What is academic writing?

Summary

In this video, Ellen discusses key aspects of academic writing essential for university success. She highlights the importance of communication, identifying the audience, and maintaining objectivity by avoiding personal opinions and biased language. Academic writing is a formal genre that requires strict adherence to style and register. Ellen advises students to study texts within their discipline to understand appropriate formality and structure. She emphasizes that writing conventions differ across academic fields, so adapting to the expectations of each discipline is crucial for effective writing.

Takeaways

• 📢 Writing is a communicative act, where a sender transmits a message to a receiver.
• 🧑‍🎓 In academic writing, the message is a fact-based argument.
• 🎯 Knowing your audience is crucial for delivering an effective argument.
• ⚖️ Academic writing should be objective, avoiding biased language and personal opinions.
• 📚 The writing style in academic essays should be formal, with a strict register and format.
• 🌍 Different levels of formality can be difficult for non-native writers to recognize.
• 🎨 Style and register depend on context, just like appropriate dress for an occasion.
• 🔍 One way to find the right level of formality is by studying texts within your discipline.
• 📖 University resources, like books and journals, help students learn how to write formally.
• 🧭 Writing practices vary between academic disciplines, requiring adaptability to different formats.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of academic writing?

The primary purpose of academic writing is to communicate a fact-based argument, which requires knowing the audience and delivering the message effectively.

Why is it important to identify your audience in academic writing?

Identifying your audience is crucial because it helps tailor the message to what the reader is expected to already know, ensuring effective communication.

What does it mean that academic writing is 'objective'?

Academic writing being 'objective' means avoiding biased language, generalizations, and personal opinions. The focus should be on presenting an argument based on facts and evidence.

Why is it important to avoid personal pre-conceptions in academic writing?

Avoiding personal pre-conceptions ensures that the writing remains focused on the topic and evidence, rather than being influenced by the writer's subjective opinions.

How does formality play a role in academic writing?

Formality is essential in academic writing because it requires using a strict register and format, which can be challenging, especially for non-native speakers, as they need to navigate different levels of formality.

What is the role of style and register in academic writing?

Style and register in academic writing determine the appropriateness of language for a given context. What may be appropriate in one context might not be suitable in another, similar to how attire varies depending on the occasion.

How can students find the right level of formality for their university writing?

Students can find the right level of formality by studying texts within their specific discipline, such as books, journals, and student papers, to learn how scholars and experienced students write.

What should students focus on when reading academic texts in their discipline?

Students should focus on how arguments are introduced, how discipline-specific terms are defined and used, and how previous research is incorporated into the text.

Why do academic writing practices vary between disciplines?

Academic writing practices vary between disciplines because each field has different expectations regarding referencing, text structure, and overall style, though the basics of academic writing remain the same.

What is one example of how academic writing differs across disciplines?

An article in physics, for example, looks very different from one in history, particularly in terms of text structure and referencing conventions.

Outlines

00:00

👋 Introduction to Academic Writing

In this video, Ellen introduces the topic of academic writing, emphasizing the importance of understanding its general features. She highlights that successful writing at university requires recognizing that writing is a form of communication with a sender, message, and receiver. In academic writing, this message is a fact-based argument aimed at a specific audience. Understanding who your readers are and what they know is key to effectively delivering your message.

🎯 Importance of Objectivity in Academic Writing

Academic writing should be objective and free from biased language or personal opinions. Ellen explains that writing on topics such as fictional characters, political conflicts, or religious issues must remain neutral, focusing on presenting well-researched arguments rather than personal viewpoints. The aim is to maintain academic rigor and credibility.

📏 Formality and Register in Academic Writing

Ellen discusses the formal nature of academic writing, which can be challenging for non-native speakers. The choice of register (level of formality) is important, as writing must match the context and occasion. For example, an informal tone suitable for text messages would be inappropriate for a university essay or job application. Writing at university requires a more formal approach, just as one wouldn't wear casual clothes to a formal event.

📚 Finding the Right Formality Level

To achieve the right level of formality in academic writing, Ellen suggests studying texts from your academic discipline. University students have access to numerous resources, including books, journals, and student papers, that can help them understand how to structure arguments and use discipline-specific terms. Observing how experienced scholars write can provide valuable insights.

🔄 Writing Expectations Across Disciplines

Ellen concludes by noting that academic writing varies between disciplines. Although general principles remain the same, the structure and referencing style of academic texts can differ significantly depending on the field of study. For instance, a physics article will look very different from one in history. Understanding these variations is crucial when transitioning between disciplines.

Keywords

💡Communicative

In the video, 'communicative' refers to the idea that writing, like all forms of communication, is a way to transmit a message from a sender to a receiver. Academic writing serves the purpose of delivering a fact-based argument to the reader, and understanding this is central to successful writing. For example, the speaker emphasizes that in academic writing, the message is an argument that needs to reach the target reader clearly.

💡Audience

The 'audience' refers to the people for whom the academic writing is intended. Knowing who the audience is helps in shaping the content, style, and language of the writing. The video highlights the importance of identifying the audience to ensure that the message is delivered appropriately, considering what the reader already knows about the topic.

