ACADEMIC WRITING

Dr Tinashe C. Matiyenga
Language Competence Centre
National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo
 WHAT IS ACADEMIC WRITING?
• writing which is done by scholars (students or
academics) for other scholars to read.
• It can take many forms: journal articles, textbooks,
dissertations, group project reports, etc.
• academic writing is formal and structured
 PRINCIPLES OF ACADEMIC WRITING
• Formality, efficiency, modesty, clarity and accuracy
• Formality - use a formal, academic style.
• Efficiency - avoid repetition of phrases and ideas; careful proofreading is essential.
• Modesty - the language needs to be impersonal and cautious where appropriate.
• Clarity - although some academic authors write texts that may be considered complex,
you are expected to write essays that express your ideas clearly and precisely.
• Accuracy- correct tense choice; subject-verb agreement; correct use of punctuation
correct use of the articles ‘a(n)’ and ‘the’, including whether or not you actually need to
use an article; common errors.
• Integrity- is about honesty. Distinguishing between your point of view and that of
others and refer to the sources you have used correctly, be honest about the extent of
your own contributions.
 THE PURPOSE OF ACADEMIC WRITING
• to report on a piece of research the writer has
conducted
• to answer a question the writer has been given or
chosen
• to discuss a subject of common interest and give the
writer’s view
• to synthesise research done by others on a topic
 PURPOSE OF ESSAY
• A finished essay demonstrates more than just the knowledge students were taught about a subject.
The writers will have:
found out much more than what they were taught in lectures and seminars
weighed up the evidence about different points of view
developed their own point of view
increased their knowledge and their depth of understanding
trained their memory to remember the important facts
undertaken activities that prepare them for their future profession.
• By writing the information down in essay form, students will have:
organized their thoughts
practised and improved their ability to communicate in writing
shown awareness of the reader, of academic conventions and the way others write in
their discipline.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC WRITING
Language is precise, impersonal and objective
Academic Writing:
• Demonstrates good mechanical skills that include grammar, spelling and punctuation
• Is well-organised, with main ideas introduced early on and defended, complicated and
refined through the paper
• Is coherent and unified
• Explores and explains worthwhile content
• Is aware of its audience
• Situates itself within a discipline, discourse community or scholarly field
• Is specific and deals with facts, not assumptions
• Is based on critical judgments
• Depends on clarity to convey the intended idea in a straightforward tone
 THE STRUCTURE OF ACADEMIC WRITING
• Essays (including exam answers) generally have this pattern:
Introduction: The subject/topic; Comments on the way subject is to be treated.
Main body: Development- presentation, analysis and discussion
Conclusion: A summary of the main points; Own opinions and decisions
References
• Dissertations and journal articles may have:
Abstract
Introduction
Literature review and Methodology
Findings
Discussion and Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
 ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
(TASK: MATCH THE INSTRUCTION WORD WITH THE MEANING)

Academic meaning Instruction word

1. a state similarities and differences and draw conclusions about them show
2. point out weaknesses and strong points compare
3. demonstrate with supporting evidence justify
4. decide on the value or importance of a topic by giving reasons or evidence
consider
5. give information but without going into details criticise
6. give support for an argument assess
7. briefly and clearly describe the main points
indicate
8. give your views about a topic analyse
9. give detailed reasons or say why something is the case outline
10. break down a topic into its different aspects and look at how they relate explain
 WRITING PROCESS
1. Planning Process
Thinking Stage
Research Stage
Outline Stage
2. Transfer in First Draft Output
Drafting Stage
3. Revising and Editing
Revising Stage
Editing and Proofreading Stage
4. Final Output
Final Version Stage
5. Feedback
 PLANNING PROCESS
• Break down the essay question to identify its exact meaning.
• To analyse a question you need to look in detail and use your knowledge of
English to understand the clues about what is expected.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help with understanding the question.
• You need to demonstrate the ability to evaluate different points of view and
demonstrate research skills.
• You need to show awareness of the reader, of academic conventions and the
way others in the discipline write.
PLANNING PROCESS: RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
• Think your own ideas through first, then locate relevant sources.
• Choose reliable sources because you will use them to give more authority to your ideas.
• Select the best type of note organization for each source.
• Note-making needs to be systematic: note references, copy or paraphrase text with
precision, and organize information from different sources into categories.
• The level of depth of your research is determined by both the word count and the amount
of explanation about the topic that an intelligent reader will need.
• Think critically, always judge your sources carefully. Look for the author’s opinions and
judge the strength of the evidence. In your essay, you may explain and justify why you
have used the sources.
 FIRST DRAFT STAGE
• At the start of your essay, don’t give any details but say something meaningful.
• The language you use (tenses, singular or plural, modal verbs, etc.) depends on the
situation you are describing, its time frame and the strength of your claims.
• Define your concepts, indicate the importance of the topic, and state the aims and
organization of the essay in the introduction.
• Decide on the best organizational pattern for your essay and remember that most essays
will use a combination of patterns.
• Integrate visuals into your essay by introducing them before inserting them, labelling
them correctly, and explaining the most significant information in them.
• Use the correct tenses in conclusions to sum up what the essay discussed and comment
on its importance.
 EDITING AND PROOFREADING
• After finishing your first draft, you can leave your work until the next day at the earliest.
• You can then fill in gaps,
• reorder paragraphs,
• make clearer links and
• generally try to make sure that everything is logical and expressed
clearly.
• Consider the academic principles and appropriate language.
• Use your critical reading skills on your own work to identify weaknesses
in the argumentation.
• Through a continuous process of making changes and rereading, your
essay versions will keep improving.
 LAYOUT AND PRESENTATION
• Consider the guidelines given by your tutors regarding font size, line spacing, paragraphing,
title pages, etc.
• Use a separate page for the title and your details (e.g. your name and/ or student number, the
tutor’s name, the course number, the deadline date).
• Number the pages that follow.
• Use subtitles for long essays (from 1,500 words upwards if it helps with clarity).
• Leave enough space between the lines (e.g. 1.5) and generally allow enough white space, e.g.
before and after visuals.
• Leave a line between each paragraph. Start each paragraph at the beginning of the line; be
consistent.
• Choose a classical font style and size, such as Times New Roman
• Do a spell check - choose ‘English (United States)’ or ‘English (United Kingdom)’ as
appropriate.
• Start your reference list on a different page.
• Put one space between each word, after every comma (,), semi-colon
 CONCLUSION
• This lecture focused on writing skills by:
• introducing and developing the idea that writing is a set
of processes
• Highlighting the characteristics and nature of academic
writing
• looking at the vocabulary of academic discourse
• Establishing a standard layout for academic essays.
THANK YOU