What is “Academic” Writing?

What is
“Academic”
Writing?

Aline Martins Reis

Arthur de Melo Sá
Bárbara Iara de Oliveira Marra
Denise Maranhês
What is “Academic” Writing?

Myths about Writing

 #1 – The “Paint by Numbers”: Writing is
“recursive”. We cycle through and repeat various activities
of the writing process many time as we write.
 #2 – Writers only start writing when they have
everything figure out: Writers figure out much of what
they want to write as they write it.

 #3 – Perfect first draft: Nobody writes perfect first

drafts. Polished writing takes lots of revision.
 #4 – Some got it; I don’t – the genius fallacy:
With effort and study, you can improve your writing.
What is “Academic” Writing?

Myths about Writing

 #5 – Good grammar is good writing: Writing is
about more than just grammatical correctness. (Don’t forget:
Nobody writes perfect first drafts)

 #6 – The five paragraph essay: Some people say

to avoid it all costs, while others believe no other way to
write exists. However, to decide the format of your writing
depends on you.
 #7 – Never use “I”: The use of “I” depends on what
kind of writing you will do. (You can use “I” in a semi-formal
style writing)
What is “Academic” Writing?
The Academic Writing Situation
How to write Successfully in
Who’s your audience?
What’s the occasion or context?
What’s your message?
What’s your purpose?
What documents/genres are used?
College
Primarily the professor and possibly
your classmates (though you may be
asked to include a secondary outside
audience).
An assignment given by the teacher
within a learning context and
designed to have you learn and
demonstrate your learning.
It will be your learning or the
interpretation gained from your study
of the subject matter.
To show your learning and get a
good grade (or to accomplish the
goals of the writing assignment).
The essay is the most frequent type
of document used.
What is “Academic” Writing?

Elements of the Academic Writing

Knowledge of
Research Skills
 Is necessary know how to find information in the
library;
 Use what is available from online databases
which contain scholarly articles;
 Know how to focus and direct a research project;
 Know how to keep track of all your source
information.
What is “Academic” Writing?

Elements of the Academic Writing

The Ability to Read

Complex Texts
 Have a close reading and think critically as you
read;
 Separate fact from opinion;
 Recognize biases and assumptions;
 Make inferences (Conclusions or interpretations that
we arrive at, based upon the known factors we discover
from our reading).
What is “Academic” Writing?

Elements of the Academic Writing

The Understanding of
Key Disciplinary Concepts
 Every discipline has its own key concepts and
language for describing their important ways of
understanding the world. Therefore:
 You must apply and use these ‘key concepts’ in your
writing;
 Demonstrate what you have learned;
 Inspect your assignment closely for what concepts it asks
you to bring into your writing.
What is “Academic” Writing?

Elements of the Academic Writing

Strategies for Synthesizing, Analyzing, and

Responding Critically to
New Information
 Learn ways of sorting and finding meaningful
patterns in new information;
Develop ways for grasping new subject matter to
use it in your writing.
What is “Academic” Writing?

Decoding College Writing Assignments

Academic Writing is
an Argument
 An argument means a carefully arranged and
supported presentation of a viewpoint;
 When you’re presenting a thesis, for instance,
you’ll have to support your ideas using facts (or
“evidences”) to convince your audience of your
point of view.
 What is “Academic” Writing?

Decoding College Writing Assignments

Academic Writing is an Analysis
 When you are writing an academic text, this text must be
the result of an analysis; it means, you will have to seek
much more How and Why questions about the subject
you are talking about than What questions. Therefore,
make an analysis involves three things:
 Engage in an open inquiry where the answer is not known at
first; that is, break a subject apart, to study it closely (while you
leave yourself open to multiple suggestions);
 Identify meaningful parts of the subject;
 Examine these separate parts and determine how they relate to
each other.
 To conclude an analysis, it is necessary to show how
these parts fit or don’t fit together to create some larger
effect or meaning.
 What is “Academic” Writing?

Decoding College Writing Assignments

Three Common Types of
College Writing Assignments
 The Closed Writing Assignment: Resembles to yes/no
questions. It presents you with two counter claims and ask you to
determine from your own analysis the more valid one.
 Is Creon a character to admire or condemn?
 Does your advertisement employ techniques of propaganda,
and if so what kind?
 Was the South justified in seceding from the Union?
 In your opinion, do you believe Hamlet was truly mad?
 What is “Academic” Writing?

Decoding College Writing Assignments

Three Common Types of
College Writing Assignments
 The Semi-Open Writing Assignment: Determining your
own claim.
 Discuss the role of law in Antigone.
 Explain the relationship between character and fate in Hamlet.
 Compare and contrast the use of setting in two short stories.
 Show how the Fugitive Slave Act influenced the Abolitionist
Movement.
 Analyze the reading and arrive at some insights into patterns and
relationships about the subject.
 What is “Academic” Writing?

Decoding College Writing Assignments

Three Common Types of
College Writing Assignments
 The Open Writing Assignment: Decide both your writing
topic, and your claim.
 Analyze the role of a character in Dante’s The Inferno.
 What does it mean to be an “American” in the 21st Century?
 Analyze the influence of slavery upon one cause of the Civil
War.
 Compare and contrast two themes within Pride and Prejudice.
 What is “Academic” Writing?

Decoding College Writing Assignments

Picking and Limiting a Topic
 You will write best when you write from both your
head and your heart.
 Essay question: “What is the role of Virgil toward the
character of Dante in The Inferno?”
 Thesis statement: “Virgil’s predominant role as Dante’s
guide through hell is as the voice of reason.”
Narrowing down  “Close inspection of Cantos I and II reveal
that Virgil serves predominantly as the voice of reason for
Dante on his journey through hell.”
 A well tended garden is better than a large one full
of weeds.
 What is “Academic” Writing?

Decoding College Writing Assignments

Three Characteristics of
Academic Writing
 Clear evidence in writing that the writer(s) have been
persistent, open-minded, and disciplined in study.
 The dominance of reason over emotions or sensual
perception.
 An imagined reader who is coolly rational, reading
for information, and intending to formulate a reasoned
response.
 What is “Academic” Writing?

The Format of the Academic Essay

The Critical
Essay
 It is an argument, persuasion essay that makes a point and
supports it.
 The claim (or thesis) of a critical essay is debatable and open
to interpretation.
 Organization: a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
 Support your ideas.
 Distinguish the use of outside information and clarify where
that information came from.
 What is “Academic” Writing?

The Format of the Academic Essay

The Critical
Essay

 Whenever you move from one main point (primary support)

to the next, you need to clearly signal to the reader that this
movement is happening.
 A critical essay is put into an academic essay format.
 Grammatical correctness.
What is “Academic” Writing?

Conclusion and
Final Comments
 Your success with academic writing depends
upon how well you understand what you are doing
as you write and then how you approach the
writing task.
 Know the nature of the academic writing task and
the expectations behind it is the first step.
 Next step  Think, work hard, and practice.