Introduction to Academic Writing
in English
Jeremy Schildt & Judith Stewart
Learning Enhancement Team
Dean of Students’ Office
“The Longer Oxford English Dictionary- the
authoritative guide to meaning and
pronunciation- runs to 20 volumes and
takes up an entire library shelf.”
(Davis, 2011: 133)
“Literacy is a life-long commitment for
all…”
(Davis, 2011: 133)
“Academic language… is no one’s
mother tongue”
(Bourdieu et al, 1994:8)
Writing
What do you need to consider when you write
something?
• What you are writing about (the theme)
• Why you are writing (the purpose)
• Who you are writing for (the audience)
Academic Writing in English
Can you think of an academic text which
you felt was well-written?
What did you like about it?
Good writers…
• “…do not rely on highly inflated abstract
language to impress.”
• “…are addicted to clarity.”
• “… are as concerned not to be misunderstood
as they are to be understood.”
• “…prefer language which is ‘definite, specific,
concrete’.”
(Craswell, 2005:70)
Academic Writing in English
An academic text is usually an argument which
makes reference to the work of others
This argument needs a clear thread which runs
throughout your work, and which is explicit to
the reader (‘hold the reader’s hand’)
The structure of academic texts
• Introduction
– Background information
– Reason for the work
– How you will do it
• Body
– Data (from experiment, from ideas, from reading)
+
– Argument (ie a critical stance towards the data)
• Conclusion
– Answers question. Shows how you’ve done what you said you
were going to do
Model to Generate Critical Thinking
Description
Who?
Where?
When?
How?
How
What?
Analysis
Topic
Why?
What next?
So what?
What if?
Evaluation
Learning Development University of Plymouth
PEEL
• Point
• Evidence
• Evaluation
• Link
topic +claim
show me
tell me
to paragraph/
argument
What about paragraphs?
• Paragraphs are important!
• You should aim to achieve unity within a
paragraph and diversity between paragraphs.
• Paragraphs usually need a topic sentence.
• Paragraph length is meaningful!
Adapted from ‘Explorations of Style: a blog about academic writing’
http://explorationsofstyle.com/2011/02/16/paragraphs/ (16.02.2011)
Characteristics of English academic
writing
No ‘toolkit’ that is true of all academic writing
•
•
•
•
•
•
Objectivity
Impersonal
‘True’ and precisely defined
Explicit
Cautious
Concise
Characteristics of English academic
writing
• Evidence-based (from data, experiment, ideas,
reading)
• Critical
• Evaluative
• Show’s writer’s point of view towards the ideas
being discussed but doesn’t necessarily do it in a
personal way
Be critical about your writing, too
Maintaining objectivity
“the idea of researcher as detached observer” (Craswell,
2005: 67)
• Be impersonal (It can be argued that…)
• Don’t present opinions as if they are facts (e.g. “The
internet is more convenient than the library”)
• Avoid vague, subjective and emotive language (e.g.
nice, good, stupid)
Using ‘I’
• Often believed that ‘I’ is not used (and should not be used) in
academic writing
THIS ISN’T COMPLETELY TRUE!
• Depends on what kind of writing you are doing, why, and who you
are writing it for.
• Some lecturers like students to say ‘I’ . If you are not sure what
your lecturer prefers, ask them.
• Can you do reflective writing (common in Education, Medicine,
Social Work) without using ‘I’?
Being true
Why might the following phrases be inappropriate in academic writing?
•
As we know…
•
Everybody knows…
•
With the development of society/ As society develops/ Society is developing
•
Most people...
•
X is convenient/ easy
•
Nowadays/ these days/ in today’s world
•
Obviously…
Being precisely defined
How do you know which concepts you need to
define?
• Terminology which is specific to your discipline
• When there may be a different meaning in your
discipline to that used in ‘everyday’ language
• When there are many, competing definitions of
the same concept
Who are you writing for…?
“Imagine you are writing for your Aunt Sally,
who although unfamiliar with your discipline,
is a bright, intelligent and interested reader.”
Craswell (2005: 62)
Being explicit
• About what you are doing -> signposting
• About what you mean -> defining
• About the relationship between the different
ideas you are expressing
It’s the writer’s responsibility to make clear the
connections between different ideas and their
relevance
Being cautious (‘hedging’)
• Qualify your claims, such as
–
–
–
–
by using adverbs of probability (eg possibly, perhaps)
by using adverbs of frequency (eg often)
by using modal verbs (eg may)
by using lexical verbs (eg appear, seem)
• Avoid sweeping generalisations (e.g. ‘The first person
(I) is not used in academic writing’)
• Avoid language that is emotive (e.g. ‘Going to
university is a waste of time’)
Being critical
Being critical or analytical means asking questions:
• What?
• Why?
• Why in this way?
• What other ways?
• With what effect?
• How do you know?
• Who says so?
• What do other people say?
• How + adjective
• So what? (‘Why should I care?’)
Showing your point of view
You need to tell the reader what you think about the
ideas, issues etc that you are discussing
• By your choice of verb
o factive (eg observe, show, discover)
o non-factive (eg claim, suggest, argue)
• Adjectives/adverbs (‘this seems a reasonable
conclusion’; ‘Reasonably, X concludes…’)
• By making a direct personal statement
Being concise
“Excess words take up valuable space that can
be put to better use, such as bringing in more
points to support a position you are
developing.”
Craswell (2005: 65)
Developing conciseness
•
•
•
•
Be ruthless
Identify unnecessary/repetitious words
Cross out adjectives/adverbs
Exclude details that add nothing to your
discussion.
• Use noun phrases instead of verb phrases:
enables you to use fewer words
Academic writing style
‘academic’ style
What you want to say
You do not need to use complicated vocabulary
to write an effective academic text
Useful websites
www.uea.ac.uk/dos/let
www.uefap.co.uk/writing
www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing
Further reading
Craswell, G. (2005) Writing for Academic Success. London: Sage
Publications.
Davies, M. (2011) Study Skills for International Postgraduates.
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kirton, B. & McMillan, K. (2007). Just Write. London: Routledge.
Stott, R. & Chapman, P. (eds) (2001). Grammar and Writing. Harlow:
Longman.
Swan, M. (2005). Practical English Usage (3rd edition). Oxford: OUP.
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