Academic writing is a style of formal writing used in scholarly publications and universities. All of the journal articles and books you read are written using academic writing skills. The purpose of academic writing is to communicate research, information, and ideas to the vast academic community. Students are expected to write their dissertations, research papers, and essay in an academic writing style. If you are thinking "how can I write my essay by using academic conventions”, do not worry because you have come to the right place.
Academic writing can be divided into two types: student academic writing and expert academic writing. There is a difference between these two on the basis of their nature, audience and their purpose. Student academic writing is used in university as a form of assessment and in schools in preparation for the university. The audiences are the professors and tutors of the university and the purpose is to demonstrate learning. Expert academic writing is to write for journals and publications. The audience may be other experts in the field and the purpose is the creation of new research and knowledge. Although these writings are different but the writing standards of both are the same. Using these conventions and features will ensure your academic success.
There are seven features of academic writing that will be discussed in this blog. Academic writing should be structured, evidence, critical, precise, balanced, objective, and formal. Academic writing should have a defined structure so that the reader can easily understand the main arguments and ideas. The structure usually depends upon the genre of writing. For example, a report has four sections: introduction, methods, results, and discussion. Similarly, there are three major parts of an essay. It starts with an introduction that contains a thesis. Body paragraphs of the essay contain the main arguments and the conclusion ends the essay with a summary. These are the most common genres but there are other types also, for example, dissertations, literature reviews, and research proposals. You can hire a credible essay writer to help with these.
The structure should also be considered while writing to ensure coherency and cohesiveness. In coherent writing, there is a logical progression of ideas. Cohesive writing has different parts smoothly connected by using transition signals and reference words. Structured writing also means that every paragraph is written for a reason and has a specific purpose. This structure can be ensured by careful planning.
Academic writing is always evidenced. Every argument and opinion that you write should be supported by evidence. Evidence can include statistics, numbers, examples, reasons, and facts. It is imperative to reference the evidence appropriately with in-tech citations. Citing and referencing sources correctly is a key skill for any academic writer to succeed. The sources used for evidence are usually written by other academic writers therefore it is imperative to give credit. This will make it easier for the reader to verify the information.
Academic writing is critical. The purpose of academic writing is not only to describe but to evaluate and analyze the information critically. Critical writing requires a deep understanding of the topic therefore, extensive research should be conducted. Sometimes, after critically analyzing the evidence, the writer may decide not to use it in his work.
Academic writing is precise. The language of academic writing is very clear and precise. This will cause the reader to understand and follow the ideas easily. The language may also use subject-specific or technical vocabulary. The terms that are not common may be defined by the writer for clarity. Student writers may also be asked to define certain terms. The technical terms may not be understood by ordinary people but they have precise meaning for experts who are considered as the audience.
Academic writing is balanced. This means that in an academic paper, consideration is given to both sides of the argument. The element of bias should be kept at a minimum. The job of the academic writer is to show the strength of their claims. Boosters and hedges may be used for this purpose to decrease the certainty of the statement and show caution. To indicate the strength and weaknesses of your ideas gives a balance to the writing.
Academic writing should be objective. This portrays how importance is given to the information and arguments written rather than to the writer. The writer may use passive voice for this purpose and refrains from giving his personal opinion. Impersonal sentences that use “it” and “they” are very common in academic writing. The objective is to provide information in an impartial tone. Honesty is very important for eradicating bias and the writers should honestly explain the methodology of their research and the limitations of their study.On the other hand, you can also get assistance from the paper writing service.
Finally, academic writing should be formal. This means that the sentences used in academic writing are complex in nature. Contractions are avoided and informal or colloquial words are also never used. Some words are used more frequently in academic writing than in non-academic writing. Various lists are made by researchers such as the academic word list (AWL). Therefore, the use of academic vocabulary gives formality to writing. It is also important to follow a stylistic convention such as writing numbers, introducing abbreviations, and capitalizations. You can always hire a reputable essay writing service to assist you.
It is very important to follow these conventions for academic success because these conventions are established by the academic community to set a standard for the community. If the standard is followed then the community will better understand each other and this will lead to prosperity.