CHAPTER VII: COMMUNICATION FOR ACADEMIC

PURPOSES
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to;
1. Understand the structure of academic writing.
2. Identify the three basic sections of the academic paper.
3. Analyze essay questions into component parts.
4. Write and present an academic paper using appropriate tone,
styles and conventions
5. Adopt awareness of the audience and context in presenting of
ideas.

LESSON 1: WHAT IS ACADEMIC WRITING?

Academic writing is a writing done in the academic setting. For
the professionals, it serves for preparing lecture materials for
delivery before a group of colleagues or a presentation in meetings
and conferences. For the students, it served for writing term papers
and other scholarly materials needed for satisfying requirements of
their courses.
Academic in writing is formal in nature and unlike in other forms
for writing, it is basically informative; its foremost aim is to educate,
and when really good and effectively written, may also be
entertaining and persuasive in the end.
Why academic writing is important to students?
1. Academic writing allows the development of analytic and
thinking among the students.
2. It teaches the students to clearly convey complicate ideas
concisely and in well-structures format because academic writing is

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about just that: writing complex ideas in as concise and as structured
format as possible.
3. It teaches the students to express what they know.
4. It prepares the students to write with ease and style.
5. It helps ensure surviving college life.
6. It increases the chance of being hired immediately after college.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ACADEMIC WRITING
1.It is well organized. It is analytical and therefore needs planning
and outlining to ensure that pertinent information shall be included
in the paper.
2. It is written in the third person.
3.It maintains professional tone.
4. It is always written with a purpose.
5. Adheres to a prescribed referencing style.
6. Uses flawless grammar and sturdy writing.

LESSON 2: UNDERSTANDING THE STRUCTURE OF

ACADEMIC WRITING

THE STRUCTURE OF ACADEMIC WRITING

An academic paper has three basic sections- the introduction,
body and conclusion except for thesis and dissertation. Schools may
be prescribed a different format for these papers.
The introduction of any academic paper must be interesting
enough to catch the reader’s attention. It must also state the purpose
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of the paper wished to answer. The common and effective ways of
starting off a paper, aside from asking stimulating question, can be a
quotation, interesting information, or a definition of an important
related term.
The body is the main part of the paper. It where the “substance”
of the paper is discussed clearly written paragraphs. To be clear,
ideas or information must be arranged and presented with unity,
emphasis, and cohesion. Unity can be achieved by seeing to it all the
sentences in each paragraph are in support of the topics sentence and
that all the paragraphs are in support of the topic. Emphasis can be
achieved through repetition, definition, and use of synonyms to
clarify important terms or stress out important points. Cohesion on
the other hand can be achieved by ensuring that sentences and
paragraphs relate with another with the use of transitional words
like, therefore, such as, in the long run, for example, etc.
The conclusion presents the synthesis of the paper and is an
embodiment of the writers insights based on the facts and figures
presented on the paper. Except for the thesis and the dissertations,
Introduction consists of one paragraph. Thesis and dissertations can
have more, depending on the number of research questions. In such
case there should be many conclusions as there are research
questions.

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 Here is an example of what academic paper typically looks like.
Using standard fonts, margins, and indentions helps your paper gain
credibility with an academic audience; readers who are comfortable
with your paper’s format can pay close attention to the ideas you’re
communication.

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 TYPES OF ACADEMIC WRITING
1. Essay
Essay is an argumentative writing that is usually short. Its structure
contains the title page, date, course, instructor’s name and student’s
name. Its introduction may consist of background of the argument,
content of essay, theoretical perspectives used definition of terms,
line of argument and organization of essay. The body presents a
support to the thesis statement; it contains developing sentences that
extend topic sentences, gives evidence to support topic sentence,
and provides concluding sentences. The conclusion restates the line
of argument, summarizes the points that support the thesis, and
suggest further research.
References. Sources cited in the paper listed alphabetically.
TYPES OF ESSAY
1. Narration. An account of something that happened; a story
Narration has the following elements:
 Situation- the background; the who, what, when and where
of the account.
 Conflict – the problem, friction, or issue at the heart of the
story.
 Struggle- what happened? The struggle adds action and
develops the plot.
 Outcome – result of the struggle; the resolution.
 Meaning- lesson learned; the” moral of the story.”
Use:
 Description techniques
 Dialogue (What people said, in quotation marks, using
quotation indicators like He said, She said, etc.)

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  Transitional words like Then, Soon, Later, On the other
hand, For example, etc.
 But, avoid: I did this; then I did that. Then, we did this. Then
we did that. Next, we did this.

