Academic Writing Lecture Notes

Introduction

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• Overview of the topic: What is academic writing?

Definition of Academic Writing

• Communication of ideas, information, and research to the academic community.
• Two types of academic writing:
  • Student Academic Writing
    • Used for university assessments and school preparation.
    • Audience: Tutors and professors.
    • Purpose: Demonstrate learning.
  • Expert Academic Writing
    • Writing for publication in journals or books.
    • Audience: Other experts in the field.
    • Purpose: Creation of new knowledge.

Similarities and Differences

• Both types have the same standards and requirements despite differences in content, audience, and purpose.
• Analogy: Student drivers must follow traffic rules just like expert drivers.

Features of Academic Writing

1. Structured

• Clear structure is essential for reader comprehension.
• Common structures:
  • Reports: Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion.
  • Essays: Introduction (thesis), Body paragraphs (topic sentences), Conclusion (summary).
• Other genres include literature reviews, dissertations, and research proposals.
• Coherence: Logical progression of ideas.
• Cohesion: Clear connections between parts; use of reference words and transition signals.
• Importance of planning: Like building a house, careful planning is necessary for clear structure.

2. Evidenced

• Opinions and arguments must be supported by:
  • Facts, reasons, examples, statistics, and citations.
• Example: Introduction to dengue fever article demonstrating evidence through facts and citations.
• Importance of in-text citations as a key skill for academic writing.

3. Critical

• Information should be analyzed and evaluated, not just described.
• Importance of understanding the topic in depth through research.
• Example: Evaluation of observational study limitations.

4. Precise

• Use of clear and precise language enhances understanding.
• Importance of technical, subject-specific vocabulary.
• Example: Technical terms in the dengue fever article.

5. Balanced

• Consideration of all sides of an issue; avoidance of bias.
• Use of hedges (e.g., "suggests") and boosters (e.g., "clearly") to indicate the strength of claims.

6. Objective

• Focus on arguments and information rather than the writer's opinion.
• Use of passive voice and impersonal structures to maintain objectivity.

7. Formal

• Use of complex sentences; avoidance of contractions and informal language.
• Example: More formal phrasing replaces colloquial language (e.g., "this is not the case").
• Use of academic vocabulary from lists like the Academic Word List (AWL) and Academic Collocation List (ACL).

Conclusion

• Recap: Definition and seven features of academic writing.
• For more information and resources, visit eapfoundation.com.