Academic writing in English has a distinctive style – it is formal

and uses particular language norms that you need to learn.

Below are some tips on how to incorporate four key features of academic style into your
writing: objectivity, formality, precision and hedging
Objectivity
objective rather than personal has fewer words that refer to the writer or the reader main
emphasis should be on the information that you want to give and the arguments you want to make,
rather than you

Academic writing presents and evaluates issues and arrives at an objective position; a
position that focuses on and is informed by research and reasoning rather than personal
feelings and opinions.
Personal pronouns, especially ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘we’ are usually avoided, as these are often
associated with subjective views that are influenced by personal preferences or biases.
Example
This statement sounds a bit like a personal opinion:
You can demonstrate that climate change is a real phenomenon by studying alterations in
Antarctic ice layers.
o help establish an objective distance from the topic, instead of using a personal pronoun,
you could try:

1. Using the topic as the subject

Alterations in Antarctic ice layers demonstrate that climate change is a real
phenomenon.
2. Using a passive verb
The reality of climate change can be demonstrated by studying alterations in Antarctic
ice layers.
3. Using ‘it’ as an empty subject
It can be demonstrated that climate change is a real phenomenon by studying
alterations in Antarctic ice layers.

Avoiding ‘I’ does not mean you cannot express your own opinion. Your own evaluation of the
material is still extremely important; however, you can communicate this by using evidence
or logical argumentation.
Formality

Academic writing is very explicit and provides the reader with all the information they need to
understand your meaning. This contrasts with written or spoken English in less formal
contexts, which often relies on readers or listeners to supply extra information that completes
the message.
To make your writing more formal, try to:

1. Replace informal words that are associated with ‘chatty’ spoken styles ( such as contractions)
with more formal vocabulary
2. Avoid rhetorical questions the reader cannot answer
3. Use full words instead of contractions
4. Avoid unspecified categories
5. Avoid colloquial language

Example
For example, this passage contains some informal words (going, good, tell, though, really),
a rhetorical question (How good…?), a contraction (can’t), a vague category (etc.) and
a colloquialism (first-class, top notch, check out):

 The investigation has been  going  for four years.  How good has it been?  At this stage,
researchers can’t  tell, because they still need to check out  the data to account for differences in
age, gender, socio-economic-status,  etc. Once that work is done though, the information will
be really first-class.

Using the tips above, you could improve this passage by using more formal vocabulary,
removing the rhetorical question, writing words in full, elaborating on the vague category and
removing the colloquialism as seen below:

 The investigation has been  underway  for four years. Researchers cannot
yet  determine  the  effectiveness  of the project because it is necessary to
first  analyse  the data to control for age, gender, socio-economic status  and other
demographic variables.  Despite  this, the information collected is expected to
be  highly valuable  for future studies.

Key tip
Online learner’s dictionaries that provide examples of how words are used in context can help
you determine the formality of specific words. If a word has many possible meanings, or
appears in many idioms, it is more likely to be informal.
Precision
Facts are given accurately and precisely

To communicate your meaning precisely, you should try to:

Include a sufficient high level of detail and specificity

The amount of detail you provide depends on the purpose of your work, but you should
always try to avoid ambiguity.
Example
The following sentence is very broad and general, which makes it sound like a personal
opinion.

 Most people didn’t like changing trains on the way to work, but they still thought it was better
than taking a bus.

How many people are ‘most’? How strong is their dislike of changing trains? In what way are
trains better than buses?
To make it more precise, the writer could specify exactly which group of people they are
referring to, what their preferences were, and the degree of strength of those preferences.

 While the majority of the survey respondents indicated their dislike of changing trains on their
commute to work, they preferred taking two trains to taking one bus, which they
perceived would be slower overall and  less comfortable, or both.

Choose verbs that express concepts succinctly

Certain verbs are considered too imprecise for academic writing, in that they do not provide
detailed, exact meaning we require. These include verbs that are commonly used in less
formal contexts, particularly those with many possible meanings and multi-word verbs.
Verbs with many possible meanings include ‘do’, ‘make’, ‘put’, ‘keep’, ‘have’ and ‘get’. For
example, some of the many possible meanings of ‘get’ are:

 Receive (get an email)

 Obtain (get a better view)
 Bring (get a bucket and mop)
 Buy (get a new shirt)
 Arrive (get there at 7pm)

If you use the single verb that expresses exactly what you mean by ‘get’, your writing will be
more precise.
Example
The researchers got results from a large participant group
Vs.
The researchers obtained results from a large participant group
Multi-word verbs are verbs that require more than one word to create meaning, including
phrasal and prepositional verbs, for example:
Cut off, find out, give up, hand out, let down, pick out.
Again, try to use a single verb with the same meaning instead, such as:
Discontinue, discover, quit, distribute, disappoint, select.
Use a dictionary and/or a thesaurus to find suitable alternatives for imprecise or multi-word
verbs.
Hedging
it is necessary to make decisions about your stance on a particular subject, or the strength of the
claims you are making

Hedging language in academic writing is used to express caution and avoid strong,
unqualified statements that may be easily disproven.
To avoid generalisations, you can:

 Use a quantifier (e.g. few, many, some)

 Use adverbs or adverbial phrases (e.g. occasionally, often, usually)
 Use modal verbs (e.g. can, may, might, would, could)

Example
The following claim is quite strong:
Leading a sedentary lifestyle causes chronic health conditions.
You could avoid overstating the relationship using the hedging tips above as follows:
Extended  physical inactivity  can  contribute to  a range of  chronic health conditions
and  may  have a negative effect on mental health.
Cautious but inclusive statements, like the one above, may be challenged but not easily
dismissed.

