Academic Writing

By Ji Yeon Lee
Education & Special Program Coordinator,
Public Affairs, U.S. Embassy Jakarta
 What is academic writing?
Academic writing refers to a particular style of
expression that researchers use to define the
intellectual boundaries of their disciplines and their
areas of expertise.

Characteristics of academic writing include:

 Formal tone
 Use of third-person perspective
 Clear focus on the research problem under investigation
 Precise word choice
 The Purposes of writing

Discover knowledge
Make a point
Persuade the reader
Share information
Analyze a topic
Document your observations
Think of Writing as a Step-by-Step Process
Read and Research
Brainstorm Ideas
Develop a Working Thesis and Outline
Write a Rough Draft
Review for Content
Revise Rough Draft
Review for Grammar and Mechanics
Revise Second Draft
Continue Reviewing and Revising as Needed
Where Do I Get Ideas To Write About?

Read texts related to your topic

Use brainstorming techniques like:
 Listing ideas
 Clustering or mind mapping
 Free writing
Discuss the issue with others
Research the topic
 Clustering

Write your main point in the center of the page

and circle it
As ideas come to you, branch off from the main
point
Think of the cluster as a tree, each idea
branching off a previous idea
Do not censor or edit yourself
Example of Clustering
Example of Mind Mapping
 Introduction
The purpose of the introduction paragraph is to:
 Hook the reader
 Contextualize your argument or topic
 Provide necessary background information about
the topic
 Strategies to Hook the Reader

Ask a question
Tell a story
Use a quote
Provide interesting statistics
Share an anecdote
Make a provocative statement
 Give Context in the Introduction

What does the reader need to know to understand

this paper?

 Historical background
 Issues relating to the topic
 Important authors and texts you will be referring to
 Cultural issues
 Why this topic is important or relevant
 Develop a Working Thesis
A thesis comes at the end of the introduction section of
your paper.
It lets the reader know exactly what overall point you are
trying to make.
It should be specific, not general.
It can be used by the reader and the writer as a road
map for the rest of the paper.
It is not fixed; it can and should evolve as your ideas
evolve.
What you present in the paper should not deviate from
what you promise in the thesis.
 Thesis Examples
Since the publication of reports that a teacher who
pinched one of her students might be facing three years
imprisonment, many opinions have been voiced in social
media as well as via radio and television. Most disagree
with the imprisonment of the teacher.

Jokowi is hopeful more Indonesians will participate in

tax amnesty.

 Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo yesterday

urged citizens to take part in the country’s new tax
amnesty.
 Developing an Outline
Once you establish a thesis, use it to help you
develop an outline of the paper

An outline will:

 Help you organize your ideas
 Keep you focused
 Save time

For every main point, you’ll need several

supporting details
 Example of Formal Outline
 Introduction-Thesis Statement
 3 Main Points
 2-3 Supporting Points
Detail
Detail
 Supporting Point
Detail
Detail
 Supporting Point
Detail
Detail
 Conclusion
 Writing the Rough Draft
Now that you have a thesis and outline, you may
begin writing your rough draft.

As you write this rough draft, keep the following

strategies in mind:
 Organize information in your body paragraphs
 Hook the reader in the introduction
 Keep your paper coherent with transition words and
sentences
 Wrap up your paper with a strong closing
 Utilize academic writing conventions
 Follow the writing process
 Start Your Body Paragraphs with
Clear Topic Sentences

A Topic Sentences-Main Point:

Comes at the beginning of a paragraph

Presents the most important point you want to
make in that paragraph
Is specific (or not so broad it would require a
full essay to explore)
Use Compelling Supporting Points to
Support Your Topic Sentence
Supporting points are examples or pieces of
evidence that support the claim you have made in
your topic sentence.

