academic writing characteristics research

It is therefore important to break down the task into stages: an ideas stage and an accuracy stage. For example, what differences would there be in the language used when chatting with a close friend and the language chosen when taking part in a job interview? These are verbs that are used to repeat what someone has previously said or thought and in academic texts, they are generally used in the present tense: However, the past tense can also be used as a means of indicating that the information or views being reproduced have been superseded by more up-to-date research. Concise writingTo stay within the word limits usually set for assignments, students have to keep word count in mind in their writing. They should all be taken into consideration when writing an academic text, but the one that is predominant also dictates the style of that writing. So a clear understanding of how to achieve this formality is essential in making the right choices when choosing vocabulary, constructing sentences and checking grammar. The features that contribute to this greater level of formality include: Use this activity and the explanations to review some examples of each of these features. As the quiz activity shows, several features combine to determine the level of formality in a text. Ensuring, at the same time, that the language is accurate is an additional burden that can make the task seem daunting. Writers often fill sentences with weak or unnecessary words that can be deleted or replaced. A broad definition of academic writing is any writing done to fulfill a requirement of a college or university. It has all the features of persuasive writing, with the added feature of at least one other point of view. E: Illustration of point using evidence: research example, case study, figures, etc. To achieve these aims, the flow of information from one sentence to the next needs be made clear using cohesive linking devices, such as repetition, substitution and linking words. When only the most effective words remain, writing will be far more concise and readable. It has a formal tone and style, but it is not complex and does not require the use of long sentences and complicated vocabulary. Carl Dowse is currently a lecturer of English for business at the University of Applied Sciences, Essen, Germany. Critical writing is common for research, postgraduate and advanced undergraduate writing. Cohesion, the term commonly used to describe the mechanisms which help to make a text clear, logical, unified and reader-friendly. 'This term paper examines ...' rather than 'This term paper, contracted forms (e.g. After the activities you’ll find here below some further online study resources and suggestions for further reading. ‘who is in charge.’ not ‘, no colloquialisms, idioms, phrasal verbs or journalese (e.g. ', more precise vocabulary (e.g. As the quote suggests, the decisions that need to be made in the final editing stage can be difficult but they are necessary not only to keep to word limits but also to ensure that texts are as clear and concise as possible. 4 45145 Essen Germany, Tel: +49 (0)201-753144 Email: carldowse@biz-e-training.com. Stephen Bailey’s – Academic Writing for International Students of Business – provides comprehensive explanations and exercises to develop the awareness and skills students need to write essays and reports. An explanation and examples of how these tenses are used in academic texts are available here: University of Hull. Paragraph flow Readers need to be guided through a text not only to help them understand but also to ensure that they interpret the text as intended. It is worth checking with your tutor what is expected, but it is still generally the case that in most institutes of higher education (i.e. There are some more examples of how to achieve an objective style here: UEfAP.com. However, the hope is that breaking the characteristics down in this way will lead to a clearer understanding of the choices that need to be made to produce well-written academic texts. components in a sentence that should match but do not). 'BPO - business process outsourcing'). Ann Hogue’s – Longman Academic Writing Series 2: Paragraphs – is the second in a five-level writing series designed to develop students’ writing, starting with composing sentences and concluding with writing research papers. First, people write an academic essay to demonstrate knowledge of a … expressing opinions) which are a matter of convention. Characteristics of academic writing include a formal tone, use of the third-person rather than first-person perspective (usually), a clear focus on the research problem under investigation, and precise word choice. In other words, careful thought needs to be given to. 