Academic writing—by which we mean the overall kinds of writing expected in college in the U.S.—is really many different things. Most college composition classes cover more than one distinct genre of academic writing, and there are different expectations for them, including the rhetorical analysis and the annotated bibliography—as well as the most-famous and often contentious 5-paragraph essay (see links below). Carillo's description of moving beyond the 5-paragraph essay in "Chapter 4: Writing and Revising Academic Projects" helps us understand the variety and purposes of academic essays.

Academic writing has a general tone, which we'll review and practice together (see our 8 of ♠ for starters!).

We'll also explore some non-academic genres, such as more technical formats like letters and memos—because of course effective writing in the "real world" encompasses much more than essays. Understanding differing genres and styles, including audience and purpose and the expectations that go with them, enhances not only our writing and reading abilities, but our critical thinking as well.

Academic writing also follows particular styles that are specific to the academic discipline. These cover citation conventions, like how to document the sources you are relying on and responding to. The most common of these are Modern Language Association (MLA) style, which is used for language, literature, and humanities (including our English course), and American Psychological Association (APA) style, which is used in social and behavioral sciences. Check out our page about MLA style and citation, which we'll use for this course.

Many genres, particularly in academic and technical writing, depend on document design as an essential part of their style and conventions.