What is a Non-Academic Text

Non-academic texts are writings that are informal and dedicated to a lay audience.
They are emotional, personal and subjective without any kind of research involving.
Therefore, anyone can write a non-academic text. Newspaper articles, e-mail messages,
text messages, journal writing, and letters are some examples of non-academic text.

Features of Non-Academic Texts

 Less formal (may idioms, slangs, contractions)

 Casual language
 Use any point of view
 Opinion-based
 Free of rigid structures
 On general topics

Academic texts are critical, objective and specialized texts that are written by
professionals or experts in a particular field. They are written in formal language and
has a formal style and tone. Since these are objective texts, they are based on facts.
The emotions and feelings of the authors are not delivered through them. Academic
texts are well-focused, concise, clear, accurate, and well structured. They are based on
information and evidence, free from repetition, exaggeration, rhetorical questions, and
contractions and are always in the third person point of view.

Generally, academic texts debate or provide answers to a specific question in a field.

The main purpose of academic texts is to enhance the reader’s understanding of a
specific field.

Types of Academic Texts

 Essays
 Textbooks
 Theses
 Case studies 
 Reports
 Research articles

Examples of Non-academic Texts

 Personal journal entries

 Memoirs
  Autobiographical writing
 Letters
 E-mails
 Text messages

What is the Difference Between Academic Text and Non Academic Text?

The key difference between academic text and non academic text is that academic text
is intended for the scholarly and the research community in society while the non-
academic text is intended for the general public in society. While the academic text is
formal and factual, the non-academic text is informal and personal. In addition,
academic texts always contain citations, whereas non-academic texts may or may not
contain citations.

No contractions- don’t and isn’t

Any paper requiring the writer to research a particular topic is a research

paper. Unlike essays, which are often based largely on opinion and are
written from the author's point of view, research papers are based in fact. A
research paper requires you to form an opinion on a topic, research and
gain expert knowledge on that topic, and then back up your own opinions
and assertions with facts found through your thorough research.

Structure is an important feature of academic writing. A well-structured text enables the

reader to follow the argument and navigate the text. In academic writing a clear structure and
a logical flow are imperative to a cohesive text. Furthermore, in many university assignments
the correct use of structure is part of the final assessment.

Most academic texts follow established structures. This page describes some
common structures in academic writing: the three-part essay structure and the IMRaD
structure. Structure should be considered on all levels of text so you will also find
information on structuring paragraphs.

The structure of your writing depends on the type of assignment, but two common structures
used in academic writing are the three-part essay structure and the IMRaD structure. Even
shorter essays that are not divided into titled sections follow such a structure. Longer texts
may be further divided into subsections. Different disciplines or departments may prefer that
students use a certain structure, so make sure to check with your instructor if you are not
sure what is expected of you.

The three-part essay structure

The three-part essay structure is a basic structure that consists of introduction, body
and conclusion. The introduction and the conclusion should be shorter than the body
of the text. For shorter essays, one or two paragraphs for each of these sections can
be appropriate. For longer texts or theses, they may be several pages long.

The IMRaD structure

The sections of the IMRaD structure are Introduction, Methods, Results and
Discussion.