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Lecture 01 Academic Writing

Students Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lecture, the learners will be able to:

i. Define academic writing

ii. Know about various sections of academic writing

iii. Tell different features and characteristics of academic writing

iv. Describe the structure of academic writing

v. State the multiple precautions regarding the structure of academic writing

vi. Improve their academic writing style and structure

Introduction:

Academic writing refers to a style of expression that researchers use to define the
intellectual boundaries of their disciplines and specific areas of expertise. Or

Academic writing is a formal style of writing used in colleges, universities and

scholarly publications. Or

Academic writing is a particular style of expression used for academic purposes only.

Academic writing is used in schools, colleges, universities, offices and for formal
correspondence.

Academic Writing Sections:

Different pieces of academic writing have at least three distinct sections:

i. The introduction
ii. Body
iii. Conclusion

Introduction: It is the preliminary part of academic writing. It begins with a topic sentence.

Muhammad Irfan Sabir (Lecturer in English)

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Body: This is the main part of the work. The paragraphs must be clearly written and
arranged in a logical (reasonable/sound/ coherent) order and it should be a cohesive one.
For example, it could be arranged chronologically (in order/ sequential/ in sequence) order.

Conclusion: (End/ inference): The purpose of the conclusion is to clearly bring the paper
or any academic document to a close.

FEATURES/ CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC WRITING

Academic writing is a particular style of expression used for academic purposes only.
Its main purpose is to inform instead of entertainment. It is written in a standard form of
writing.

i. Formal tone - A formal tone is always used in academic writing. It is not lighthearted or
conversational in tone. It uses formal vocabulary. It uses formal verbs and avoids two-word
verbs. For example, it may use „establish‟ instead of „set up’, and „decrease‟ instead of „go
down‟.

ii. Complexity: It uses formal structures and more complicated sentences. For example: “It
is important to consider all shareholders in this matter, they have the final vote.” and “The
internationalization of the economy has created growth opportunities.” It uses such
statements to make a very clear and definite impact. It avoids using rhetorical questions
because they make the writing seem weak.

iii. Precise language (Specific language) - In keeping with the formal tone, it is important to
choose precise language that very clearly conveys the author‟s meaning.

iv. Objectivity/Point-of-view (POV): Academic writing is usually written in third person

Point of view because its focus is to educate on the facts rather than to support an opinion or
give advice. This makes academic writing objective.

v. Explicitness/ Cohesion: It is explicit in its nature. It connects different parts explicitly.

vi. Accuracy (Focused): Because most academic writing involves reporting research results,
it tends to focus on the specific research and accuracy.

Muhammad Irfan Sabir (Lecturer in English)

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vii. Hedging: Hedging language refers to how a writer expresses certainty or uncertainty for
example, the use of the verbs „seem‟ and „appear‟. It is common, therefore, to use language
of caution or uncertainty (known as hedging language) in academic writing.

viii. Organisation: Academic writing should be organised logically in a linear and matter-
of-fact way.

ix. Responsibility: in academic writing, one should adopt a responsible attitude by citing
sources. The researcher must be sure to properly cite all sources and include a bibliography.

x. Planning: Academic writing is well planned. Since it is used in research, it should be well
planned and organised from all aspects.

xi. Well Sourced (References/ Citation): An academic writing should be well sourced. In it,
a writer should be proficient while using referencing style and techniques like APA or MLA,
footnotes, endnotes, etc.

Structure of academic writing

A coherent (logical and clear) structure is crucial to academic writing. Much attention
is paid to the structure at three levels: the structure of the whole text, paragraph structure,
and sentence structure.
Precautions Regarding the Structure of Academic Writing

The following elements should be kept in a view regarding the structure of academic writing.

I. Structure: Structure of academic writing should be formal and logical.

II. Tone: Tone refers to the attitude conveyed in a piece of writing. In an academic piece
of writing, it is important to present the arguments of others fairly and with an appropriate
narrative tone.

III. Diction: Diction refers to the choice of words one uses. Awareness of the words one
uses is important because they convey a specific meaning.

IV. Language: In academic writing, it is important to use simple, well-structured

unambiguous language.