They can be:

 Facts
 Examples
 Anecdotes (Stories)
 Expert Testimony
 Quotes*
 Observations
 Statistics*
 Make Sure to Elaborate with
Concrete Details

Once you have listed your supporting points, you

can now elaborate on them by adding details or
explaining what you mean further.
Use Transitions to Create Coherence

Use transition words or sentences to bridge ideas

so the reader does not get confused
First
Second
In addition
Nevertheless
In contrast
Furthermore
Therefore
 Strategies for a Conclusion

Re-state your thesis statement in a different way.

Make a strong closing comment.

Leave the reader with a closing thought.

Academic Conventions: Things to Do

Do address both sides of an argument

Do cite your sources (Ask your instructor)
Do use a formal tone
Do take a stand
Do use concrete details
Do give yourself time to develop your paper
Academic Conventions: Things to Avoid

Avoid using personal pronouns like “I”, “We”,

and “You”.
Avoid using contractions like “isn’t”, “they’re”,
“wasn’t”, etc.
Avoid slang
Avoid a personal tone
Avoid vague ideas
Avoid plagiarism
Why Is Plagiarism a Serious Problem?
Involves students/researchers attempting to earn
credit by using the work of another person
Steals from the ideas, expressions and works of the
innovative people who come up with them
Possible consequences?
 Suspension or termination on a student’s permanent
transcript
 Can affect a student's ability to transfer
 May cause problems with future employers who ask for
transcripts as part of a job application
 Can face financial risks
 Creators harmed when their works are copied or used
without authorization sue to collect lost earnings and
damages.
Why Should We Paraphrase and Summarize?
Why Should We Paraphrase and Summarize?
 Ways to AVOID PLAGERISM!!
Paraphrase
 If the wording of the paraphrase is too close to the wording of
the original content, then it is plagiarism. The main ideas need
to come through, but the wording has to be your own.
Summarize
 Paraphrasing usually makes the passage shorter than the
original. Another option is to use a summary that is much
shorter than the original and is an overview of the main points.
Use direct quotes
 To use another person’s writing in your own can be
accomplished with quotes and citations. A quote will need to be
the exact wording and the author and source will need to be
identified.
 Paraphrasing
Use the writer’s own words to explain or interpret another
author’s ideas
 Important to keep the original meaning and to present it in a
new form
MUST reference the original source
May be longer or shorter than the length of the original text

TIP: Don’t just change around the author’s words or

substitute synonyms. Read the passage to understand its
meaning, then cover it and write the idea in your own words,
as you would explain it to a friend or colleague. If you do end
up with borrowed phrases, put them in quotes.
 Paraphrasing Tips
Determine the relevant points and their
relationship
 What does it say?
 Why does it say that?
 What does it mean?

Find linking phrases and expressions that can

connect the two points
 Although, however, as a result

Find verbs that might establish other relationships

 Due to, caused by, can be attributed to
Examples of Paraphrasing: Sentences

Original: Her life spanned years of incredible change

for women.
Paraphrase: Mary lived through an era of liberating
reform for women.

Original: Any trip to Italy should include a visit to

Tuscany to sample their exquisite wines.
Paraphrase: Be sure to include a Tuscan wine-tasting
experience when visiting Italy.
Examples of Paraphrasing: Paragraphs
Original:

In The Sopranos, the mob is besieged as much by

inner infidelity as it is by the federal government.
Early in the series, the greatest threat to Tony's
Family is his own biological family. One of his
closest associates turns witness for the FBI, his
mother colludes with his uncle to contract a hit on
Tony, and his kids click through Web sites that
track the federal crackdown in Tony's gangland.
Examples of Paraphrasing: Paragraphs
Paraphrase:

