Academic writing is writing you do at university while you are enrolled in a specific field. It is potentially the most crucial skill in the educational setting that you must possess. The quality of the text that you produce using this skill affects the reader a lot. It is your text that allows the reader to make a perception about you. This kind of writing is highly valued by academic institutions around the world. The ability to write academically is what distinguishes one scholar from another scholar.
As you are here reading this post, it is not difficult to guess that you do not know anything about academic writing. You are here to learn about this writing. Well, you have just landed the right article. In today’s post, we will explain everything about this writing. So, let’s start the discussion by defining it.
What does it mean by academic writing?
Academic writing is a genre of writing which is mostly carried out in academic fields like medicine, engineering, business, or psychology. Researchers, students, and professors of various disciplines use this writing to develop strong arguments, convey ideas effectively, and build academic conversations. Academic or scholarly writing is a style of expression that defines the boundaries of a researcher’s discipline.
Features of academic writing that differentiate it from others
After reading the information above, you now have a good idea of what scholarly writing is. Now, let’s expand on our topic further and discuss its features so that your knowledge about this writing gets increased. Normally, there are 5 features of writing, and a brief description of each feature is as follows:
- Complexity. Academic or scholarly writing is complex compared to other kinds of writing. The words and phrases used in this are mostly long. It also makes use of difficult vocabulary, which makes it even more complex.
- Formality. This writing is relatively formal in tone. This means that, as the reader, you will not see any colloquial expressions or phrases in this writing. The terms used in it are purely academic and formal.
- Objectivity. It is one of the main features of writing. This writing is generally objective and not personal. In this writing, you will see very few words that point toward the writer himself.
- Accuracy. The 4th feature of scholarly writing is that it is accurate. It uses vocabulary that conveys the message accurately and precisely.
- Organization. Lastly, this writing is very organized. It flows smoothly from one section to another in an appropriate and logical manner. All the sections in this writing back to each other and flow easily.
Top rules for academic writing
Academic or scholarly writing is not easy. It is not written to entertain someone, but it is done to communicate a bunch of ideas as clearly as possible to an academic audience. However, to achieve this, you must know some rules of academic writing. A brief description of the major rules to follow are as follows:
Aim for clarity
Clarity holds the most important place in scholarly writing. Due to its nature, sometimes, academic writers use difficult vocabulary, which confuses the readers. So, as the writer, you must not do this. You should explain your ideas as clearly as possible. Avoid the jargon and define each and every term that seems difficult.
Follow the 80/20 rule
The 80/20 rule is mostly applied to academic writing. This rule suggests that you can write 80% content of an assignment or essay 20% of the time. So, just focus on developing your ideas and penning them down on paper. Do not worry about messy paragraphs. At this stage, just write what comes into your mind.
Write in active voice
The third rule for scholarly writing is that you must write it in an active voice. Active voice expresses your ideas clearly as it directly tells the reader who is doing the action. Avoid using passive voice in writing. It makes the sentences lengthy and creates confusion. However, if you cannot create sentences in active voice, hire academic writing services UK.
Avoid unclear pronouns
Pronouns like “this” and “it” can create confusion in your scholarly writing. As the writer, be extra careful when you use such pronouns. Ensure that they are followed by the thing they are describing. For example, do not say, “This made Tom Angry.” Instead of this, say, “This dirty kitchen made Tom angry.”
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, academic writing is difficult. There are different features of this writing, and there are different rules that you have to follow each time you attempt to write in this tone or style. Some of those features and rules are mentioned above. Hence, go through all of them one by one. Whenever you are required to write in an academic tone, remember and follow them.
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