is our view that, we feel
 Deductive order
that
o If main idea is stated in the beginning, the sentences that i. It is our view that the issue needs to be explored.
follow are the supporting details 8. "if" clauses - if true, if anything
 Inductive order i. If anything, the opinion holds a number of truths.
o If the main idea or thesis is expressed at the end, the earlier 9. Compound hedges - double hedges: seems reasonable, looks probable,
statements are the details or specifics that build up the main it may suggest that, it seems likely that, it would indicate that, this
point probably indicates; treble hedges: it seems reasonable to assume that;
quadruple hedges: it would seem somewhat unlikely that, it may
 Topic
appear somewhat speculative that
o words that are repeated throughout the material that refer to the i. This probably indicates that the assigned personnel is
same subject misinformed.
o The topic is different from a main idea or thesis. The main idea  
or thesis of a paragraph is its comment on the topic. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A REVIEW AND A CRITIQUE
 The thesis or main idea may or may not be stated. If it is stated, it has to  A review can be compiled by anyone and consists of a subjective
be inferred from all the details-verbal and nonverbal-given in the text. opinion of a work, unlike a critique which is written by an expert in the
 The main idea is usually a general statement which is elucidated in the field with a technical comprehension.
 
material through rhetorical devices such as examples and analysis
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A REVIEW AND A REACTION
PAPER
My Notes  The reaction paper is subjective in nature, while the review paper
STRUCTURES OF ACADEMIC TEXT presents content in a more objective way.
 
 Follows Introduction-Body-Conclusion format and Introduction-
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A REACTION PAPER AND A
Methods-Results and Discussion format CRITIQUE
 
HEDGING EXPRESSIONS USED IN ACADEMIC TEXTS  Critique is the more expanded version of a reaction paper
NOTE: open your book to study!!
 Hedging or "vague language"
4 WAYS TO HEDGE/WEAKEN STATEMENTS
1. Reduce likelihood - by including a modal before the main verb or by
including a phrase before the sentence
2. Soften generalization - limiting who/what is included in the topic or by
limiting the frequency of the action
3. Use weaker verbs - find weaker verbs by checking for synonymous
and noticing how these verbs alters the meaning in sentences
4. Combine hedging methods - any of the three hedges mat be combined
to weaker phrase
 
TYPES OF HEDING
1. Modal auxiliary verbs - may, might, can, could, would, should
i. The measure might have negative effects on patients'
health.
2. Lexical verbs that doubt and evaluate rather than merely describe - to
seem, to appear (epistemic verb), to believe, to assume, to suggest, to
estimate, to think, to argue, to indicate, to purpose, to speculate
i. The discussion appears to have a positive implication.
3. Probability adjectives - possible, probable, un/likely
i. A number of significant changes are possible.
4. Nouns - assumption, claim, possibility, estimate, suggestion
i. There are a number of claims pertaining to the possibility
of divorce.
5. Adverbs - perhaps, possibly, probably, practically, likely, presumably,
virtually, apparently
i. The proposal is practically an answer to the problem.
6. Indicators of degree, quantity, frequency, and time - approximately,
roughly, about, often, occasionally, somehow, a lot of