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V. Punctuation: Punctuation marks should be used appropriately while creating a document

in an academic writing.

VI. Academic Conventions: As discussed earlier, citing all sources and providing a list of
references are a very important aspect of academic writing. It is essential to acknowledge the
source of any research material used in the document as a defence against allegations (blame/
charges) of plagiarism.

a. Excessive use of specialised terminology should be avoided.

b. Inappropriate use of specialised terminology should also be avoided. One should use that
language which is appropriate to a particular field of study.

c. Excessive use of personal nouns [e.g., I, me, you, and us] should not be used.

d. Informal, conversational tone, using slangs and idioms is highly inappropriate in academic
writing.

e. Focus should be on being concise (brief), straightforward and developing a narrative that
does not have confusing language.

f. Vague expressions (e.g., "they," "we," "people," "the company," "that area," etc. must be
avoided.
How to Improve Academic Writing Structure and Style

To improve academic writing skills, a person should focus his/her efforts on three key areas:

1. Clear Writing: A researcher‟s writing should be simple and clear.

2. Excellent Grammar: A researcher should possess a good command over grammar.

3. Use of passive voice: Passive voice sentences should be used in academic writing
documents.

Conclusion

To sum up, it can be said that academic writing is a formal style of writing. It should
be structured and organised. All the contents in academic writing must be coherent and
follow each other logically.
Muhammad Irfan Sabir (Lecturer in English)
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Terminologies/ Glossary
An abstract is a short summary or synopsis of any completed research. It is intended to
describe research work without going into great detail.

Bibliography: List of cited books/sources in a research document or scholarly essay.

Thesis sentence contains the main idea of the paper or essay or dissertation

A topic sentence contains the main idea of a paragraph.

A supporting sentence is a sentence with information that supports a main idea or claim.

Research proposal: A research proposal is simply a structured, formal document that

explains what one plans to research, why it is worth researching and how one plans to
investigate it.

Dissertation/ Thesis: A research document in the form of a long essay involving personal
research, written by a candidate for a university degree.

A research problem is a specific issue, difficulty, contradiction, or gap in knowledge that a

researcher aims to address in a research.

Plagiarism is the representation of another author's language, thoughts, ideas, intellectual

property or expressions as one's own original work without giving any credit to the original
author.

Grammar is simply the collection of principles defining how to put together a sentence.

Jargon is a language specific to a particular sub-group of people.

Jargon represents the specific language and meaning assigned to words and phrases specific
to a discipline or area of study.

Diction refers to the choice of words one uses.

Cohesion: Cohesion refers to the way we use vocabulary and grammatical structures to
make connections between the ideas within a text. It provides flow and sequence to academic
writing. It also assists to make paragraphs clear for the reader.

Muhammad Irfan Sabir (Lecturer in English)

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Tone refers to the attitude conveyed in a piece of writing.

Punctuation: The marks, such as full stop, comma, and brackets, used in writing to separate
sentences and their elements to clarify meanings.

APA stands for American Psychological Association. It is used by researchers in social

sciences to format (arrange) documents, cite sources in-text and list references at the end of a
research document.

MLA stands for Modern Language Association. It is used by researchers in humanities or

language and literature to format (arrange) documents, cite sources in-text and list references
at the end of a research document.

Footnote is an additional piece of information printed at the bottom of a page.

Endnote: A note printed at the end of a book or section of a book.

Points to remember/ Summary

Academic writing is a formal style of writing used in colleges, universities and scholarly
publications.

Some of the features of academic writing are formal tone, precise language, point of view
(POV), coherent organisation of ideas and source citations.

Academic writing follows the same writing process as other types of texts, but it has specific
conventions in terms of content, structure and style.

Structure of academic writing includes introduction, body and conclusion.

A coherent structure is crucial to academic writing. Much attention is paid to the structure at
three levels: the structure of the whole text, paragraph structure, and sentence structure

An academic document requires careful attention to the following structural elements like
logically organised flow of ideas, tone, diction, language, punctuation, conventions,
academic conventions etc.,

To improve academic writing skills, a person should focus his/her efforts on three key areas
i.e. clear writing style, grammar and use of passive voice.

Muhammad Irfan Sabir (Lecturer in English)