Academic Writing Fundamentals
Academic writing is an essential aspect of university life as most students are expected to write academic papers in their assignments and exams. It is also necessary to be taken seriously in academic life. For these reasons, students should adopt an academic style while writing for academic purposes. Basics of academic writing are going to be explained in this text.
The Concept of Genre
Genre is basically the style of the text. Different texts have different styles regarding the tone of the writer, word choices, organization, language and so on. To illustrate, the genre of journal article includes an abstract, introduction, methodology and other sections. Additionally, the genre of recipe involves the ingredients list, step by step description of the cooking process and so on. Consequently, each genre has its unique style and it is necessary to decide which genre will be used in the text.
Formal Language
An appropriate level of formality should be adopted in order to seem credible. There are several strategies to achieve this.
> Using Appropriate Pronouns
Pronoun usage may be different from daily life in academic writing. “You” is usually avoided for several reasons such as its’ leading to a casual tone and making readers uncomfortable when they are directed. Alternative ways are using “one, ones” or passive voice. For example:
- “You can easily detect the difference in …” (Not Preferred)
- “The difference in … can easily be detected.” (Passive Voice instead of “You”)
- “One can easily detect the difference in …” (“One” instead of “You”)
“I” can be used for several purposes such as structuring the text, stating personal claims and explaining what was done. For example:
- “I am going to define … first” (structuring the text)
- “I contradict with this claim because …” (stating personal claims)
- “I asked 50 interviewees …” (explaining what was done)
> Using Formal Vocabulary and Grammar
It is preferred to use single-word verbs rather than phrasal verbs in academic writing. For example, instead of “find out”, “conclude” should be used. In addition, it is recommended to avoid contracted forms such as “can’t”, “cannot” is more suitable for academic style. Formal versions of some words are stated below:
- good → useful, bad → harmful, big → major, little → minor, around → approximately, like → such as, etc. → so on, lots of → numerous, good thing → benefit, kids → children, boss → employer, stuff → materials, get → obtain, guess → estimate
> Being Concise
Short and clear sentences are promoted over fancy ones in academic writing because using too much words prevents the clarity of the text. For example:
- “the color of this technological devices”
- “phone’s color” (more concise)
> Being Precise
The writer should state the statistics, methods, experiments and so on in a certain way because readers might be confused if the statements are vague. For example:
- “Around 1000 people stated that …”
- “963 people stated that …” (more precise)
> Hedging and Tentative Language
Sounding humble is generally preferred in order not to neglect the different aspects of issues. For example:
- “Unemployment is the reason of poverty.”
- “Unemployment might be the leading cause of poverty.” (tentative language)
Structure and Clarity
> Structure According to the Genre
Each study requires different styles of organization, structure and terms. Adopting a suitable structure for the genre might be helpful for the writer to perform better.
> Using Plan or Outline
Making an outline before writing instead of doing it spontaneously can save both time and energy because the writer might not be able to decide what to write next if an outline is not prepared. For example, the outline of this text is:
- Academic Writing
- The Concept of Genre
- Formal Language
- Structure and Clarity
- Reliance on Research or Evidence
> Using Headings and Subheadings
Headings and subheadings can provide a more clear text to understand because reader may know what to expect from each section if headings are stated.
Reliance on Research or Evidence
Writing in university level requires students to state their arguments by supporting them with evidences. The credibility of the work can be spoiled if it is not supported with adequate evidence.
> Being Objective
Objectiveness might be understood as being impartial. However, it means, in this context, stating ideas on informed research and credible evidence.
> Paying Attention to Logical Fallacies
Logical fallacies are deliberately used words and speeches to deceive people. It is possible to see some examples of logical fallacies such as oversimplification, false dilemma, red herring and so on in advertisements.
In conclusion, it can be beneficial for students to write according to these rules so as to increase the quality of their writings in academic life.
References:
Albaş, Ö., & Aksoy, E. (2023). The Forefront Achieving Academic Success 1. Pelikan Publishing.