'This, replacing the expression of personal views with references to the work carried out by experts (e.g. Time also needs to be spent finding precisely the words needed to convey less specialised ideas or information. Analytical writing shows the thought processes you went through to arrive at a given conclusion and discusses the implications of this. Correct grammar In most forms of formal writing, a greater degree of grammatical accuracy is expected than in day-to-day conversations or, for example, in informal email writing. universities), a high degree of formality is deemed necessary. As we have seen, choosing vocabulary carefully, avoiding errors and constructing clear, concise sentences go a long way towards achieving the clarity essential to effective writing. Use the short quiz and the notes that follow to review some of the conventions of academic writing. => 'One, using the passive to avoid personal pronouns (e.g. In the 'accuracy stage', the text can be proofread to ensure that errors that may cause misunderstanding are removed and that the vocabulary and sentence structures chosen have made the text's meaning as clear as possible. These types usually involve reporting a research process as a composition. The thoughts and beliefs should be based on your lectures, reading, discussion and research and it is important to make this clear. Checking the wording of sentences is one way of writing concisely: Checking the wording of sentences certainly makes writing more concise, as the examples above illustrate. Check here if you accept the Privacy policy. The extent to which opinions are expected (or not) and how they should be expressed are areas that students need to discuss with their university tutors. Academic writing has various types including theses, articles, papers, projects and posters. A more formal style is usually expected when writing academic texts. Conventions are ways of “doing something … that …[are]… considered usual and correct” (Cambridge dictionary). However, this can sometimes lead to writing this is difficult to understand because of the problems with sentence structure (syntax) that may arise. relationship between ideas and information explicit, CPA – Certified Public Accountant Profile, words that are of Latin or French origin rather than the usually shorter Anglo-Saxon alternatives used in everyday speech (e.g. This is also known as the Hook & Eye writing technique as this Glasgow video tutorial explains: For those who prefer printed materials and would like to work on their academic writing skills, these books provide excellent support. The ways we write are influenced by our purpose. You may decide to cut some paragraphs. However, it is also the case that students who do more than simply describe situations or repeat what has been written about their chosen topic are awarded higher grades: As a student, it is not enough to simply describe a situation or recall the facts, you need to take a stance or position yourself in relation to the situation or the facts. This is because longer sentences with relative clauses, for example, are often needed and because the passive is required to achieve the more impersonal style that is conventionally expected in academic texts. It is, however, very difficult to produce language which is intelligent, appropriate and accurate at the same time. This is why it is important to break the writing process down into stages: When using English for academic purposes it is important to be accurate both in speaking and writing. nominalisation and extended nominal groups) and the syntax and grammar are often more complicated. While persuasive writing requires you to have your own point of view on an issue or topic, critical writing requires you to consider at least two points of view, including your own. formality and conventions). And so, an understanding of how to produce this style of writing is necessary. When revising, critically examine each paragraph and ask yourself whether it is necessary to your overall thesis. 'affect' and 'effect' or 'in case' and 'if') and false friends, that is, words that are similar in the target language but have a different meaning (e.g. 'One hundred and twenty companies filed for bankruptcy' not ', 'A well-managed supply chain allows companies to deliver higher quality products. L: Concluding sentence summing up the point and linking to the question or your argument. Academic writing, which has a wide range of types, is reg arded as a discipline in itself. Use these notes to learn more about the conventions of academic writing. Remember, even though you are writing the research paper or thesis yourself, you cannot refer to yourself as ‘I’ i.e. These include: Two important conventions that relate more to content than form are. Grammar for academic writing Certain features of academic writing require a good knowledge of specific aspects of grammar: "Choosing an active or a passive verb form is one grammatical feature we can manipulate as writers to allow us to move information around in a sentence to best achieve this flow." However, there are guidelines for planning and writing paragraphs which are widely accepted, for example, the PEAL* format: P: Sentence introducing the point with any necessary detail. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The vocabulary used to convey the greater complexity is more sophisticated, as specialist vocabulary is required, and longer, more formal words are needed. Academic writing is no exception. The aim of concise writing is to use the fewest words possible without losing meaning or complexity. Like bad employees, words that don’t accomplish enough should be fired. An explanation of these (and other) problem areas is available here: Sentence structure. Reporting verbsIn academic writing, it is usually necessary to include the ideas and research findings of experts in the field being considered. Academic writing has eight characteristics: complexity, formality, precision, objectivity, explicitness, accuracy, hedging and responsibility. For instance, the expectations of those reading our texts differ, depending on factors such as the purpose of the texts and the type of relationship we have with the anticipated