A Guide To Academic Writing Essay

Submitted By famdinfam
Words: 1247
Pages: 5

Contents
Defining Academic Writing 3
Characteristics of Academic Writing 3
Categories of Academic Writing 4
Description & Components 4
Writing Styles 6

Defining Academic Writing
Academic writing is a type of writing that is done to fulfil a requirement of a college or university. Academic writing is also used for publications that are read by teachers and researchers or presented at conferences. A very broad definition of academic writing could include any writing assignment given in an academic setting.
Characteristics of Academic Writing
Now that you have a definition of academic writing, here are some things to remember about the characteristics of academic writing.
Planning - There is a certain amount of planning before you start writing the paper; so, it will be analytical and organized.
Outline - A proper outline is a must for academic writing. An outline will not only help you formulate your thoughts, but will sometimes make you aware of certain relationships between topics. It will help you determine the pertinent information to be included in your paper.
Tone - A formal tone is used. You do not use slang words, jargon, abbreviations, or many clichés.
Language - The language in your paper needs to be clear and words need to be chosen for their precision. A thesaurus is a good tool to help you pick just the right words to explain the issues.
Point-of-view - The point of view in the third person, as the focus of academic writing is to educate on the facts, not support an opinion.
Approach - Deductive reasoning is a big part of academic writing as your readers have to follow the path that brought you to your conclusion. Deductive reasoning and an analytical approach are important in academic writing. Much planning and forethought are needed to have a well-organized paper.
Punctuation and grammar -In academic writing you should always follow the rules of punctuation and grammar, especially as the end-user or consumer of your writing, unlike a friend, is likely to be very different from you and will not always know to what you are referring. Hence, it is vital that you are clear. Punctuation and the conventions of grammar are universally known systems (within English speaking cultures) that maintain clarity and avoid ambiguity in the expression.
Always check to see if the school you are writing for has a preferred format and style.
Categories of Academic Writing

As far as academic writing is concerned, we generally practice the below categories that starts from a simple essay to a highly complex thesis or dissertation. Here is a list of major academic writing categories:
1. Essay
2. Abstract
3. Review
4. Research Proposal
5. Research Paper
6. Thesis / Dissertation

Description & Components

1. Essay
The term essay generally refers to a short piece of writing on a particular subject. The major components of an essay can be viewed by using the below link http://www.evansville.edu/writingcenter/downloads/parts.pdf 2. Abstract
An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject or discipline, and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/87934657/uploads_documents_abstract_how_to_write_one.pdf 3. Review
A review is a descriptive and critical or evaluative account of a book, movie or an article. A detailed description regarding the format or the essential elements of a book review can be found in the below link. http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson876/ReviewComponents.pdf 4. Research Proposal
A research proposal is a document written by a researcher that provides a detailed description of the proposed program. It is like an outline of the entire research process that gives a reader a summary of the information discussed in a project. http://www.utar.edu.my/ipsr/file/Guidelines_for_Research_Proposal_30.3.09.pdf 5.