م . د. فؤاد جاسم محمد
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Academic Writing: Features, types and Purposes
الكتابة الأكاديمية: مزاياها, انواعها والهدف منها
م . د. فؤاد جاسم محمد
جامعة الانبار/ كلية التربية للعلوم الانسانية –قسم اللغة الانكليزية
https://www.uoanbar.edu.iq/staff-page.php?ID=310
Academic writing is a clear and logical organization form of text, which differs from normal writing in that it tries to be precise and unbiased (Baily, 2011). Academic writing is basically recognized by using formal vocabulary. Furthermore, an academic text is an impersonal one, which in most cases is not certain. Four commonly accepted academic writing styles are recognized: Descriptive, analytical, persuasive and critical academic writing.
The descriptive type focuses on answering the ‘what?’ ‘when’ and ‘who’ type questions. It also answers fact-based questions, such as dates, actions, procedures, established purposes, etc. Descriptive writing is often used in the methodology and findings sections of a report. For example, describing the methods you adopted so that someone else can replicate them should they need to
The second type i.e. analytical is often called for at university level. It involves reviewing what you’ve read in light of other evidence. This type shows the thought processes you went through to arrive at a given conclusion and discusses the implications of this. In addition, it usually follows a brief description and focuses on answering questions like: ‘why?’ ‘how?’ and ‘so what? Finally, this type breaks down an issue/idea into its component parts, evaluates it, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience. Hence, it is done to search for meaningful patterns, to understand more closely how and why the separate parts work as they do.
Persuasive academic writing includes research-based articles intended to encourage others to see your point of view on a topic of interest or discussion and encourage the reader to agree with the writer’s opinion on a subject. Subsequently, writers following this type do three things: 1)Present your position on a discussable issue, 2)Anticipate possible objections and 3) overcome them with logic and evidence to support your claim.
Critical academic writing requires a refusal to accept the conclusions of other writers without evaluating the arguments and evidence they provide. A good example of critical writing activities includes presenting reasons to dispute a particular finding and thinking around a specific problem. Critical writers might tentatively suggest an independent point of view, using such phrases as ‘It could be argued that...’; or ‘An alternative viewpoint might suggest that……’
Purposes of academic writing
Writers should be clear why they are writing. The most common rationales for writing are: 1) To report on a piece of research the writer has conducted, 2) To answer a question the writer has been given/chosen, 3) To discuss a subject of common interest and give the writer’s view, and 4) To synthesis research done by others on a topic
Key words:
Academic writing, descriptive, Persuasive, Critical, research.
References
Bailey, S. (2011). Academic Writing. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. London and New York.
University of Reading Library, Academic Writing. Available online on: https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/writing/stylesofwriting
Zemach, E. D. and Rumisek, L. A. (2005). academic writing from paragraph to essay. MACMILLAN. London.