PCOMM

Academic
Writing
By: Cornejo
Cortez
Cubelo
What is Academic
Writing?
S M T W T F S
It's the act of writing analytically, dissecting
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concepts to 8provide
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data11 that
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demonstrates
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a
thorough comprehension
15 16 17 of18a particular
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According to EAP Foundation:

Academic writing is arguably the most important skill

in academic contexts, since writing is the main method
of academic communication. It is also the most difficult
skill for most students to master.
 Characteristics of academic writing
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Planned and focused: answers1 the 2question

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and demonstrates an understanding of the
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subject.
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Structured: is coherent,
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and material.

Evidenced: demonstrates knowledge of the subject area, supports opinions and

arguments with evidence, and is referenced accurately.

Formal in tone and style: uses appropriate language and tenses, and is clear, concise
and balanced.
 A list of documents where academic
writing is used
• Book reviews
• Essays
• Research report
• Research proposal
• Scientific paper
• Academic journal
• Dissertation and Thesis - These are written to obtain an advanced degree at
a college or university.
• Abstract - This is a short summary of a long document.
 Types of
Academic Writing
EXPOSITORY
An expository essay offers a concise, targeted explanation of a specific subject, procedure, or body of ideas. The word
"expository" means "intended to explain or describe something." It merely aims to present a fair analysis of the subject
matter; it makes no attempt to prove anything.

NARRATIVE
When you write a narrative paper, you are “narrating” or telling a story.
•A strong narrative essay is one that paints a vivid image of the story using a variety of writing techniques
(characterization, descriptions, plot…etc).
• Like other types of essays, a narrative paper must have a clear structure and must include an introduction, body
paragraphs and a conclusion.
 Types of
Academic Writing
DESCRIPTIVE
In a descriptive essay, you describe an experience, a character, an object, a state of mind…etc.
•While this essay form comes with a level of freedom by allowing you to decide how to approach the task, you still need to
effectively structure your ideas.
•Use vivid structures that are rich in sensory language to help your readers not only understand what you are describing, but
visualize it.

ARGUMENTATIVE
The primary objective of an argumentative essay is to establish a point of view in regards to a particular topic
and defend that point of view using logical arguments and relevant examples.
•Your point of view or perspective must be clearly stated in the thesis statement (generally in the introduction)
that needs to be supported in the body of the essay using supporting evidence, counter-arguments and
refutations.
 AUDIENCE OF ACADEMIC WRITING
•Audience is the actual person(s) who will be reading your paper.
•In an academic setting, your audience is generally your professor, your classmates and sometimes other
professors who may be assessing your work at the end of the semester.
•It is, therefore, critical to consider how you will articulate your ideas in order to reach the desired
objective forM that specific audience.

RHETORIC AND STYLE OF ACADEMIC WRITING

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Academic9 papers
10 are written in formal academic tone, so they must be free of cliches and slang
language.
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You
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must also ensure that your writing does not include language that may be considered
offensive or sexist.
•Ex: “I23think
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the author is wrong about this issue” vs. “ I disagree with the author’s perspective on this
issue”30
•Ex: “She was acting crazy” vs. “Her behavior was unacceptable”
•Avoid making generalizations about a given point, especially when you are providing strong evidence
to defend your claim. Instead, use like “most”, “may”, “it seems”…etc
•Ex: “Teenagers love Apple products” vs. “Most teenagers love Apple products” or “It seems that most
teenagers are attracted to Apple products”
 Sentence Structure
•While your goal is not to impress your audience, academic writing is certainly more involved and requires a higher
level of sophistication compared to high school writing.
•You are, therefore, expected to vary your sentence forms, using complex and compound sentence structures.
•Transitions help you establish relationships between ideas and paragraphs and improve the overall quality of your
writing.
•The most common transitions are conjunctive adverbs such as “moreover, therefore, consequently…etc” and
INTRODUCTION
transitional phrases like “ in addition, in contrast…etc)

Content
•Consider your readers’ familiarity with the content of your writing.
•Assess your readers’ background knowledge of the topic and their ability to understand implications and references.
•In general, the less your audience knows about your topic, the more details you must present to ensure clarity.
Structure of
Academic
Writig
01 INTRODUCTION
02 BODY
03 CONCLUSION
-CITING SOURCES
 INTRODUCTION
• The introduction (opening paragraph) basically
accomplishes the following goals:
• Gives an overview or background on the topic in broad
terms
• Then narrows the scope of the topic to the presentation
• Prepares the reader for what is to come in the following
writing
• Provides main points that will be discussed and why
those are most important to the subject matter
• Grabs the readers attention
 BODY
• Developmental paragraphs (body paragraphs) are the
heart of an essay.
• Contains only one main idea stated by the topic
sentence of that paragraph
• Analyzes the evidence
• Directly supports the thesis statement
• Paragraphs are arranged in logical progression
• The paragraphs should flow smoothly from one to the
next and have internal fluidity while presenting
s u p p o r t i n g e v i d e n c e t o t h e p a r a g r a p h ’s m a i n p o i n t

**a short statement, usually one sentence, that summarizes the main point or claim of an essay, research
paper, etc ., and is developed, supported, and explained in the text by means of examples and evidence
(www.dictionary.com)
 CONCLUSION
• The conclusion is the summary paragraph. It should accomplish
the following:
• Clearly restates the thesis sentence but not in verbatim form
• Briefly summarizes the evidence presented in the writing
• Provides a final judgement on the subject matter discussed by
tying all themes and ideas together
 CITING SOURCES
• Why use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries?
• Are requires for each main point since the author cannot
include personal feelings or opinions
• Are clearly identified in proper required formatting form and
style
• Provide evidence to support the argument of the writing
• Are used at strategic places in the writing to support statements
made
S M T W T F S

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