Features of Academic Writing

1. Features of Academic Writing Skills for Success Workshop 3, 2011

2. Student Learning Outcomes • Make informed use of formal language choices • Avoid use of personal, subjective or unsupported ideas and ambiguous language • Recognise a range of generic terms that are frequently found in academic writing • Use passive and active forms of expression as appropriate • Develop a repertoire of connectives and other discourse markers that help to organise ideas within and between sentences and paragraphs

3. (cont.) Student Learning Outcomes • Exercise control in the use of pronouns • Recognise the need to avoid making absolute claims in academic writing: understand the notion of modality

4. What is Academic Writing? Audience Tone Purpose Involves a weighing up of evidence and ideas

5. Examples of academic writing A: Not particularly good • Today I will discuss my position on Aboriginal health in 2009 and how history affected it. Different points will be discovered and taken into consideration. B: Much better • This paper will discuss the current health status of Indigenous communities as a product of history. Three things will be emphasised: first, Aboriginal health is…

6. Process of Academic Writing Prewriting Planning III. Drafting IV. Editing and revising

7. Common Task Words in Academic Writing • Analyse • Apply • Argue • Compare/Contrast • Define • Describe • Discuss • Evaluate/Critique • Interpret • Summarise • Synthesise

8. Features of Academic writing 1. Unity and cohesion within paragraphs -unity: each paragraph deals with one idea -cohesion: ideas and information relate to each other smoothly and logically 2. Unity and cohesion in the whole essay -unity: the whole paper explores one clearly stated central idea -cohesion: paragraphs are arranged in a logical order, developing the argument unity + cohesion = clarity

9. Unity in paragraphs: ideas show a thematic discussion achieved by PEA Fish make excellent pets. A. Economical to feed B. Quiet C. Well-behaved Because of these three qualities alone, fish make outstanding pets (Bardos, 2009). Paragraphs frequently contain the following: Point Evidence (or example) Analysis

10. Unity through organisation Possible models of text organisation: A. chronology- paragraphs are arranged by the order of events in time. B. logical division- paragraphs with the same “coverage” stand close to each other. C. Order of importance – most important ideas first, etc.

11. Cohesion through correct use of punctuation marks

12. Cohesion: pronouns and referencing English English has almost become an international language . Except for Chinese, most people speak it more than any other language. Spanish is the official language of many countries in the world but more countries have it as their official or unofficial second language. More than 70 % of the world’s mail is written in it. In international business, it is used more than any other language and it is the language of airline pilots and air traffic controllers all over the world. Moreover, although French used to be the language of diplomacy, it has displaced it throughout the world. Therefore, unless you plan to sped your life alone on a desert island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it is a useful language to know.

13. Cohesion through the use of transitions (connectors)

14. Common mistakes in sentences Sentence fragments “Because the enzyme failed to bond.” 2. “Choppy” text E.g. “We must find new sources of energy. The earth's natural sources are dwindling. Solar energy is promising to be a new source of energy. Solar energy is from the sun’s radiation.” 3. Run-on sentences “Getting married is easy staying married is a different matter.”

15. Avoiding absolutism Consider the following two arguments: “Everyone in Australia agrees that gay couples should have the right to get married. No-one can disagree with this argument because gay people are humans, like all of us. Therefore, the law has to change to allow for gay marriage.” “According to a recent poll, 57% of Australians appear to be in favour of allowing gay couples to marry, which they are at present prevented from doing by law . One of the most potent arguments in favour of such a change in legislation is based on the right of every person to enjoy equality. Equality, it is argued, should and must extend to marriage and not just be limited to material issues such as property rights or inheritance.”

16. Active or passive? The terms ‘active’ or ‘passive voice’ refer to the way ideas are organised grammatically to place the focus of responsibility for actions in language. Consider the two following examples: (Active) “We encourage students to develop their understanding of the role of grammar in the creation of more formal academic writing.” (Passive) “Students are encouraged to develop their understanding of the role of grammar in the creation of more formal academic writing.” Question: When should we use active or passive voice in our writing?

17. Preserving the formal tone Check with your lecturer about: Sub-headingsNumberingBullet points Avoid all: Colloquial words and expressionsAbbreviationsContractions