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Academic writing is quite different from the chatty, conversational style you use when communicating with friends. It's also different from the type of writing you read in many newspapers, or novels. It's more formal than other types of writing, and it follows certain conventions.
When you write in an academic writing style, you don't write as you would normally speak. You avoid using more informal language, such as slang or colloquialisms, or contractions. You structure your language carefully, using complete sentences and paragraphs. Although bulleted lists are also acceptable, they shouldn't be overused, because your writing would start to look like it was just notes.
You can get an idea of the kind of writing favoured in your subject area by looking at relevant research papers in academic journals, and at academic posters. When you're doing the reading for your course, you might find it useful to look at the style of writing, as well as reading for the information.
You'll find your ability to write in an effective academic style will improve the more you read, and the more practice you get in writing.
Academic writing:
Formal writing doesn't use contractions, or colloquialisms and slang. Look at these examples:
| Contraction | Uncontracted phrase |
|---|---|
| isn't | is not |
| it'll be completed | it will be completed |
| they've | they have |
Most types of written assignments should be written in an impersonal, objective style. Generally, this means that you shouldn't use 'I' or 'we' or 'you'. Compare these examples of impersonal writing style:
Sometimes you will be asked to write 'reflectively'. This may be as part of an essay or it may be for a reflective diary or log. Here you need to talk about yourself – what you have done, what you have learnt, what you might do differently. In this case it is quite acceptable to use 'I' or 'we'.
Q How might you change this piece of writing to make it more formal and objective?
It is wise to use a cautious tone in your writing, because very often you are discussing issues in which there is no absolutely right answer, or absolutely correct definition, or absolutely perfect solution. If you present something as being the best way, it might easily be shown not to be the best way! So it's usually better to 'suggest', rather than 'state.' You will probably notice this style when you are reading academic articles in your subject.
Here are some examples of a cautious or tentative style.
| Examples of cautious or tentative style | |
|---|---|
| It appears that... | It may be that... |
| It seems as though... | It is likely that... |
| This suggests that... | It is possible... |
Can you think of more?
Academic writing refers to information from a range of print, digital and other sources, all of which must be clearly referenced in your text.
Remember! You must always clearly identify the work and ideas of others in your writing.
Anne Chirnside
First published October 2006. Last updated 18 December 2008.
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