reader. Coventions of academic writing As we have seen, there are aspects of formality (e.g. The purpose of academic writing is to analyse or produce knowledge. Academic writing is “thesis-driven,” meaning that the starting point is a particular perspective, idea, or position applied to the chosen topic of investigation, such as, establishing, proving, or disproving solutions to the research questions posed for the topic. They want to know what you have studied and learned and how this has led you to your various conclusions. However, producing a well-researched, well-constructed and well-argued text that achieves the academic aim of critically analysing or contributing to our pool of knowledge on a specific topic area is already a demanding task. However, we shouldn’t lose sight of the primary aim of good writing, which is to be clearly understood, as this cautionary note reminds us: Do not be tempted to use complex language or expressions that are not your own, just to make your writing appear “academic” … Your reader needs to understand the information or ideas that you are conveying. So, as one of the principal qualities of effective writing, concision is in itself an objective that students should strive for, irrespective of the word limits usually set for assignments. Video based activity: What leads to success? ... Nobody really wants to know what you "think" or "believe". However, concise writing goes beyond the sentence level to encompass paragraphing and the organisation and structure of texts as a whole: Every paragraph in your essay must have a purpose. Its purpose is to aid the reader’s understanding. These features are in large part connected to the principle purpose of academic texts, which is to ‘ analyse or produce knowledge.’ Expressing opinionsAs mentioned above, university departments often expect students to submit work that conforms to what is considered a formal, objective style of writing. They all should be taken into account when writing the academic text, but the predominant one often determines the style of the writing. Academic texts are more complex both in terms of their subject matter and their language. ', using 'things' rather than 'people' as subjects to avoid personal pronouns (e.g. The focus in the preceding sections has been on the formality, complexity, adherence to conventions and concision that is expected in academic texts. SyntaxOne reason for the complexity of academic writing is the need to connect ideas and show the relationship between them. the 1st person approach. Paragraph structure Clearly, the exact form and content of a paragraph depend on its subject matter and context within a text. Whether you’re a student, teacher, or businessperson, academic writing skills are necessary in today’s world. In Academic Writing Skill 1 Student’s Book, there are 5 characteristics is different from others. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Use the short quiz and the notes that follow to review some of the key elements in producing concise academic writing. The focus here shifts from choices concerning individual words, phrases and sentences to the decisions that need to be made about the organisation of paragraphs and texts as a whole. These features are in large part connected to the principle purpose of academic texts, which is to ‘analyse or produce knowledge.’ And on this page, we’re going to introduce some of these key features, which have been grouped together into five categories: As will become clear, this grouping of the features is to some extent arbitrary, as there is quite a degree of overlap between the groups (e.g. However, other elements in the writing process need to be borne in mind to achieve this clarity: In good academic writing, the ideas are unified, contributing to a clear overall picture. There are other conventions of formal writing that concern form rather than content. However, academic writing aims to convey more complex ideas and information as clearly and concisely as possible. This suggests that, in academic texts, expressing opinions, especially strongly stated opinions, may be regarded as problematic. The phrasing is more noun-based (e.g. Click on the images to view these coursebooks on Amazon. Tentative language can include adverbs (partly, approximately, apparently), modal verbs (could, may, might, can), semi-auxiliary verbs (seem, appear), and prepositional phrases (in most cases, in general). 'It is crucial' rather than ', Incomplete sentences (known as 'fragments'), Separate ideas put together with no punctuation (known as 'run-ons'), Sentences that are too long to follow easily. Dictionaries define 'objective' along these lines: not influenced by personal feelings or opinions; considering only facts. It may not always be possible or desirable to keep rigidly to this format, but bearing it in mind certainly helps in producing clearer, more readily understandable texts, especially when complex ideas, situations or information are being conveyed. Academic writing is clear, concise, focussed, structured and backed up by evidence. The general grammar associated with the use of reporting verbs is explained here: Reported speech. the possibility of transforming actions into concepts so that they can be commented on or developed (e.g. the German word 'eventuell' and the English 'eventual' or the Italian word 'simpatico' and the English 'sympathetic'). ', use precise language whenever possible (e.g. They also need to develop their use of tentative language, sometimes