What is Academic Text?

Academic texts are critical, objective and specialized texts that are written by professionals or
experts in a particular field. They are written in formal language and has a formal style and
tone. Since these are objective texts, they are based on facts. The emotions and feelings of
the authors are not delivered through them. Academic texts are well-focused, concise, clear,
accurate, and well structured. They are based on factual information and evidence, free from
repetition, exaggeration, rhetorical questions and contractions and are always in the third
person point of view./Generally, academic texts debate or provide answers to a specific
question in a field. The main purpose of academic texts is to enhance the reader’s
understanding of a specific field.
Academic Text and Non Academic Text Essays Textbooks Theses Case studies Reports Research
articles
How to Write an Academic Text?
Introduction to the topic

Place the topic in a context

Background information

Aim of the text

Method to fulfil the aim

The thesis statement or research question

Findings

Necessity and the importance of the topic

What is a Non Academic Text?

Non-academic texts are writings that are informal and dedicated to a lay audience. They are
emotional, personal and subjective without any kind of research involving. Therefore, anyone
can write a non-academic text. Newspaper articles, e-mail messages, text messages, journal
writing, and letters are some examples of non-academic text. / Features of Non-Academic
Texts /Less formal (may idioms, slangs, contractions) Casual language Use any point of view Opinion-based Free
of rigid structures On general topics

The main purpose of a non-academic text is to inform or persuade readers. They do not contain any citations.
The sentences used are short, and the text may or may not be clear and well-structured. /Examples of Non-
academic Texts

Personal journal entries Memoirs Autobiographical writing Letters E-mails Text messages /

What is the Difference Between Academic Text and

Non Academic Text? The key difference between academic text and non
academic text is that academic text is intended for the scholarly and the research community
in society while the non-academic text is intended for the general public in society. While the
academic text is formal and factual, the non-academic text is informal and personal. In
addition, academic texts always contain citations, whereas non-academic texts may or may
not contain citations.
Summarizing is when you take a longer passage, from several sentences to several
paragraphs or even more, and restate the essential main ideas in your own words. When you
summarize, you end up with considerably less words than the original source./ Various
Techniques in Summarizing a Variety of Academic Texts 1. Read the work
first to understand the author’s intent. (inaccurate summary is plagiarism) 2.Present
information through facts, skills, and concept in visual formats. (use flow charts or
infographics) 3.To avoid difficulty, you need first to know the main points and the supporting
details. (exclude any illustrations, examples or explanations) 4.Analyze the text to save time
in thinking what you will do. 5.Think what information you will put in your summary. (cover
the main points and arguments of the document. 6. Restate the words into different one.
(retain the information) 7. You willfully understand what the document is when you organize
all ideas. 8. Write down all information in a coherent and precise form. 9. Represent
information through using dimensional constructions in representing concepts, skills or
facts.10. Paraphrasing is one of the skills you can do in writing a summary. (do not use the
same words with the author)
A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay. It
usually comes near the end of your introduction. Your thesis will look a bit different
depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly
state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back
to this idea. /You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps: Start with a
question Write your initial answer Develop your answer Refine your thesis statement /
Outlining An outline is a map of your essay. It shows what information each section or
paragraph will contain, and in what order. Most outlines use numbers and/or bullet points to
arrange information and convey points. /Why create an outline? Outlining is a tool
we use in the writing process to help organize our ideas, visualize our paper’s potential
structure, and to further flesh out and develop points. It allows the writer to understand how
he or she will connect information to support the thesis statement and the claims of the
paper. An outline provides the writer with a space to consider ideas easily without needing to
write complete paragraphs or sentences. A reaction paper is typically a 2-5 page document in
which the writer responds to one or more texts. Reaction papers are often used as tools in a
class-setting to encourage students to think critically about texts, and how those texts are in
conversation with each other, or with a wider field of discourse. A review article is an article
that summarizes the current state of understanding on a topic within a certain discipline. /A
review article is generally considered a secondary source since it may analyze and discuss the
method and conclusions in previously published studies. /A critique paper is an academic
writing genre that summarizes and gives a critical evaluation of a concept or work. Or, to put
it simply, it is no more than a summary and a critical analysis of a specific issue. This type of
writing aims to evaluate the impact of the given work or concept in its field./ A position paper
is an essay that presents an arguable opinion about an issue – typically that of the author or
some specified entity. Position papers are published in academia, in politics, in law and other
domains. /Position papers are usually one page in length. It should include a brief
introduction followed by a comprehensive breakdown of the country’s position on the
topic(s) that are being discussed by each of the committees. A good position paper will not
only provide facts but also make proposals for resolutions. A good position paper will include:
A brief introduction to the country and its history concerning the topic and committees; How
the topic affects the country; The country’s policies with respect to the issue and the
country’s justification for these policies; Quotes from the country’s leaders about the issue;
Statistics to back up the country’s position on the issue; Actions taken by the government
with regard to the issue; Conventions and resolutions that the country has signed or ratified;
UN actions that the country supported or opposed; What the country believes should be
done to address the issue; and What the country would like to accomplish in each committee.