Verb tense - Should usually be the past tense, even when

recounting something that happened to you and telling the story as
though the reader is with you at the time. Pick a tense and stick with
it!
Point of View (POV) - Will often be the first person (I did this;
then I did that; it was my problem), but the writer may be also being
writing about someone else: (My father drove away; then he called
my mother; she answered.)
May be third person if the writer is telling the story from a distance,
fro example, writing a biographical narrative about someone else.
2. Description: Specific detail and imagery making reader feel
present in the moment.
 Description should be present in any type of writing, from
narration to the others covered here.
 Think about the dominant impression you want to give;
don’t attempt to describe every single thing.
 Use imagery to put you reader right there for you.
 Order events in time and space in such a way that the reader
can imagine the location and the time easily.
 Be specific
Instead of: I got home and put my books down on the
couch. Then I ate some food.

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 Try: After throwing my dog-eared books on the dusty sofa,
I settled down to a snack of crisp, yellow corn chips
accompanied by spicy tomato salsa spilling over the top of an
earthen-ware bowl.
 Be interesting
Instead of: After my mom yelled at me, I was sad and mad.
I wanted to yell back, but I knew I’d get in bad trouble. So I hid
in my closet and cried.
Try: “Get the hell out of here, you brat!” my mother would
yell. I felt hollow inside, like a pumpkin with the seeds scooped
out, and as mad as a raging bull. I wanted so badly to yell back
at her, but, knowing the consequences would be unspeakable, I
curled up in the corner of my dark, quiet closet and cried.
 Avoid sweeping generalization. Use examples that you can
back up- or write in moderation.
 Avoid being judgemental. Provide specific examples and
details instead; let readers draw their own conclusion.
 Use adjectives and adverbs
Instead of: It was hot. In the afternoon, we rested on a log
before hiking further into the woods. Try: Once the
afternoon sun began to blaze down upon us, exhaustion set
in, and we collapsed on a nearby moss-covered log,
groaning under the weight of its ancient branches. Our
hike into the heart of the forest would soon resume
3. Cause and effect: for discussing relationship, reasons, and how
one thing led to another. Use this approach of indicating the
situation and identifying the causes and effects

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4. Compare and contrast: for comparing two or more subjects,
concepts, ideas, etc.
Use the Four P’s:
- Purpose: Identify the points you are going to compare the
two subjects across. Use prewriting (like clustering) for this. For
example, when comparing the two subject’s sorbet and ice cream,
you may want to compare them across these points: texture, caloric
content, richness, flavour options, fullness of taste, cost, etc.
- Pattern: you can compare two items on a point-by-point basis
or you can compare the items on a subject- by- subject basis.
- Presentation: the pattern you decide upon determines upon
how you outline will be set up.
5. The Argumentative or Persuasive Essay. For arguing and
supporting your options
Essay Parts:
1. Background: historical & social context of a controversial
issue
2. Proposition: your thesis statement; what you will argue,
including a roadmap of how you will argue it. 3.Qualifications:
any limitations to your argument; for example, you may be
opposed to abortion, except in cases of rape or health of the
mother.
4.Refutation: identification of the opposing position and its flaws
(Provide evidence!)
5.Support: you’re reasoning, facts, examples, statistics, opinions of
authorities, and other evidence to make your case.

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6. Conclusion: come full circle, with a conclusion that restates your
thesis and shows how you have made your case, summarizing the
most important points you made.
Thesis Statement in Argumentative Essays
 The argumentative thesis takes a side of an issue; frequently
it proposes an approach of an action which is often expressed with
the modal should.
 In the argument concerning the nuclear power plant, the
thesis for a paper on this topic might be: “Government should ban
further construction under nuclear power plants.”
 Someone else might argue:
“The U.S should continue building nuclear power plants.”

The Useful tips for Argumentative Essays:

To write well developed paragraphs:
 Avoid strong feelings ( don’t say: nobody does this, or it is
impossible to disagree with me)
 Use generalizations (e.g. people say/ believe/ consider)
 Do not use generalization (e.g. everybody believes that...)
 Do not use strong personal expressions (e.g. I think...)
 Use linking words (e.g. therefore, although, however etc.)
 Use sequencing (e.g. firstly, secondly, lastly)
 Make reference to other sources (e.g. the government claims
that...)
 Give examples- not personal thoughts (e.g. products such as
sprayer can destroy the environment)
 Give up banal introductions. Write something more original
( don’t write: this topic has been important since ancient times.
When? Too vague= unclear)
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Style Tips:
 Make sure your writing flows. Once you have written a draft of
your essay, check that the paragraphs are ordered in a logical way.
Read over the topic sentences: do they follow a logical sequence?
 Always write in a third person. Do NOT use: I, my, we, our, us,
or you
 Do NOT start paragraphs with quotations. Write topic sentences.
 Always use gender neutral language: he/she, their, the author, the
researcher, and so on.
 Use formal language: do NOT use words such as “things”! Be
specific

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