known as hedging, to express their degree of certainty – or uncertainty – in their message. you would say, “The author elaborates this point as…” 'the managers did not accept responsibility' rather than 'the managers, numbers in words at the beginning of sentences (e.g. At university, the type of writing that you will be expected to produce in your assessment tasks is classified as ‘academic writing’. Use these notes to learn more about writing concisely. What changes in the language we use do we make when speaking in different situations? When quoting or paraphrasing these sources, it is necessary to acknowledge them by referencing, and their inclusion in a text is often carried out using reporting verbs. Everything has to be addressed as if you are the 3rdperson i.e. Clearly, similar changes also take place when we write in different situations. Specialist language can be learned by reading widely about a topic in the target language (e.g. rather than 'The companies got together.'. The danger with such statements is that they can inhibit students and cause them to play safe and produce work in which they uncritically reproduce what has been gleaned from their "lectures, reading, discussion and research" rather than develop an academic voice that enables them to express the kind of "thoughts and beliefs" that are generally rewarded with high grades when they are well-argued and well supported with evidence. Similarly, there are features which distinguish academic writing from other forms of writing. 'Companies benefit from offshoring.' There are many reporting verbs and they need to be chosen with care because they can indicate both what the author intended and the attitude you may have towards what is being reported (see Warwick University and EAP Foundation). This is true of both the whole text and each paragraph. It involves reviewing what you’ve read in light of other evidence. The information, concepts and ideas conveyed are more involved and demanding than in everyday interactions. Essays, reports, presentations and research papers are just some examples of documents written in the academic style. Read More…, Carl Dowse Hattenheimerstr. Objectivity in academic writingThe following advice is similar in tone to views that are often expressed in university departments regarding the level of objectivity in the written work produced by undergraduates: ... the main emphasis should be on the information that you want to give and the arguments you want to make, rather than you. Here are some factors to consider: Student writers need to learn to emphasize what’s most important, to express evaluation, and comment critically on ideas. Faulty parallelism (i.e. Julie Moore’s – Oxford Academic Vocabulary Practice – includes activities to improve writing skills in key areas such as, for example, evaluating ideas and explaining concepts and shows how words from the Academic Word List are used in academic writing. Carl has taught English in higher education and with corporate clients in Italy, Germany and the UK since 1995. Use these explanations to learn more about the features of formal, academic writing. Formal vocabulary A more formal, less conversational tone can be achieved by using. Accurate use of vocabulary In academic writing, the use of vocabulary needs to be accurate. (Understanding academic grammar). Although a sequence of simple short sentences may be easy to understand, it is difficult to achieve the required level of academic detail and complexity without combining ideas to form longer sentences. 'Sales rose, avoid subjective wording that includes intensifiers such as 'really' or 'very' (e.g 'The results were, build a persuasive argument by making the, no contractions (e.g. A number of language features make academic writing appear formal: Vocabulary choice - you can develop a broader academic vocabulary by focussing on vocabulary as you read: when you come across a word you’re not sure of, google it or use a dictionary to find out its meaning and use After researching a topic, critical thinking and planning are needed to achieve a specific purpose. This is particularly important in assessment when you have to answer a question. Pitfalls to avoid include confusables (e.g. Academic writing is also used for publications that are read by teacher and researchers or presented at conferences. However, as this statement makes clear, the impact of a text should also be kept in mind: Concise writing does not always have the fewest words, but it always uses the strongest ones. 'labour-saving, phrasal verbs (e.g. Academic research and professional research deal with research but in a different way. We write differently when communicating with our friends, reporting on events, telling stories. To meet the expectations of your academic audience, it is necessary to develop a position (or stance) and to make it clear, not through 'subjective' language, but through the selection and arrangement of information and arguments gathered from research and through the careful use of language. Words and phrases should be deliberately chosen for the work they are doing. This process could be painful, especially if you have done a lot of research you’d like to include or need more words to meet a page limit, but it will strengthen your paper. Whether framed in terms of 'objective' or 'analytical' writing, it is clear that this requirement contributes to the formality of academic texts. Academic writing has eight characteristics: ambiguity, formality, accuracy, objectivity, clarity, consistency, hedging, and transparency. Use the short activities and explanations to take a closer look at what distinguishes academic writing from other uses of English. Another, perhaps more helpful way of considering objectivity in writing in the context of universities is provided by this explanation of 'analytical writing': Analytical writing style is often called for at university level. For example, 'The companies merged.' Of course, you need to know and reproduce the information, but you also need to use the information to give an answer to the question, to give YOUR answer to the question. Analytical writing usually follows a brief description and focuses on answering questions like: ‘why?’ ‘how?’ and ‘so what?’. So, in our private lives, family members and friends receiving our text messages expect a style of language that is significantly different to the language we might use when writing, for example, to an important prospective client in a business context. Similarly, there are features which distinguish academic writing from other forms of writing. Very difficult to produce language which is intelligent, appropriate and accurate the... To break down the task into stages: an ideas stage and an stage... Of both the whole text and each paragraph and ask yourself whether it is important to down! Writing Skill 1 student ’ s understanding the German word 'eventuell ' and the English 'sympathetic ' ) 'objective along. For assignments, students have to keep word count in mind in their.... Writing academic texts are available here: University of Hull 'this term paper examines... ' rather content. The term commonly used to describe the mechanisms which help to make this clear not,... The University of Hull sentence structure is any writing done to fulfill a of... 'Eventual ' or the Italian word 'simpatico ' and the notes that follow to some... Shows, several features combine to determine the academic writing characteristics research of formality in a way! Addressed as if you are the 3rdperson i.e use these notes to learn more about the of. Far more concise and readable and reader-friendly in mind in their writing the of... Companies filed for bankruptcy ' not ', ' a well-managed supply chain allows companies to deliver higher products! Be taken into account when writing the academic text, but the predominant one often determines the style of key. Really wants to know what you ’ re a student, teacher, or businessperson, academic writing skills necessary! Are often more complicated to convey less specialised ideas or information tone be. Demanding than in everyday interactions clarity, consistency, hedging, and transparency but in a sentence that match! Writing as we have seen, there are some more examples of documents written in the we. Learned by reading widely about a topic in the language is accurate is an additional burden can!, words that don ’ t accomplish enough should be deliberately chosen for the carried. Is accurate is an additional burden that can make the task seem daunting of academic writing aims to less! Just some examples of how to achieve an objective style here:.... Your lectures, reading, discussion and research papers are just some of! Sentence that should match but do not ) in assessment when you have to keep word count in mind their... Any writing done to fulfill a requirement of a … expressing opinions, strongly. Communicating with our friends, reporting on events, telling stories and discusses the implications of.. Help to make this clear first, people write an academic essay to demonstrate knowledge of a or! Texts are more complex both in terms of their subject matter and context within a text but do not.. Research example, case study, figures, etc dictionary ) also used for publications that are by! The 3rdperson i.e '' or `` believe '' these types usually involve reporting research... Reg arded as a composition the activities you ’ re a student, teacher, businessperson. Experience academic writing characteristics research our website when you have studied and learned and how has. And ask yourself whether it is, however, academic writing is common for research, postgraduate advanced. Supply chain allows companies to deliver higher quality products, teacher, or businessperson, academic is... Finding precisely the words needed to convey more complex both in terms of their matter. Being considered thoughts and beliefs should be based on your lectures, reading, discussion and research and professional deal. Your overall thesis our website when we write in different situations the ways we write when! Phrasal verbs or journalese ( e.g and explanations to take a closer look at what distinguishes academic writing has characteristics... Experience on our website employees, words that can be commented on or developed ( e.g to the. E: Illustration of point using evidence: research example, case study figures... Break down the task into stages: an ideas stage and an accuracy stage and., idioms, phrasal verbs or journalese ( e.g between them language whenever possible ( e.g suggests,... The thought processes you went through to arrive at a given conclusion discusses. ) 201-753144 Email: carldowse @ biz-e-training.com short activities and explanations to take closer! Very difficult to produce language which is intelligent, academic writing characteristics research and accurate at the same,! You have studied and learned and how this has led you to your various conclusions to review some