Categories of

Academic Writing

Learning Features of Academic

Objectives Writing

Key Characteristics of
Academic Writing
 Descriptive Writing

• The simplest type of writing that academic

writers produce. It offers facts and information in
several fields of study.
• You can also use personal experience when
making descriptive essays. But effective writing
includes using precise language to avoid turning
it into personal writing.
 Analytical Writing

• Includes reorganizing facts, showing

relationships, and comparing information.
• When writing an analytical paper, always
make the structure of your writing clear.
Create an outline beforehand, and don’t
forget to add accurate citations.
 Persuasive Writing

• PW has the same characteristics as analytical

writing, plus your point of view. This requires a
coherent argument backed by relevant evidence
throughout the paper.
• Includes a recommendation, interpretation of
findings, and an analysis of others’ scholarly
writing.
 Critical Writing

• CW is a form of writing in college essays and

postgraduate writing. It follows a formal writing
style with the added feature of another point of
view.
• Critical essay needs more than one point of view.
This writing should also have a strong statement
or messages backed by authoritative sources.
1. Complexity
• Written language is
relatively more complex
than spoken language.
Written language has
longer words and it has a
more varied vocabulary.
• Written texts are shorter,
and the language has more
grammatical complexity.
2. Formality
• AW is relatively
formal. It means
that in an essay
you should avoid
colloquial words
and expressions.
3. Precision

• In AW, facts
and figures
are given
precisely.
 4. Accuracy

• AW uses
vocabulary
accurately. Most
subjects have
words with narrow
specific meanings.
 5. Objectivity

• Written language is
in general objective
rather than
personal. It has
fewer words that
refer to the writer
or the reader.
6. Explicitness

• AW is explicit about the

relationships in the text.
Furthermore, it is the
responsibility of the writer
to make it clear to the
reader how the various
parts of the text are related.
 7. Hedging

• It is necessary to make
decisions about your stance
on a particular subject, or the
strength of the claims you are
making.
• A technique common in
certain kinds of AW is known
by linguists as a ‘hedge’.
8. Responsibility

• You must be responsible

and must be able to
provide evidence and
justification for any claims
you make. You are also
responsible for
demonstrating an
understanding of any
source texts you use.
9. Organization

• AW is well
organized. It flows
easily from one
section to the next
in a logical fashion.
A good place to
start is the genre of
your text.
10. Planning

• AW is well
planned. It usually
takes place after
research and
evaluation,
according to a
specific purpose
and plan.
 FORMAL TONE

• A formal tone is always used in

academic writing. It is not lighthearted or
conversational in tone. Slang and
clichés do not belong in this type of
writing.
 PRECISE LANGUAGE

• In keeping with the formal tone,

it’s important to choose precise
language that very clearly
conveys the author’s meaning.
 POINT-OF-VIEW (POV)

• AW is usually written in third person

POV because its focus is to educate
on the facts rather than to support an
opinion or give advice.
 RESEARCH FOCUS

• Because most academic writing

involves reporting research results, it
tends to focus on the specific
research question(s) being studied.
 ORGANIZATION

• AW should be organized logically in

a linear, matter-of-fact fashion. Use
headings to delineate each major
section.
 SOURCE CITATIONS

• Most AW includes at least

some secondary research sources.
Be sure to properly cite all sources
and include a bibliography.