Academic Research & Writing
What is academic writing ?
• Academic writing is writing which is done by scholars (students or
academics) for other scholars to read. It can take many forms: journal
articles, textbooks, dissertations, group project reports, etc. Although
students are increasingly being asked to write different types of academic
text, the essay still remains the most popular type of assignment.
Essays are written by students and are likely to be read by one
person only: their tutor. The essay can be set as a coursework
assignment to assess a student’s understanding of a module, or as
an exam question.
The purpose of academic writing
Writers should be clear why they are writing. The most common reasons
for writing include:
• to report on a piece of research the writer has conducted
• to answer a question the writer has been given or chosen
• to discuss a subject of common interest and give the writer’s view
• to synthesis research done by others on a topic
The core Idea of Research
• understand why we do research. We are in the business of generating
facts. And, facts are statements that are difficult to dispute.
• know who you are writing for.
• You are writing for a group of experts. They have many years of
experience in the area of your research. So, you have to write as
though you’re one of them. They want to see if you have the
competence of being part of the ‘club’ and a knowledge- maker.
Questions that your readers have
1. What is your research about?
Your answer must be easily understood by your stakeholders and
members of the intellectual community in your field.
2. Why should anyone care about your research?
This is a question of significance. Your examiners want to see value in
your research.
Questions that your readers have
3. What are you planning to reveal that is new?
Research must reveal interesting insights that are not obvious to others
or verify ideas.
4. How are you generating your facts?
Explain the types of data which are curated, the methods of data
collection, and the methods of data analysis.
Differences between Academic Writing &
Other Writing Contexts
Writing is a skill that is required in many contexts throughout life. For
instance, you can write an email to a friend or reflect on what happened
during the day in your personal diary.
• In these kinds of interpersonal settings (or intrapersonal in the case of
a diary record), the aim may be to communicate the events that have
happened in your life to someone close to you, or to yourself.
Differences between Academic Writing &
Other Writing Contexts
• It is expected that in writing about these life events, you will include your
personal judgements and
• evaluations, which may be measured by your feelings and thoughts.
• another quality of writing in personal contexts is that it is typically
informal, so there is no need to adhere to structures of punctuation or
grammar (although your reader may be quite appreciative if you do so).
In these settings, it is perfectly acceptable to deploy colloquialisms, casual
expressions, and abbreviations, like “that’s cool”, “by the way...”, “slacker”,
“Palmy”, “b4”, and “thru”.
The Academic
writing does many
of the things that
personal writing
does not.
 Introduction
Introduce the subject
and come to the poin
 Body
• some kind of structure is
required, such as a
beginning, middle, and end.
This simple structure is
typical of an essay format,
as well as other assignment
writing tasks,
The real power of your writing
Support your thesis
Examples
Detailed information
 Conclusion
Begin by restating your thesis
Not word for word
Gradually become more broad
And general
The Academic writing does many of the things that
personal writing does not.
• If you make judgements about something
in academic writing, there is an
expectation that you will support your
opinion by linking it to what a published
author has previously written about the
issue.
• citing the work of other authors is central
to academic writing because it shows you
have read the literature, understood the
ideas, and have integrated these issues
and varying perspectives into the
assignment task
The Academic writing does many of the things that
personal writing does not.
• in academic writing you should always follow rules of
punctuation and grammar, especially as the end-user
or consumer of your writing, unlike a friend, is likely
to be very different from you and will not always
know to what you are referring. Hence, it is vital that
you are clear.
• Punctuation as well as the conventions of grammar
are universally known systems (within English
speaking cultures) that maintain clarity and avoid
ambiguity in expression.
Why should we develop
good Writing Skills ?
• Whatever subjects you are studying, the readers of your
assignments – usually the markers – need to be able to
understand exactly what you are trying to say.
• in order to persuade and convince them of your argument,
in which you integrate ideas from the literature to help
ground your argument, it is vital that you have good
communication skills.
Developing Writing Skills
• the only way in which to demonstrate your skill in
communicating to the marker is through your writing.
Therefore, developing sound writing, as well as research skills,
is an essential part of succeeding at university and your practical
life .
Skills you need for writing
• Every piece of written work requires:
planning: choosing a topic and deciding how to approach it
research: gathering the right kind of material
thought: analyzing this material and forming a conclusion
more planning: deciding how to present your ideas and
results
writing: putting it into words
editing: rereading to correct mistakes and improve presentation.
Get Organized
• Plan ahead. At the start of term, write a list or draw a chart or timeline
with the due dates of all your assignments. Stick it up over your desk,
on the fridge or beside the mirror. Try to allow for your other
commitments and leave plenty of time for each project.
Identifying Academic Sources
The sources of information you can document in university
assignments are typically those from an authority. In an academic
setting, an authority is usually someone who has been the author of
published material. This material may come in the form of
• Books
• Journal articles
• Published reports