Effective usage of Academic

writing style

18SST5296
Y.M.AVANTHI WATHSALA
YAPA
 What is academic writing?
 It is formal writing style, which mean it
is clear, concise, focused, structured and
backed up by evidence.

 Characteristics of Academic writing

● Planned and Focuses

● Structured

● Evidence

● Formal tone and style

 What are the features of Academic
Writing
 There are 8 main features of academic writing that we
are often discussed.
* Complexity
* Formality
* Objectivity
* Explicitly
* Hedged
* Responsibility
* Precisely
* Accurately
 1. Precise
Academic writing should use clear
and precise language. Then the reader
can follow the idea easily.
This includes the use of technical
vocabulary.
 Ex:
“Dengue is a major global problem in
many part of the world causing
epidemic throughout the developed
and developing countries…due to
favorable vector-breeding condition
and hyper-endemic nature of the
virus cause significant impact on
public health resources.”
2. Objectivity
Written language is general
objective rather than personal.
It means the objective
emphasis on the argument
and the information rather
than on the writer.
EX:-
1. I researched.– The
research was done by me.
(Passive structure)
2.In my opinion… - It can be
seen that…(Impersonal
structure)
 3. Critical 4. Hedges
 Academic writing does not
 In academic writing
simply describe. The information
Hedging use to soften a
should analyzed and evaluated.
statement or avoid criticism.
 And also the writer should make
judgment about it before used.

 Ex:-
Ex:-
 1. “The evidence suggests
“All methods were observational.
that more safety controls are
An observational study may reveal
needed.”
data...However, an observational
 2. “The research indicate
study is incapable of ruining out
potential non-linguistic factors. that a lack of education is to
blame.”
As a example…”
There are four main Academic
writing styles

Descriptive Analytical

Main Academic
Writing Styles

Persuasive Critical
 Descriptive Writing Style
The simplest type of academic writing is Descriptive. Its purpose
is to prove facts of information. An example would be a summery
of an article or a report of experiment.

It always states what happened

Explains what the theory says
Notes the methods
Explain how something works
Provides various pieces of information
 Abstract
“ This article examines the economic, political and social
forces at work in the Georgia wheat- producing region prior
to the break-up of the USSR. The causes for failing birth
rates in Georgia are explored, and the links between this
problem and the collapse of the soviet system are analyzed.”

Sinhala Translation

“මෙම ලිපිය සෝවියට් සංගමය බිඳවැටීමට පෙර ජෝර්ජියාවේ තිරිඟු

නිශ්පාදන කලාපයේ ක්‍රියාත්මක වූ ආර්ථික, දේශපාලන සහ සමාජ
බලවේගයන් විමසාබලයි.ජෝර්ජියාවේ උපත් අනුපාත අසාර්ථක වීමට
හේතු සොයාබලනු ලබන අතර, මෙම ගැටලුව සහ සෝවියට් ක්‍රමයේ
බිඳවැටීම අතර සම්බන්ධතාවිශ්ලේෂණය කෙරේ.”
 Analytical Writing
 Analytical implies the breaking down of some thing into
parts, or an discussion of some thing in a way that it
becomes a dissection of the whole.
 It always seek to go beyond the descriptive fact or details to
reader and instead evaluate and investigates their significant.

 Analytical writing explain what impact was related to the

research or the document.
 Explain how this relevant to the key issues and the research
questions.
 Explain whether this methods are relevant or not.
 Draw a line to the various information.
 Research has also been done that at how the bullies find
their victims. And studied the perpetrators preferences in
victims. The date were collected via questionnaires and
interviews, and lot of 120 bullies were involved as
participants. Found that 27 percent were in same
grade,2 percent were in different grades and staggering,
6 percent were not schoolmates of the bullies. The
evidence somewhat contradicts that of the other
studies that stable victims are generally bullied at the
school and at home. The findings clearly show that
nearly half of the bullies prefer to bully people they
do not go to school with possibly those that they do
not know at all.
(By American literal review)
 Persuasive Writing
This is a form of witting which the writer uses words to convince
the reader that the writer’s opinion is correct in regards to an issues.
In this writing the writer should convince his audience that his side
of am argument is the right.

 Support the cause

 Urge people to action
 Make a change
 Prove something wrong
 Create a interest
 Get people to agree with you
 Ex:
 Lunchtime at school is simply to short. Don't Starting
children deserve a proper break for their school statement
works; to eat, play and exercises?
First of all, children have too little time to play
during lunch time. By the time everyone has washed First
their hands, sat down, eat their lunch and had a drink, argument
there is no time left to play.
Also, children need more time outdoors to re-
energies for the afternoon ahead. Fresh air and
Second
exercise is so important to the mental physical health argument
of children. If lunch time were longer, concentration
levels would improve.
In conclusion, school lunchtime need to be extended.
Children need more time to eat, play and exercise. Conclusion
 Critical Writing
Critical writing style is often seen as the most difficult
style as it requires confidence to carry it out effectively.
The style itself is similar to that of analytical writing, as it
requires that you consider evidence and use it to make
reasonable conclusions considering both the strengths and
limitations of said evidence.

It refers to involving judgment or criticism

Analyses and evaluates information
Usually from multiple sources
Order to develop an argument
According to the research by the Food
Standards Agency (2015) there may be a link Descriptive
between late nights and childhood obesity in Writing
children.

However, this research focuses only on the

area of sleep and does not consider many of Critical Writing
the other factors associated with late nights,
such as what children eat when they stay up
late.

Compare to other known factors influencing

childhood obesity, there is insufficient Judgment
evidence about the effect of late nights for this
to be taken very seriously by policymakers,
though this may change with further research.
 References
1. OPEN UNIVERSITY, The. Academic Essay and Report
Writing Skills http://
openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3359
2. A.HOGUE, 1997. Introduction to Academic Writing.
2nd Ed.
3. S.E. MACKAY, 1999. Study Skills for Academic
Writing
4. Academic Essay Structure
-http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/ssfj3/study2.html
Thank you