Academic Writing

Teacher : Mesili.L
What is an « academic Writing »?
 “Academic writing is a particular style of
writing that is characteristic of academic
institutions. In other words, it is the style that
is used by undergraduates, graduates and
lecturers when they explore particular
academic questions in essays, dissertations,
Ph.D theses and academic papers.”
FEATURES OF ACADEMIC WRITING
  Academic Vocabulary : This issue has to do
with subject-specific words. There are words
in English that are mostly used in academic
writing.In this regard, we are not expected to
use whatever word we like or encounter.
 Examples of some academic vocabulary are: analyse,
assume, conduct, calculate, clarify, compare, consider,
contrast, demonstrate, describe (= give/offer/provide
a description of), differentiate, discover, discuss,
distinguish, elaborate, emphasise (= lay / place / put
emphasis on), examine, explain (= give/offer/provide
an explanation of/for), explore (= carry out an
exploration of), find, identify, illuminate, illustrate,
include, influence, investigate, involve, present,
provide, summarise, support, validate; to cast doubt
on, to analyse / collate / collect / interpret results, to
come to a conclusion, to examine the evidence, to put
forward a suggestion / a theory, to shed light on, to
shine a light on; approximately, considerably,
especially, essentially, explicitly, eventually,
frequently, generally, implicitly, precisely, primarily,
specifically, etc.
 Citation (in-text citation) and Referencing (end-of-the-text
citation): we should avoid plagiarism. We must support our
statements with evidence from readings, and cite them by using
the appropriate referencing guide/style (MLA or APA). For in-text
citation, we have some examples: X has been supported by Y . It
means that we must follow the conventions as regards academic
writing (e.g. APA). Other expressions for citing or reporting
(someone‘s opinion, an opinion) are: according to X; as for X; as
pointed out by X; as X notes / points out / remarks / says, etc.; as
X claimed / noted / pointed out / remarked / said, etc.; as X has
claimed / noted / pointed out / remarked / said, etc.; for X; from
X’s point of view/standpoint; from the viewpoint of X; his / her
view is that …; in X’s views; in the words of X; it has been argued /
claimed / established / suggested / viewed that…; X (2014)
argues / concludes / maintains / notes / points out / states
that…; X argued / asserted / believed / claimed / observed /
stated / wrote that…; X challenges the notion that…; X expresses
the opinion/view that…; X takes the view that…; X is of the
opinion that… etc
  Clarity: For the sake of clarity, we must avoid using very
long sentences with many clauses, because it can be difficult
to understand. We are hoped to avoid ambiguity2 , but we
have to stick to conciseness, preciseness, and specificity (i.e.
to be more specific). Whatever type of text we are writing,
our aim should always be to express our ideas clearly and in
a way our readers can easily understand. In this regard, when
we read an article, a book, etc., we should notice the type of
language that is used in the subject or field we need to write
about. For example, there are verbs used for saying what a
text is all about: the paper / the study is (all) about…; this
chapter centres around, on, round, upon / deals with …; the
author discusses the …; the article offers / presents /
provides an overview of …; the book explores …; the report
examines …; the research considers / focuses on, upon…;
the findings revolve around, round / hang on, upon…; the
discussion aims to provide a (balanced, critical, detailed)
overview on …
 in this/that expert’s opinion, this study
emphasizes / highlights the importance of …;
… etc. We are meant to avoid overuse of
adjectives and adverbs: The students were
absolutely, completely, totally, and utterly
overwhelmed by their feelings guilt and
sadness. (We simply write: The students were
totally overwhelmed by their feelings guilt
and sadness.) In this respect, we avoid
tautology. (needless repetition of a sentence ,
words to say the same thing.)
 Collocations: It refers to word combinations /
partners, that is, words or phrases that always
go together in order to sound correct and
natural both in speaking and in writing . Thus,
advanced students need to be aware of the
importance of collocations. For example: carry
out / conduct a study, research; a large
amount/number of; depend on, focus on; deal
with; a significant / substantial decrease in¸ a
significant / substantial increase in; a vast
majority of; a wide range of, etc. We must know
which word goes with another word such as:
adjective + noun4 , adjective + preposition5 ;
noun + preposition6 , noun + verb7 ; verb +
preposition8 , verb + noun9 , etc
 Formal Language: It is, more often than not, advisable to use
Standard English words and expressions. In this case, we are
expected to avoid using labeled informal, slang, offensive,
taboo, etc. Use suitable synonyms for common words such as
do, get, make, put, etc. (e.g. This study was carried out /
conducted / undertaken by … instead of This study was done /
made by … ) ,about (around / approximately / somewhere in
the region of; concerning / regarding / on), a couple of
(several), a lot of .
 big (considerable / significant / substantial), blow up (explode),
break out (start), build up (intensify), carry on (continue), come
across (encounter), come over (approach), do (perform; conduct),
find out (discover), get (obtain), give (provide), give in (surrender),
good (beneficial / favourable), go ahead (continue, proceed), go
down (decrease), go in/into (enter), go up (increase), have (include),
keep (maintain / retain), isn’t any evidence (no evidence), kind / sort
of (type of; rather / reasonably / relatively / somewhat), like (such
as; for example), look at (examine / observe), look into
(investigate), make (carry out / conduct; create / formulate), make
up (invent), not enough (insufficient), not many studies (few
studies), not much research (little research), put up with (tolerate),
really / very (exceptionally / extremely / highly), stay the same
(stabilize), so (therefore), story (account), thing (object), trouble
(difficulty), way of doing something (method of, strategy/technique
for), when it comes to (as regards, in / with regard to), etc.
Common types of academic writing?
 Below are the most common types of written
work produced by students.
Report The longest piece of writing normally done by a
student (20,000+ words) often for a higher degree,
on a topic chosen by the student.
Project A piece of research, either individual or group work,
with the topic chosen by the student(s).

Essay A written record of the main points of a text or

lecture, for a student’s personal use.

Dissertation/ The most common type of written work, with the title
Thesis given by the teacher, normally 1000–5000 words.

Paper A general term for any academic essay, report,

presentation or article.

Notes A description of something a student has done e.g.

conducting a survey.
 Elements of the academic writing
 Find the words in the lists above that match the following definitions: (a) A
short summary of 100–200 words, which explains the paper’s purpose and
main findings.
 The abstract ………………………………..
 (b) A list of all the sources the writer has mentioned in the text.
 The references ……………………………….
 (c) A section, at the end, where additional information is included.
 ……………………………………………………………………….
 (d) A short section where people who have helped the writer are thanked.
 ………………………………………………………………………..
 (e) Part of the main body in which the writer discusses relevant research.
 ………………………………………………………………………..
 (f) A section where one particular example is described in detail.
 ………………………………………………………………………..
 G)The results obtained from a study or investigation
conducted through a systematic and scientific
approach.
……………………………………………………………