SOURCE: https://students.unimelb.edu.au/academic-skills/explore-our-resources/developing-an-
academic-writing-style/key-features-of-academic-style

Features of Academic Writing

Academic writing, like any genre of writing, carries a set of expectations and
conventions.  Meeting these expectations can be challenging if you are new to an
academic setting, as you may need to adjust you writing approach and style.
Acquiring the academic style takes time, especially as you encounter the even narrower
conventions of your degree field.  But some core features of academic writing will
remain:

Purpose
Academic writing aims to inform, analyze, or persuade, rather than entertain.  Though
creativity, humor, and personality can complement the goal of an essay or article, they
should not distract from your essay’s purpose.

Formal Language and Tone

Academic writing uses professional language and tone.  You should avoid using informal
language, such as slang, cliches, and buzzwords.  On the other hand, you should also
avoid parroting what you think to be “proper” academic language by using vague
and https://englishcomposition.org/15–wordy–expressions–avoid–writing/”
target=”_blank”>wordy expressions made up of needless jargon.  Avoid falling into the
trap of “trying to sound smart.” Instead, be confident in what you are saying and make
sure you have a strong command of the words you employ—precision in language is
crucial in an academic essay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2gYq6KbhfA

Evidence-Based
Academic writing draws conclusions from experience and evidence.  Even in personal
narrative essays, general points must be illustrated or supported by specific details.
Analytical and persuasive essays use evidence from sources, such as journal articles,
books, and other primary sources, in order to reinforce claims and key points.

The brief video below gives general advice on how to incorporate information from
outside sources into an academic essay.  Specific citation requirements depend on the
academic discipline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGQPYJUyWj4

Point of View
The general advice given to burgeoning academic writers is to use an impersonal style
written in the third person perspective (i.e., he, she, they, it….).  This is to help writers
avoid the temptation to focus too much on themselves instead of on the topic, key points,
and evidence.

Though using the first-person isn’t widely recommended for beginning college writers,
academic publications often employ the first person to great effect.  And depending on
the discipline and genre, the first-person might not just be acceptable—it might be
preferable.

The video below gives some tips on using the first-person in academic writing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ruh_kUW8Lk&t=193s

Organization
The way you organize an essay depends on the type of essay you are writing.  A
descriptive essay might be organized spatially, moving from one location or physical
feature to another.  A comparison/contrast essay might present all of the key points for
Topic 1 in the first half of the essay and all of the key points for Topic 2 in the second
half.  A historical analysis might detail the chronological development of a major social
issue, before focusing on its modern manifestations. A persuasive paper might go one by
one down the major points of supporting evidence, move on to the opposing viewpoint,
then transition to a common ground solution.

Because you might be working with complex information and abstract ideas, it may be
useful to employ transitional phrases to guide readers through your ideas.  Examples of
transitional phrases:

 For example
 Furthermore
 However
 On the other hand
 In other words
 Consequently
 To summarize,

It may also be useful to use signposts to help readers make sense of your essay’s path.
Signpost examples:
  In this essay, I will argue….
 My aim in this paper is to show…
 In the last section, I illustrated “….”  In this section, I will argue that “….”

Focus on Audience
The writing you do within an academic setting will depend on your intended audience.  In
most cases, your audience will be your professor, who will expect the essay to have many
of the characteristics mentioned above.  In some cases, however, your assignment may
ask you to conceive of an audience outside of the academy, an audience that would likely
respond better to non-academic language but still expect accuracy and professionalism.
Limits the use of personal language and is free from slang and colloquial words. It uses technical terms
but avoids excessive jargon.
Avoids avoid a vague and ambiguous language. Use a few words if possible yeah
differentiate academic writing from non-academic writing;
distinguish the features of academic writing; and
c. rewrite a sentence in academic form.
Task 1: Brainstorming! What words can you associate with the word Academic? Write as many answers as
you can! You have 1:00 to brainstorm for ideas.
Task 2: Activitating prior knowledge Classify the following pieces of writing. Is it academic? Or non-
academic?
What are some similarities and differences of academic and non-academic writing? Academic writing is
generally formal and written for a scholarly purpose; examples of academic writing include class essays,
dissertations, and reports. Non-academic writing is less formal and not necessarily intended for an
educated audience, and it's often more emotional or opinionated; examples of such include letters, blog
posts, even fiction novels. Difference between Academic Writing and Non Academic Writing 1. Academic
Writing : Academic writing refers to a piece of writing which focuses on specific academic subject/topic.
Through academic writing the writer intends to prove a theory or viewpoint in one way or the other. Mainly
academic writings are based on academic findings and academic research and is intended for a scholarly
audience. The writer can explain a specific subject matter by providing his/her own point of view. It includes
scholarly essays, research papers, dissertations, etc. For example suppose a professor writing on a
concept related to Chemistry and that published on college’s monthly magazine 2. Non Academic Writing :
Non Academic writing refers to a piece of writing which focuses on a general topic rather than any
academic topic. It is not intended for an academic audience. It is intended for a lay audience or the mass
public. Non academic writing focuses on lay audience or the mass public. These types of articles are
mostly personal, impressionistic, emotional, or subjective in nature. It includes magazine articles, personal
or business letters, novels, websites, text messages, etc. are some examples of non academic writing.
https://www-geeksforgeeks-org.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.geeksforgeeks.org/difference-between-
academic-writing-and-non-academic-writing/amp/?
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writing-and-non-academic-writing%2F

Let's practice: "Answer me if you can" What feature of academic writing is described in the following
statements?
Task 3: "Should be or should not be"
Identify whether the statements should be or should not be done in academic writing. Write Yes if it should
be done, and No if not.
Task 4:
Abstraction:
Wrap-Up