Academic Writing Style V2

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Learning Development Centre Using an academic writing style

Using an Academic Writing Style

The first section of this guide will look at some basic dos and donts of academicwriting. The second part is more concerned with thinking about the way you use

language to develop and convey your ideas.

Academic writing is formal rather than informal. In other words it:

1. avoids the use of emotive and subjective language:

Emotive/Subjective language Objective language

Smiths argument is simplistic It can be suggested that Smithsargument is not fully developed.

2. avoids the use of contractions and some forms of abbreviations. Use the

full forms instead.

Contractions and abbreviations Full formsCant

Didnt

Theyre

e.g.

Cannot

Did not

They are

For example

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3. avoids the use of slang and colloquialisms. This includes contractions

and emotive language and also expressions that are better suited to

speech than writing.

Slang/colloquialisms Accepted use

This is well out of order because

Maslow put his finger on the problemwhen

This idea can be seen as unacceptablefor two reasons.

Maslow identified one possible issuewith this approach when

The above examples of acceptable language use also highlight another

important feature of academic writing. The expressions can be seen as and

one possibleissue are cautious expressions. This is important in

academic writing because it shows that you are aware that many ideas and

arguments are not the final word on an issue. Academic writing essays,

journal articles, books - is an ongoing debate. One persons point of view

may differ from another persons. An idea seen as true today may not be

seen in the same way next week or next year.

4. avoids the use of personal pronouns I, we, you. This is not necessarilytrue for all subjects. You would need to check with your school to find out

if they have a preference with this issue. Alternatively you could

experiment with your sentence structure to avoid personal pronouns.

Using personal pronouns Avoiding personal pronouns

I think that this can seem

We found that

I would argue that there are a numberof possible reasons for this occurrence.

This can seem

It was found that

There are a number of possiblereasons for this occurrence.

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5. uses passive verbs rather than active verbs. As with personal pronouns

this is not necessarily true for all subjects. It can also be dependent on

what you want the sentence to focus on:

Active verb Passive verb

Smith identified two causes for this.Two causes for this were identified bySmith.

In the active verb sentence Smith is the focus. The two causes are the focus in

the passive verb sentence.

Scientific writing prefers passive verb structures rather than active verb

structures.

Developing an academic style

As well as following the rules of formal Standard English academic writing also

needs to be concise and clear. Avoiding unnecessary words and having a clear

assignment structure will improve how your assignment reads.

1. Descriptive/Critical Writing

One of the most frequent feedback comments from lecturers is that assignments

are too descriptive and are pieces of descriptive writing not critical writing. This

usually means the student has spent too much time (and too many words)

describing something without including any analysis. Some description is

necessary, it can help set the scene for the reader. On the other hand, beingcritical and analytical in your writing demonstrates your understanding of the

topic.

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Changing your writing from being descriptive to being critical and analytical

involves examining the issues you are writing about. It involves using evidence

to support the points being made and interpreting this evidence to develop your

argument. With each paragraph you write it is useful to ask yourself:

Why am I writing this?

What point am I trying to make?

If you are not trying to make a point or develop an argument you are probably

writing descriptively.

Drawing up an outline plan for your assignment is a useful strategy to use to

keep your writing focused and critical. In your outline plan you can identify what

the topic of each paragraph will be, what evidence you will use to support the

paragraph and, most importantly, what point you are making in the paragraph.

2. Concise Writing

Many assignments can suffer from being too wordy. This can result ininformation being difficult to follow. At the re-drafting stage of writing it is always

worth asking yourself:

Is the meaning of this sentence/paragraph clear?

Can I improve the way I have written this sentence/paragraph?

Have I used linking/transition words to assist the flow and structure of

the assignment?

Look at the following example of how to remove redundant words from a

sentence.

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Wordy writing Concise writing

Due to the fact that all the students

were thinking about the assignment

from their own different points of view,

they were not able to reach a group

consensus on what they were

supposed to accomplish in the

assigned task. (40 words)

Because the students had different

viewpoints on the assignment, they

could not reach a consensus on their

goal. (18 words)

Example taken from: Shulman, Myra. (2005). Strategies for Academic Writers. University of

Michigan Press. Michigan.

The sentences convey the same information. But the concise sentence is muchclearer and direct. In terms of word count the concise writing allows the student

to develop the point being made or develop further points.

3. Using linking/transitional words

Concise language use allows the reader to follow the flow of your assignment.

Another useful strategy to employ is the use of linking and transitional words or

phrases.

