Features of Academic Writing

Summary

In this Educatune lesson with Teacher Aya, viewers are introduced to the key characteristics of academic writing, emphasizing its formal and objective nature. The video outlines the types of documents that typically require this style and contrasts informal language with its formal equivalents. It also highlights the importance of avoiding colloquialisms, idiomatic expressions, and contractions for a more scholarly tone. Additionally, the lesson underscores the necessity of maintaining objectivity by basing arguments on facts and evidence, steering clear of personal pronouns and emotive language to ensure an unbiased presentation of information.

Takeaways

• 📘 Academic writing is a formal style used to present information clearly on a specific subject.
• 📚 Common documents that use academic writing include books, research papers, journals, conference papers, abstracts, theses, and news articles.
• 📝 It is crucial to use formal and objective language to maintain the tone of academic writing, avoiding casual or conversational expressions.
• 🚫 Avoid colloquial slang, idiomatic expressions, and contractions in favor of expanded forms for a more formal tone.
• 🔍 Examples of colloquial language are provided, with their formal equivalents, to illustrate the transition to a more academic tone.
• 🤔 Some colloquial language may be difficult to understand, leading to misinterpretation, so it's important to find formal alternatives.
• 📉 Objectivity is key in academic writing, which is based on facts and evidence without being influenced by personal emotions.
• 🙅‍♂️ Personal statements, judgments, and emotional language should be avoided to maintain an unbiased writing style.
• 🔬 In research reports, avoid personal pronouns like 'I', 'you', and 'we', and use the passive voice to present information objectively.
• 📈 Use facts and evidence to support points, rather than relying on emotional language, to strengthen the argument in academic writing.
• 📝 Practice rewriting sentences to use formal and objective language, as demonstrated in the lesson with examples provided.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of academic writing?

The primary purpose of academic writing is to present information in a clear and formal manner to display a deep understanding of a particular subject.

What types of documents commonly use academic writing?

Academic writing is commonly used in documents such as books, research papers, journals, conference papers, abstracts, theses, and news articles.

Why is it important to maintain formality in academic writing?

Maintaining formality in academic writing is important to ensure that the tone does not sound casual or conversational, which helps in presenting the information in a serious and credible manner.

How can colloquial slang or idiomatic expressions affect academic writing?

Colloquial slang or idiomatic expressions can make academic writing seem less formal and may lead to misinterpretation, as they are not universally understood.

What is the difference between using contracted and expanded forms in academic writing?

Contracted forms combine two words into one with an apostrophe, while expanded forms spell out the words fully. Academic writing prefers expanded forms for their formality.

Why should personal pronouns like 'I', 'you', and 'we' be avoided in academic writing?

Personal pronouns should be avoided in academic writing to maintain an objective and unbiased tone, which is essential for credibility and persuasiveness.

What is the role of objectivity in academic writing?

Objectivity in academic writing ensures that the writing is based on facts and evidence rather than personal emotions or biases, thus enhancing the credibility of the work.

How can the use of the passive voice help in avoiding personal pronouns in academic writing?

The passive voice can help in avoiding personal pronouns by focusing on the action or subject rather than the person performing the action, thus maintaining an objective stance.

What is the significance of using facts and evidence in academic writing?

Facts and evidence are crucial in academic writing as they provide a solid foundation for arguments and help in proving points, thereby increasing the persuasiveness of the writing.

How can emotional language impact the objectivity of academic writing?

Emotional language can introduce biases and subjectivity into academic writing, which can undermine the objectivity and credibility of the work.

What are some strategies for rewriting sentences to be more formal and objective in academic writing?

Strategies include using expanded forms instead of contractions, avoiding personal pronouns and emotive language, and incorporating facts and evidence to support statements.

Outlines

00:00

📘 Features of Academic Writing

This paragraph introduces the formal style of academic writing, emphasizing its purpose to present information clearly on a specific subject. It outlines various documents where this style is used, such as books, research papers, and theses. The importance of using formal and objective language is stressed, with examples provided to illustrate the transition from colloquial to formal expressions. The paragraph also discusses the avoidance of slang, idiomatic expressions, and contractions in favor of expanded forms to maintain formality. Additionally, it highlights the significance of objectivity in academic writing, which is based on facts and evidence, and advises against the use of personal statements, judgments, and emotional language.

