Good academic writing …

1. Good academic writing … Is easy to read and understand because it: • Conforms to reader expectations • Has the generic structure of research papers • Is focused on ONE topic (at a time) • Makes skimming easy • Has explicit logic • Is unambiguous • Highlights the main points Takes the reader by the hand and leads them through the text.

2. Therefore: The backbone of good writing is… • Clear, explicit overall structure • Logical and ‘generic’ organisation of information • Clear and focused paragraph structure With the help of • precise vocabulary • unambiguous and correct language • ‘metatext’/‘metalanguage’/‘metadiscourse’

3. Metatext / metalanguage / metadiscourse is … • text about text . . . language about language • text which guides your readers by • summarising for them what you have just said, • telling themwhat to expectnext, • saying how your writing is to be interpreted

4. Use metalanguage to, for example, • emphasizethe importance of an idea • focus the reader’s attention to a specific idea • switch from positive to negative, and vv • Mark a sudden change of subject • digress(give valid reason for digression!) • make explicit the relations between ideas, eg • Reason/cause - consequence • Generalization - example • Contrasting – pointing out similarities • list issues/points

5. Metatext does NOT directly contribute to the information content of your text. It structures your text, organizes the information, and therefore helps readers to understand your research.