Writing Across the Discipline

What All Campus Disciplines Value in Writing

Despite how varied the forms of academic writing are, expectations of professors are generally uniform
and predictable. No field approves of poor mechanics (i.e. glaring grammatical errors, misspellings,
misused words), plagiarism, poor or lazy citation, unoriginal thought, opinions that are merely assertive
and not supported by evidence, or unreadable writing. Less commonly known, but no less universal
taboos, include students failing to carefully read and following an assignment’s rubric or not asking their
professor for clarification, failing to adhere to a specific citation format (MLA, APA, CMS), failure to
engage with course texts if they are required, and filling papers with fluff, clichés, or excessively flowery
or pretentious prose that serves only to detract from the student author’s message.Nearly every
professor from every field loves writing that adheres to these eight C’s:

Clarity: Defining terms, writing sentences structured for ease of flow, using good mechanics, writing a
specific, focused, and relevant thesis, and using exact language.

Coherence: Logically organized and well-connected ideas tied to a unified theme.

Continuity: Using consistent tone, diction, transitions, road maps, sign posts, or labels to make the
direction of the paper flow smoothly and continually in a purposeful direction.

Concision: Getting straight to the point and avoiding any language or ideas that detract from the
meaning of the paper or distract the reader so they become lost.

Comprehension: Demonstrating knowledge and command of the subject the student is writing about by
being able to analyze and synthesize data and build arguments from those data or relate thoughts to
larger and more global contexts.

Courtesy: Good writers always consider who their audience is and tailor their writing accordingly so
readers don’t have to work hard to understand what’s being said.

Cleverness: Exhibiting original thought and producing new and unique insights original to their author.

Citation: Using sources effectively, citing them accurately, and being exceptionally responsible in
attributing credit where credit is.

What is an Academic Article?

An academic article is often written in the form of an argument. The author takes a particular stand on
an issue, which is often stated in the thesis statement. The author presents research evidence and facts
in order to support his argument. Well-written academic articles are based on a great deal of research
and the author has drawn conclusions from a range of sources.

What is an Article Critique?

A critique is a paper that gives you an assessment of a particular article. It is different from a research
paper in that it only focuses on one article. It is a specific style of essay which identifies the author’s
ideas and evaluates them based on current theory and research.

Steps in Writing an Article Critique

1. Understand your teacher’s instructions carefully. While article critiques may follow a general structure,
it is important that you pay attention to the requirements specified by your teacher. This will help you
determine the sections that you will need in the critique paper, and it will help you save time.

2. Find your article. Your teacher may require you to do an article critique alongside your field of interest,
or he/she may allow you to choose any ‘text’, which can be an entire book, a book chapter, a journal
article, etc. Once your text is approved, you can start looking for your text in the library, online library
database, or on the Internet, depending on the accessibility of resources. Make sure to take note of the

following information, as you will be needing them in writing your critique:

a. Name(s) of the author(s)

b. Title of the article

c. Title of the work where it was published (journal, newspaper, book, etc.)

d. Publisher, publication date and place

e. Page number

f. Article abstract (if any)

Academic writing is generally be divided into three main categories or genres: writing in the humanities,
writing in the sciences, and writing in business. Each genre has its own specific requirements in terms of
style, content, and format.

Writing in the Humanities

Academic writing in the humanities explores questions that deal with human values. The ultimate goal in
writing in the humanities is to explain or understand the human experience—to use writing as a tool to
reflect upon life. The “humanities,” as a discipline, includes not only literature, but also philosophy,
ethics, performing arts, fine arts, history, and aspects of anthropology, cultural studies, foreign
languages, and linguistics. In a humanities class, you might be asked to analyze a poem, a performance
or play, a painting, a film, or even a musical work.

Writing in the Sciences

Science writing includes writing in two main categories— natural sciences and social sciences. In each
genre, the writing focuses on informing readers of new discoveries and assisting them in discovering
truth through facts and firm, detailed data.

Research-based writing in the sciences typically uses a formal tone, employs a third- person voice, and
avoids personal references and needless adjectives. Depending on the assignment, you might also write
an analytical, explanatory, or persuasive paper in any of these fields for a popular or professional
audience.

Natural Sciences
Natural sciences include physical sciences such as biology, chemistry, engineering, geology, and physics.
This type of writing is generally concise and includes genres such as lab reports and reviews of scientific
literature.

Social Sciences

The social sciences, on the other hand, focus on human behavior and societies. They involve
documenting actual events as they happen. Categories of social science include psychology,
anthropology, political science, sociology, education, and economics.

Writing in Business

Business writing often means explaining a situation, event, or change in order to compel the reader
toward a very specific action. Format is key to a well-written business document because its structure
needs to allow the reader to quickly find particular sections and a contact person who can answer
further questions. Writing in business can include memos, cover letters, resumes, project reports,
proposals, thank-you letter, emails, and business plans. While adherence to conventional grammar,
spelling, and punctuation is important in every discipline, business writing places the greatest emphasis
on mechanics.

PRE-TEST

Pair Work. Pair up with your classmate and discuss the following questions briefly.

1. Have you ever read an interesting article (print or online)? _________________________

2. What was the article about?

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3. Who wrote it? ____________________________________________________________________

4. What made it interesting?

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5. When do you say that an article you read is interesting?

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6. Have you ever read a dull or boring article (print or online)? ________________________

7. What was the article about?

__________________________________________________________________________________

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8. Who wrote it? ____________________________________________________________________

9. What made it dull or boring?

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10. When do you say that an article you read is dull or boring?

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