Academic

Disciplines
Academic Writing Disciplines

Sciences
Humanities
Business
Sciences
Natural Science Social Science Formal Science Applied Science
 Sciences
Some examples of writing genres in
the sciences are laboratory reports,
research papers, and journal articles.
 Humanities
Ancient and modern languages,
literature, philosophy, history,
human geography, law, politics,
religion, and art
 Humanities
The common writing genres in the
humanities include literature
reviews, book reports, literary
analyses, essays, critical
reviews, and argumentative
papers.
 Business
Business writing is often audience-centered
and action-oriented. Business papers aim to
motivate a specific audience to perform an
action. Writing in business includes documents
(e.g., memos, claim letters), economic
research papers, résumés, school application
essays, scholarship application letters, and
business proposals.
Academic text types or writing genres have
certain conventions depending on the
discipline.
Sciences
The sciences deal with information that is based
on verifiable data gathered through research or
experimentation. Scientific writing requires
precision in the use of terminology, simple and direct
language, objectivity, and clarity.
Example:
Fill a beaker with 100 mL of tap water and another
beaker with seawater of the same amount. Then
place them on a hot plate. After two minutes,
measure the temperature of the water in each
beaker using an alcohol thermometer.
Academic text types or writing genres
have certain conventions depending on
the discipline.
Humanities
Humanities usually deals with analyses and
interpretations of works or texts. Writing in this
discipline uses a subjective tone which reveals
the writer’s thoughts, opinions, attitudes, and
feelings on a topic.
Example:
The Little Prince is truly a masterpiece! It
centers around the protagonist’s quest for the
meaning of life.
Academic text types or writing genres
have certain conventions depending on
the discipline.
Business
Writing in business aims a specific audience
to perform an action. It uses straightforward
and concise sentences that are structured or
formatted for optimal readability.
Example:
I am writing to request a four-day leave of
absence. I intend to go on vacation from
March 1 to March 4, 2016.