Module 1

Module 1

Essentials for Academic Writing

In this module, you will learn

What academicwriting is

Academic language: formal vs informal

The four principles of academic writing

Why we write

What isacademic writing?

STOP AND THINK

What is academic writing?

Academic writing is writing which is done by scholars (students or academics) for other scholars to read. It can take many forms: journal articles, textbooks, dissertations, group project reports, etc. Although students are increasingly being asked to write different types of academic text, the essay still remains the most popular type of assignment.

VIDEO

Watch this video on the main characteristics of academic writing.

Four principles of academic writing

Formality

Characteristics of formal language

• Words that are used when speaking (e.g. ‘big’, ‘good’, ‘well’, ‘a lot’), or a technique that is used a lot in speeches (e.g. asking the audience questions) are unlikely to be used in formal writing.
• Do not adress the audience.
• Avoid idioms.
• Avoid metaphors and poetic language.
• Prefer one-word verbs to phrasal verbs. (e.g. investigate vs find out).
• Do not use abbreviated forms of verbs (e.g. can't, won't, etc.)
• Do not use the first persons (I or We)

Efficiency

Efficient writing fulfils its purpose without saying too much. You should use the minimum amount of language that is required, and not repeat yourself.

‘When comparing these two theories, several examples of similar content can be pointed out between these two theories'.

There was no need to repeat ‘theories’. An improvement would be:

‘When comparing these two theories, it becomes clear that there are many similarities.’

Efficiency

If you look carefully at academic writing, you will notice that many noun phrases are used. Here is an example:

‘In a study, the effect of weight loss without salt restriction on the reduction of blood pressure in overweight patients was examined'.

Nearly half of the words in that sentence are nouns. Using nouns is efficient: you use less space if you are talking about processes (salt reduction) without describing the action (they have reduced the salt).

Modesty

In academic writing you need to be respectful of the ideas of others. In your essays it is very unlikely that you would say something like ‘These researchers were completely wrong.’ Instead you might say ‘More recent research has shown that this is not the case.’ You are supposed to look at different angles and say whether you agree or disagree, but you always need to remain modest about your opinion.

'Trait theory is the best leadership theory'.

This statement is too strong: even if the student can explain why this theory is useful in comparison to other theories, another scholar could easily argue that another one is better. The statement is too confident. The student should not use the word ‘best’ and should explain why this theory is useful.

Modesty

A way to ensure academic modesty is to use cautious language. This is also called ‘hedging’ language, because ‘to hedge against something’ means to protect yourself from its consequences.

'In order to encourage consumers to try their goods for the first time, a number of promotional methods should be applied as follows: (...)'

The student says that the company ‘should’ do something, where he should really have made a suggestion (‘could’).

Modesty

A common mistake that students make is to use cautious language where itis not. necessary. They use ‘would’, ‘might’, ‘likely to’, etc. because they have learnt that these verbs are common in academic writing.

'Annual financial reports might include information from financial statements and other sources'.

Even without knowing much about the subject, we can assume that the purpose of financial reports is to give financial information. The verb ‘might’ needs to be taken out of the sentence.

Clarity

If your writing has clarity, it means that you have expressed yourself clearly and there is no doubt about what you mean. Your choice of words needs to be specific and precise.

'This could help stakeholders to understand the health of public companies by means of a Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Statement of changes in Financial Position and other descriptions'.

It is not clear what the student means by the word ‘descriptions’, as he seems to be referring to financial information.

Clarity

'The steam engine was a reliable power source at that time and used in mining, cotton, railways, etc.'

If the steam engine was only used in mining, cotton and railways, then the student should simply have put a full stop rather than ‘etc’., but there are probably more examples to be given. Here, an improvement would be:

'The steam engine was a reliable power source at that time and used in mining, cotton, railways and other industries'.

Clarity

'There are many things that need to be taken into consideration.'

The word ‘thing’ is very imprecise, and there is never a need to use it. Simply say what it stands for. Here, the word ‘factors’ could be used. Other vague words and phrases to avoid include ‘kind of’ and ‘stuff’.

'There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration.'

SUMMARY

• The same academic principles - formality, efficiency, modesty and clarity - matter in your essays as before, but at university you need to be more aware of them and they are even more important.

• Formality - use a formal, academic style.

• Efficiency - avoid repetition of phrases and ideas; careful proofreading is essential.

• Modesty - the language needs to be impersonal and cautious where appropriate.

• Clarity - although some academic authors write texts that may be considered complex, you are expected to write essays that express your ideas clearly and precisely.

Academic language: formal vs informal

Everyday words and academic uses

Many words in academic English are the same as everyday vocabulary, but they are often also used with different meaning, which may be specialised.

Vocabulary and academic style

In writing, academics use many expressions which are neutral, but they also use rather formal expressions which are not common in everyday language. Knowing whether an expression is formal or just neutral is important.

Vocabulary and academic style

However, very informal vocabulary may be used in spoken academic styles in classes and lectures.Learn to understand such language when you hear it but be careful not to use it in essays and written assignments. Here are some examples of teachers using informal language:

OK. Have a shot at doing task number 3 (more formal: try/attempt to do ...)

There's no way schools can be held responsible for failures of government policy (more formal: Schools cannot in any way be held ...)

General nouns referring to ideas

More specific nouns connected with ideas and phenomena

COMPREHENSION CHECK

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

REFERENCES

Geyte, E. V. (2013). Writing: learn to write better academic essays. McCarthy, M., & O'dell, F. (2016). Academic vocabulary in use edition with answers. Cambridge University Press. Why do we write, The University of Notthigham, https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studyingeffectively/writing/writer/whywrite/index.aspx. Accessed 30 June 2024.