In the first season of The Sopranos, Tony Soprano’s

mobster activities are more threatened by
members of his biological family than by agents of
the federal government. This familial betrayal is
multi-pronged. Tony’s closest friend and associate
is an FBI informant, his mother and uncle are
conspiring to have him killed, and his children are
surfing the Web for information about his
activities.
 Examples of Paraphrasing: Paragraphs
Main Point: Problems within the family are as bad as or even
worse than problems caused by the federal government.
Details about this betrayal include one family member
turning informant, a hit being put out on Tony by family
members, and Tony’s kids tracking his activities.
Summary of some of the changes made during the
paraphrasing process:
 Early in the series = first season
 More threatened = greatest threat
 Closest friend and associate = one family member
 His mother colludes with his uncle = his mother and uncle
are conspiring
 His kids click through Web sites = his children are surfing
the Web
 Summarizing
Read the article as many times as is necessary for full
understanding
Make a list or outline of the key points
Use your own words to express the main idea of an article or
study, including only the main points
Don’t interject your own opinion into the summary
Significantly shorter than source material
MUST reference the original source
In longer summaries, you may want to use phrases to remind
your reader you are summarizing:
 Ex: (Author) also states/maintains/argues that…
 The article further states that…
 Example of a Summary: Original
“The Northern Lights”
There are times when the night sky glows with bands of
color. The bands may begin as cloud shapes and then
spread into a great arc across the entire sky. They may fall
in folds like a curtain drawn across the heavens. The lights
usually grow brighter, then suddenly dim. During this time
the sky glows with pale yellow, pink, green, violet, blue,
and red. These lights are called the Aurora Borealis. Some
people call them the Northern Lights. Scientists have been
watching them for hundreds of years. They are not quite
sure what causes them. In ancient times people were
afraid of the Lights. They imagined that they saw fiery
dragons in the sky. Some even concluded that the heavens
were on fire.
Example of a Summary: Summary

The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, are

bands of color in the night sky. Ancient people
thought that these lights were dragon on fire,
and even modern scientists are not sure what
they are.
 Quotations

Use the exact words of the original author

Must reference the original source, including

page number

Use quotation marks around the original words

 Citing Sources
Citing sources in the body of your paper
and providing a list of references as either
footnotes or endnotes is a very IMPORTANT
aspect of academic writing
Not only as a defense against allegations of
plagiarism but also as a way to allow
readers to identify the sources you used
and independently verify your findings and
conclusions
 Footnote
What are footnotes?
 Placed at the bottom of a page
 Cite references or comment on a designated part of
the text above it
 Ex) when you want to add an interesting comment to
a sentence you have written, but the comment is not
directly related to the argument of your paragraph
 Refer to relevant sources by letting the reader know
where certain material came from or where they can
look for other sources on the subject
 Endnote

Additional information or credits given at the

end of the document instead of at the end of
each page
 Microsoft Word Steps
To insert a footnote or an endnote in Microsoft
Word 2007 and later versions:
1) Open Microsoft Word.
2) Within Microsoft Word, place the cursor where you
want to insert the number that points to the
footnote or endnote.
3) In the Ribbon at the top, click on the References
tab.
4) In the Footnotes section, click on Insert Footnote
or Insert Endnote, depending on which one you are
inserting.
 Microsoft Word Steps
To insert a footnote or an endnote in Microsoft
Word 2003 and earlier versions:
1) Open Microsoft Word.
2) Within Microsoft Word, place the cursor where
you want to insert the number that points to
the footnote or endnote and click Insert.
3) Click Footnote.
4) Specify whether you want to insert a Footnote
or an Endnote, then click Ok.
Citation Style: Parenthetical Style
Abbreviated form of citation
Does not require footnotes or endnotes
BUT require the equivalent of a “Works Cited”
page at the end of the paper
Easier to write but might interfere with how
smoothly your work reads
 Citation Style
Humanities
 Chicago
 MLA (Modern Language Association)

Sciences
 ACS (American Chemical Society)
 IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
 NLM (National Library of Medicine)
 Vancouver (Biological Sciences)

Social Sciences
 AAA (American Anthropological Association)
 APA (American Psychological Association)
 APSA (American Political Science Association)
 Legal Style
 Remember, Writing is a Process
Every writing assignment is practice for the next one
Writing takes time
Go through every step of the process
Focus on your ideas first
Focus on grammar and spelling last
Get feedback from a peer, instructor, or tutor