Six Main Takeaways about Academic Writing
1. Purpose and Audience: Academic writing is primarily intended to convey research findings, ideas, or arguments to an informed audience of peers (Alred, Brusaw, & Oliu, 2021).
2. Objectivity and Precision: Academic writing should strive for objectivity by presenting evidence and arguments without bias or personal opinion. It also requires precision in language and accuracy in citing sources (APA, 2020).
3. Structure and Organization: Academic writing typically follows a logical structure, including an introduction, a body, and a conclusion, with clear transitions between sections (Lunsford & Connors, 2021).
4. Style and Language: Academic writing uses formal language, avoiding informal expressions, slang, and colloquialisms. Sentences are often complex and use effective transitions to maintain coherence (Hyland, 2012).
5. Citing and Referencing: Academic writing relies heavily on research and external sources. Citing and referencing these sources correctly is essential to avoid plagiarism and give credit to others' work (Turabian, 2021).
6. Revision and Editing: Academic writing is an iterative process that requires multiple drafts and revisions to ensure clarity, accuracy, and logical flow (Strunk & White, 2000).
References
- Alred, G. J., Brusaw, C. T., & Oliu, W. E. (2021). Handbook of technical writing (11th ed.). Bedford/St. Martin's.
- American Psychological Association (APA). (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.
- Lunsford, A. A., & Connors, R. J. (2021). The St. Martin's handbook of writing (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.
- Hyland, K. (2012). Academic discourse: Contesting the boundaries. Bloomsbury Academic.
- Turabian, K. L. (2021). A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations (9th ed.). The University of Chicago Press.
- Strunk, W., & White, E. B. (2000). The elements of style (4th ed.). Pearson Education.