the! Available here: UEfAP.com friends, reporting on events, telling stories usual correct. At a given conclusion and discusses the implications of this, concepts and ideas conveyed are more involved demanding. Both in terms of their subject matter and their language are other conventions of academic writing from other of... Of academic writing ll find here below some further online study resources and suggestions for further.! Usually expected when writing academic texts are available here: UEfAP.com went through to arrive at given! To the question or your argument of reporting verbs is explained here: sentence.! Degree of formality in a text usual and correct ” ( Cambridge dictionary.. Click on the images to view these coursebooks on Amazon companies to deliver higher quality products through arrive. The Italian word 'simpatico ' and the notes that follow to review of! 'Eventual ' or the Italian word 'simpatico ' and the syntax and grammar are often more complicated assume you... Teacher, or businessperson, academic writing is common for research, postgraduate and undergraduate. By experts ( e.g range of types, is reg arded as discipline... Has to be spent finding precisely the words needed to convey more complex both in terms of subject. Make the task into stages: an ideas stage and an accuracy stage information, and..., concepts and ideas conveyed are more complex ideas and show the relationship between them the thoughts and should. Or produce knowledge for assignments, students have to keep word count in mind their! And context within a text careful thought needs to be accurate accurate at the same time use precise whenever! Complexity of academic writing has eight characteristics: complexity, formality, precision, objectivity, explicitness accuracy. Expression of personal views with references to the question or your argument or complexity,! Writing from other forms of writing is to analyse or produce knowledge formal writing academic writing characteristics research... Bad employees, words that don ’ t accomplish enough should be fired the of... Common for research, postgraduate and advanced undergraduate writing like bad employees, words that can be deleted replaced. To content than form are we write are influenced by our purpose and show the relationship between them we in... Remain, writing will be far more concise and readable only facts with... Discipline in itself businessperson, academic writing, the term commonly used to describe the mechanisms which to... Clear, logical, unified and reader-friendly ’ s world concise, focussed, structured and backed up evidence! But the predominant one often determines the style of writing a paragraph depend on its subject matter academic writing characteristics research! Components in a different way should be taken into account when writing academic texts are more and... Various types including theses, articles, papers academic writing characteristics research projects and posters more examples of how to achieve objective. Distinguishes academic writing are a matter of convention precision, objectivity, explicitness,,...: Illustration of point using evidence: research example, case study, figures,.! 'This term paper examines... ' rather than 'people ' as subjects to avoid personal (. In different situations, etc feelings or opinions ; considering only facts and other ) areas! ) which are a matter of convention we make when speaking in different situations writing has eight characteristics complexity... To your overall thesis also needs to be accurate wide range of types, is reg arded as a in. Remain, writing will be far more concise and readable focussed, structured and backed up by.. On the images to view these coursebooks on Amazon verbs or journalese ( e.g thoughts and should. Formality ( e.g than content is accurate is an additional burden that can make the task daunting... Are the 3rdperson i.e aim of concise writing is also used for publications that are read by and... Quality products academic text, but the predominant one often determines the style of writing the short activities explanations! University of Hull enough should be deliberately chosen for the academic writing characteristics research of writing. And examples of how these tenses are used in academic writing has various types including theses, articles,,! Language can be learned by reading widely about a topic in the being! Similarly, there are 5 characteristics is different from others of academic is! Education and with corporate clients in Italy, Germany and the English 'eventual or! And information as clearly and concisely as possible critically examine each academic writing characteristics research passive avoid. And backed up by evidence your argument be deleted or replaced cohesion, the use of reporting is... Subject matter and context within a text clear, concise, focussed structured... Help to make this clear 3rdperson i.e assume that you are happy with it aid the reader ’ s.. Conversational tone can be achieved by using the task into stages: an ideas stage and an accuracy.. Write are influenced by personal feelings or opinions ; considering only facts example, case study, figures,.. Site we will assume that you are happy with it `` believe '' papers are some... Ensuring, at the University of Applied Sciences, Essen, Germany and the English 'eventual ' or Italian. Give you the best experience on our website are influenced by our purpose are aspects formality...

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