Without linking/transition With linking/transition

The human spinal column is an

intricate and complex structure. The

human back, the lower back especially,

is susceptible to trouble. Back

problems are one of the most common

reasons for a visit to the doctor.

The human spinal column is an

intricate and complex structure. As a

result, the human back, the lower back

especially, is susceptible to trouble.

Indeed, back problems are one of the

most common reasons for a visit to the

doctor.

Adapted from Soles, Derek (2005) (p66) The Academic Essay2nd Ed. Bishop Lydeard.

Studymates Limited.

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As the above example demonstrates linking and transitional words and phrases

help to develop a clear structure and sense of direction in your writing.

For more examples and useful advice on developing linking skills visit:

http://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/writing/planningandstructure/ParagraphsL

inks.cfm

Improving your academic writing style involves allowing time for this style to

develop. Redrafting and editing your assignment is not a short, quick task to be

completed the night before handing the assignment. You need time to ask

yourself:

What am I saying in this paragraph/section?

Am I saying it in the clearest way possible?

Do I need to add/remove anything to make it clearer?

Your academic writing style will also need time to develop over the months and

even years of your study. It is easy to view assignments as individual tasks

about particular topics which get marked, graded and then filed away. It is far

better to view them as stages in your continuing development, not just in terms of

your subject knowledge but also in how you communicate that subject

knowledge.

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http://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/writing/planningandstructure/ParagraphsLinks.cfmhttp://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/writing/planningandstructure/ParagraphsLinks.cfmhttp://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/writing/planningandstructure/ParagraphsLinks.cfmhttp://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/writing/planningandstructure/ParagraphsLinks.cfm


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To help with this development it is good practice to reflect on and review your

assignments once they have been returned to you. This involves not just

looking at the assignment grade but also the comments of the lecturer. Equally

important is for you to ask yourself:

What can I take from this feedback to help me in the future?

What can I take from my experience of writing this assignment to better

prepare me for my next assignment?

What will I do differently next time?

An assignment whether its a report or essay is your contribution to the debates

that take place in your discipline. As it is a written contribution you only have one

chance to say things as clearly and accurately as possible.

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References:

Burns,Tom. & Sinfield, Sandra. (2006). Essential Study Skills, SAGE Publications

Inc: London

Cottrell, Stella. (2003). The Study Skills Handbook2nd Edn. Palgrave-Macmillan:Basingstoke.

Cottrell, Stella. (2005). Critical Thinking Skills. Palgrave-Macmillan: Basingstoke

Greetham, Bryan. (2001). How to write better essays. Palgrave-Macmillan:Basingstoke

Levin, Peter. (2004). Write great essays!Open University Press: Maidenhead

Race, Phil. (2003). How to Study. Blackwell: Oxford

Shulman, Myra. (2005). Strategies for Academic Writers. Michigan. University ofMichigan Press.

Soles, Derek (2005) (p66)The Academic Essay2nd Ed. Bishop Lydeard.Studymates Limited.Useful web links:

Aston University LDC www.aston.ac.uk/ldc - this is the LDC home page with linksto the study skills materials and other useful sites.

Learn Higherhttp://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/ - this link will give you access tonumerous resources being developed by a number of universities in manydifferent study areas.

Open University http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/home.php - the OU havedeveloped many online resources, including a section on Study Skills

Royal Literary Fellowshiphttp://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/writing/glossary.cfm - this link will openthe RLF website which includes a number of additional links you may find useful.

Write Now http://www.writenow.ac.uk/ - Aston University are part of the WriteNow project, and the LSC provide student writing mentors through our work withWrite Now.

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http://www.aston.ac.uk/ldchttp://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/home.phphttp://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/home.phphttp://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/writing/glossary.cfmhttp://www.writenow.ac.uk/http://www.aston.ac.uk/ldchttp://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/http://www.open.ac.uk/openlearn/home.phphttp://www.rlf.org.uk/fellowshipscheme/writing/glossary.cfmhttp://www.writenow.ac.uk/


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The Learning Development Centre run a series of academic writing related

workshop throughout the year. We can also offer you a personalised one-to-one

tutorial or a small group tutorial.

Resources available in this series include:

Approaches to assignment writing

Developing academic reading

Developing note-making skills

Using an academic writing style

How to avoid plagiarism

Structuring your essay

Tip sheet are available on:

Presentation Skills

Revision strategies

Writing in examinationsPick up a copy from the LDC or visit www.aston.ac.uk/ldc

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For more information:

Visit the Learning Development Centre (1st floor of the library)

Telephone: 0121 204 3040

Email: [email protected] the LDC website at www.aston.ac.uk/ldc
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

Academic Writing Style V2

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