Introduction

Academic Writing is an essential component of university education. This is because it is the driving force of teaching and learning in all universities and colleges. Academic writing is the product of critical analysis and intellectual enquiry presented by scholars for scholars. In this context the word “scholars” refers to students and lecturers in a university/college environment. Academic writing addresses topic-based research questions of interest to anyone who seeks information on a particular topic. Factuality of information, objectivity in presentation, and rationality in thinking are central to academic writing.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this discussion, colleague learners should be able to maximise their understanding of:

• The meaning and synonyms of Academic Writing
• Features of Academic Writing
• Genres in Academic Writing
• Purpose of Academic Writing
• Importance of Academic Writing

Meaning and synonyms of Academic Writing

Academic Writing is a form of expository and argumentative prose used by university students, lecturers, and researchers to convey a body of information about a particular subject. Academic writing covers a wide range of topics and disciplines and carries different titles in different universities and colleges. Among the synonyms of Academic Writing are College Writing, College English, Academic English, Scientific Writing, Scholarly Writing, and Formal Writing.

 

Features of Academic Writing

Academic Writing has different features to different writers in different academic settings. However, some of the features seem to be common to almost all academic writers. Below are the seemingly common features of Academic Writing:

Complexity

The language used in Academic Writing is relatively more complex than spoken language. The complexity of Academic Language is due to its respect for grammatical rules and literary conventions: organisation, content, context, editing, and citation. Academic Language has a more varied vocabulary chosen to discuss a specific issue in an objective, comprehensible and formal manner.

Formality

As the name suggests, Academic Writing is relatively formal. This implies that diction – choice of words – in Academic Writing should avoid colloquialism and other forms of informal expression. Formality also justifies the use of appropriate jargons or technical terms. However, in the interest of comprehension, technical terms used should be explained in simple but formal language. 

Precision

In Academic Writing, facts and figures are given precisely. This means that grammatical accuracy is not enough. Critical thinking and evaluation, high sense of objectivity and clarity and relevant content and context may be useful tools of precision.

Objectivity

Academic Writing is objective rather than subjective or personal. It therefore has fewer words that refer to the writer or the reader. This means that emphasis should be on the information given and the arguments made, instead of the writer or the reader.

Explicitness

Academic Writing is explicit about the relationship or transition in the text. For this reason, the writer is to make it clear to the reader how the various parts of the text are related. These connections can be made explicit by the use of different signalling words: firstly, secondly, in addition, furthermore, besides, for instance, therefore, consequently, subsequently, moreover, however, but, lastly. 

Accuracy

Academic writing uses vocabulary accurately. Most subjects have words with narrow specific meanings. Accuracy also demands an appreciable level of proficiency in semantics – meaning of words. For instance, the writer should, as much as possible, know the differences between abstract and concrete words and how to apply them appropriately.

Hedging  

In any kind of Academic Writing, it is necessary for the writer to make decisions about his/her stance on a particular subject, or the strength of the claims being made. But the writer needs to be measured in taking such decisions. Different subjects prefer to do this in different ways. A technique common in certain kinds of Academic Writing is known by linguists as ‘hedging.’ This means using words to convey a medium level of certainty. Expressing ideas with medium certainty implies using language that is neither too strong nor too weak. All claims in Academic Writing are debatable, and academic writers are only able to express ideas with medium certainty (Schleppegrell 61). Academic writers generally do not claim that their ideas are absolutely true.

Responsibility

Responsibility is an essential feature of Academic Writing. The writer must be responsible and be able to provide evidence and justification for all claims made. He/she is also responsible for demonstrating an understanding of any source texts used. This is to help avoid plagiarism (intellectual theft), which is a serious violation of academic norms.

Genres in Academic Writing

Because it covers a wide range of topics and disciplines, Academic Writing has many genres. In academic literature, genres refer to types of works or kinds of academic write-ups. These include Student Essays, Research Papers, Term Papers, Memos, Project Proposals, Long Essays, Theses, Dissertations, Critiques, and Expositions.

Purpose of Academic Writing

As an intellectual activity, every piece of Academic Writing has a specific purpose or a set of purposes. It is instructive to state that while all forms of Academic Writing may have general purposes, a specific purpose of an academic piece largely depends on its type. "[Marilyn S.] Sternglass (1977), in summarizing her longitudinal study of 53 college students' writing development, identified four general purposes of writing in university courses: “to make knowledge conscious, to help remember facts, to analyze concepts, and to construct new knowledge. . . . Specifically, [students] use writing to translate concepts into their own language, move from gathering facts to analyses of them, and adjust themselves to the task demands of specific courses and fields.”
(Alister H. Cumming, Goals for Academic Writing. John Benjamins, 2006)

Importance of Academic Writing

Academic Writing is important to the scholarly community because it plays a significant role in the manufacturing of knowledge (in the form of research) storing of knowledge (in the form of publication) and dissemination of knowledge (in the form of teaching.) To Industry and Commerce Academic Writing is still important. It serves as the theoretical foundation on which production, labour and expertise are built. Indeed, through Academic Writing, brilliant ideas are generated and implemented to maximise the growth of Industry and Commerce. For instance, documented business plans, realistic research papers, and good project proposals help expand the frontiers of the business community. These and other pieces of Academic Writing also play a tremendous role in the advancement of science and technology. The cumulative effect of these achievements is creation of job opportunities for the jobless, who constitute a disturbing population in contemporary global society. 

Conclusion

Colleague learner, you might have been intimidated by what seems to be a rigid, complex formal nature of Academic Writing. Yes! It may look like a monster, especially when the teacher-student relationship does not guarantee a conducive atmosphere to ensure easy comprehension.  However, Academic Writing is certainly a fascinating exercise when one is serious. W’Allaahu A’lam.