english for academic and professional purposes

• Organizing ideas logically and coherently is important in academic writing to ensure a smooth flow of information.
• Academic Texts:

  • Defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written by experts or professionals in a given field using formal language
  • Objective, well-edited, and often takes years to publish
  • Uses formal language and contains field-specific words and terms (jargons)
  • Writing academic text involves posing a question, problematizing a concept, evaluating an opinion, and ends in answering the question or questions posed
  • Serve as a tool of communication to convey acquired knowledge in a specific field of study
  • Help students analyze, convey understanding, think critically, and focus on technique and style
  • Main goal is to advance human understanding in a particular discipline
• Importance of Academic Text:

  • Serves as a tool of communication to convey acquired knowledge in a specific field of study
  • Helps students analyze, convey understanding, think critically, and focus on technique and style
  • Main goal is to advance human understanding in a particular discipline
• Purpose of Academic Writing:

  • To inform: shows or explains factual information to enlighten the reader with real topics or facts
  • To argue a specific point: attempts to influence the reader and make an argument
  • To persuade: goal is to persuade the reader to agree with the writer's opinion
• Examples of Academic Texts:

  • School books and textbooks
  • Journal articles
  • Research proposals and papers
  • Thesis and dissertations
  • Book reviews
• Types of Academic Texts:

  Descriptive:

  • States facts and informs the audience
  • Uses words like 'identify', 'report', 'record', summarize, and 'define'

  Analytical:

  • Compares, analyzes, and evaluates information
  • Organizes facts and information to help readers understand better
  • Uses words like 'analyze', 'compare', 'contrast', 'relate', and 'examine'
• Types of Academic Texts:

  Persuasive:

  • Includes opinion derived from facts and information
  • Involves argument, recommendation, interpretation, or evaluation from your point of view
  • Uses words like 'argue', 'evaluate', 'discuss', and 'take a position'

  Critical:

  • Considers at least two points of view, including your own
  • Uses words like 'critique', 'debate', 'disagree', and 'evaluate'
• Non-Academic Texts:

  • Written for the mass public
  • Published quickly and can be written by anyone
  • Often does not involve research or sources
  • Uses informal and conversational language, may contain slang
  • Author may be unknown
  • Delivers simple and basic information
  • Personal, emotional, impressionistic, or subjective in nature
• Examples of Non-Academic Texts:

  • Blog posts
  • Fiction books
  • Letters
  • Personal journals and diaries