Academic Writing

• Academic texts are written by professionals in a specific field, well-edited, use formal language, contain field-specific terms, list sources and references, and aim to advance human understanding in a discipline
• Academic texts can be challenging for beginner readers and are informative, argumentative, or objective in nature
• Examples of academic texts include school books, textbooks, journal articles, research proposals and papers, some newspapers and magazine articles, and thesis and dissertations
• Types of academic texts:

  • Descriptive: provides facts and information using keywords like identify, report, summarize
  • Analytical: organizes facts into categories, groups, or relationships using keywords like analyze, compare, contrast
  • Persuasive: includes argument, recommendation, supported by evidence, using keywords like argue, evaluate
  • Critical: considers multiple points of view, using keywords like critique, debate
• Academic writing involves breaking down ideas, using deductive reasoning, a formal voice, and a third-person point of view
• Non-academic texts are written for the mass public, published quickly, use informal language, and may contain slang
• Examples of non-academic texts include blog posts, fiction books, letters, and personal journals and diaries