Academic writing is clear, concise, focussed, structured and backed up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid the reader’s understanding.
It has a formal tone and style, but it is not complex and does not require the use of long sentences and complicated vocabulary.
Each subject discipline will have certain writing conventions, vocabulary and types of discourse that you will become familiar with over the course of your degree. However, there are some general characteristics of academic writing that are relevant across all disciplines.
Characteristics of academic writing
Academic writing is:
- Planned and focused: answers the question and demonstrates an understanding of the subject.
- Structured: is coherent, written in a logical order, and brings together related points and material.
- Evidenced: demonstrates knowledge of the subject area, supports opinions and arguments with evidence, and is referenced accurately.
- Formal in tone and style: uses appropriate language and tenses, and is clear, concise and balanced.
Some kind of structure is required, such as an introduction, essay body paragraphs, and a conclusion. This simple structure is typical of an essay format, as well as other assignment writing tasks, which may not have a clearly articulated structure.
A significant difference between academic writing and other kinds of writing is the use of citations and referencing of published authors.
Like all varieties of writing, academic writing has its own tone, which dictates the choice of words and phrasing.
It is important to remember who you are writing for. Being conscious of academic tone suggests that you are aware of your audience and respect the formality normally associated with academic writing.
When writing academically, you must target a more general audience than just your lecturer and/or marker. You should assume that your readers will be intelligent thinking people, but they may not be specifically informed of your topic. Do not presume that your reader knows all the terms and concepts associated with your work. This may mean you have to give concise definitions or explanations of key terms and events.
Punctuation and grammar
In academic writing you should always follow rules of punctuation and grammar. Punctuation and the conventions of grammar are universally known systems (within individual languages) that maintain clarity and avoid ambiguity in expression. It is important that the spelling and grammar check software on your computer are turned on and set to the correct language.
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