💡Objective

In academic writing, 'objective' means avoiding personal bias, opinions, or generalizations. The writer should focus on presenting factual arguments rather than subjective views. The video stresses that academic essays, regardless of the topic, must remain neutral and fact-based, aiming to illuminate the subject rather than provide the writer's personal opinion.

💡Bias

'Bias' refers to the inclination toward personal preferences or opinions in writing, which can distort the truth or fairness of an argument. The video advises avoiding biased language in academic writing to maintain credibility and objectivity, especially when discussing sensitive subjects like politics or religion.

💡Formal genre

The term 'formal genre' describes the structured, professional style expected in academic writing. The video explains that academic writing follows strict rules of language, tone, and format. This formal style may be challenging for non-native speakers, but it is crucial to learn because academic essays require a higher level of formality than everyday speech or casual writing.

💡Register

'Register' refers to the level of formality or informality used in writing or speech, depending on the context. The video compares this to dressing for different occasions—just as you wouldn't wear flip-flops to a formal dinner, you must use the correct register in academic writing, avoiding casual language that might be acceptable in a text message.

💡Discipline

A 'discipline' is a specific field of study or academic subject. The video notes that different academic disciplines have different writing styles and conventions. For instance, an essay in physics will have a very different structure and approach compared to one in history, which highlights the need for writers to understand the expectations of their specific field.

💡Resources

'Resources' refer to the tools and materials available to university students to improve their writing. The speaker mentions libraries, books, journals, and previous student papers as valuable resources that students can use to learn how to write in a way that meets the expectations of their academic discipline.

💡Argument

An 'argument' in academic writing is a logical statement or set of statements presented to convince the reader of a particular point. The video explains that academic writing is about delivering a fact-based argument rather than sharing personal opinions. It's the central message that the writer communicates to their audience.

💡Referencing

'Referencing' refers to the practice of citing sources to give credit to other authors’ work and to support the writer’s own arguments. The video mentions that referencing can vary between disciplines, and it’s important for students to know the conventions used in their field to properly structure their writing.

Highlights

Writing is communicative and the writer must consider their audience.

In academic writing, the message should be a fact-based argument.

Identifying the audience is crucial to successfully delivering the argument.

Academic writing is objective, avoiding biased language and personal opinions.

Essays should present arguments without making subjective statements.

Academic writing is formal, with a strict register and format.

Formality in writing can be challenging, especially for non-native writers.

Style and register vary by context, similar to how clothing varies by occasion.

Finding the right level of formality is important for university writing.

Studying texts in your specific discipline helps in understanding proper style.

University resources like libraries, books, and journals are essential for learning.

Read academic texts to see how scholars introduce arguments and use terms.

Writing practices vary between academic disciplines.

An article in physics may differ greatly from one in history.

Transferring between disciplines may require adapting to different writing styles and structures.

Transcripts

Hi, I'm Ellen.

In this video,

I'm going to talk about some general features of academic writing that you need

to be familiar with if you want to succeed in your own writing at university.

First of all, you need to consider that writing is communicative.

In all forms of communication,

there is a sender who transmits the message to a receiver.

In academic writing, that message will be a fact based argument.

And in order to successfully deliver this, you need to know who you're writing for

and what you can expect your target reader to already know.

In other words, identifying your audience is crucial.

Another central feature of academic writing is that it's objective,

which means that you should avoid biased language and generalizations and

that you shouldn't bring in your personal pre-conceptions or opinions.

An academic essay about say, a fictional character, a political conflict or

a religious issue should present an argument that sheds light on the actual

topic, but mustn't be a subjective statement on the part of the writer.

Academic writing is a formal genre and

you are expected to use a rather strict register and format.

This can be a challenge, especially for non-native writers as different levels of

formality might be difficult to recognize in a second language.

Remember, the question of style and register in writing is not necessarily

a difference between what is right or wrong language wise, but

rather specifies what is the preferred style for a specific occasion.

In other words,

what is right in one context may not be considered okay in another.

Just as you wouldn't wear flip flops to a formal dinner, you don't use the informal

style of text messages between friends in a job application or a university essay.

But how do you go about finding the right level of formality for

writing at university then?

Well, one way is to study texts within your specific discipline.

As a university student, you have loads of helpful resources at hand.

You have access to your university library resources, books as well as journals and

perhaps also student papers and degree projects written at your department.

Read texts within your discipline to learn how scholars and

experienced students write.

Look at things like how they introduce their arguments, how they define and

use discipline specific terms and how they make use of previous research within the field.

The last thing I would like to raise here is a fact that writing practices do vary

from one academic discipline to the next.

This means that you need to learn what is expected of you for

the particular text that you are writing.

An article in physics looks very different from one in history, for instance.

If you transfer from one discipline to another,

you'll notice that although the basics remain the same,

the way the texts are written when it comes to referencing and text structure,

for instance, may differ.

[MUSIC]