05:02

📜 Maintaining Objectivity and Formality in Writing

The second paragraph continues the discussion on academic writing by focusing on the avoidance of personal pronouns and emotive language to ensure objectivity. It provides guidance on using the passive voice to eliminate personal pronouns and suggests replacing biased phrases with evidence-based statements. The paragraph includes exercises for the viewer to practice rewriting sentences in a formal and objective manner, offering examples of both colloquial and formal expressions. It concludes with an invitation to engage with the content by liking and subscribing to the channel, and thanks the viewer for completing the lesson.

Keywords

💡academic writing

Academic writing is a formal style of writing used primarily in the academic community to present information and demonstrate a clear understanding of a subject. It is characterized by its use of formal language, objectivity, and evidence-based arguments. In the video script, academic writing is the central theme, with examples of documents like research papers and theses provided to illustrate its application.

💡formal style

Formal style refers to the use of language that is polite, serious, and appropriate for official or professional contexts. In academic writing, adopting a formal style is crucial to convey credibility and seriousness. The script emphasizes avoiding casual or conversational tones and colloquialisms, as seen in the examples provided where 'a lot of' is replaced with 'a great deal of'.

💡colloquial slang

Colloquial slang consists of informal words and expressions that are typical of casual conversation rather than formal writing. The script points out the need to avoid such language in academic writing to maintain its formal and serious tone, offering a direct comparison between colloquial expressions and their formal counterparts.

💡idiomatic expressions

Idiomatic expressions are phrases whose meaning cannot be deduced from the individual words but must be learned as a whole. The script mentions avoiding idiomatic expressions in academic writing to prevent potential misunderstandings, as they may not be universally understood.

💡contracted forms

Contracted forms are words formed by omitting certain letters and replacing them with an apostrophe, combining two words into one, such as 'doesn't' for 'does not'. The script advises using expanded forms instead to maintain the formal tone of academic writing.

💡objectivity

Objectivity in writing means presenting information without personal bias or emotional influence. The script highlights the importance of objectivity in academic writing, stressing that it should be based on facts and evidence rather than personal opinions or emotions.

💡personal pronouns

Personal pronouns such as 'I', 'you', and 'we' are used to refer to oneself or others in a personal or informal context. The script advises against using personal pronouns in academic writing to maintain an objective and unbiased tone, suggesting the use of passive voice instead.

💡passive voice

Passive voice is a grammatical construction where the object of the action is the subject of the sentence, and the subject performing the action is either not mentioned or comes later in the sentence. The script recommends using passive voice to avoid personal pronouns and maintain objectivity in academic writing.

💡emotive language

Emotive language is language that is intended to evoke emotions and is typically subjective. The script warns against using emotive language in academic writing, as it can introduce bias and detract from the objective presentation of facts.

💡evidence

Evidence refers to the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid. In the context of the script, evidence is crucial for supporting arguments in academic writing, ensuring that the writing is convincing and based on verifiable facts.

💡bias

Bias refers to a predisposition or inclination towards a particular perspective or viewpoint, often leading to a distorted view of reality. The script emphasizes avoiding bias in academic writing by using objective language and focusing on evidence rather than personal beliefs or emotions.

Highlights

Academic writing is a formal style of writing aimed at presenting information to display a clear understanding of a subject.

Examples of documents using academic writing include books, research papers, journals, conference papers, abstracts, theses, and news articles.

Formal and objective words should be used in academic writing to maintain a professional tone.

Avoid colloquial slang or idiomatic expressions for a more formal writing style.

Expanded forms are preferred over contracted forms to enhance formality in writing.

Colloquial expressions should be replaced with their formal equivalents to prevent misinterpretation.

Objectivity is a key feature of academic writing, which is based on facts and evidence without personal emotions.

An unbiased writing style is essential for a convincing essay or research paper.

Personal pronouns such as 'you', 'I', and 'we' should be avoided in research reports.

The passive voice can be used to avoid personal pronouns and maintain objectivity.

Phrases indicating personal belief or emotion, such as 'I believe', 'I think', and 'I feel', should be avoided.

Emotive language that shows bias should not be used in academic writing.

Factual data or evidence should be included to support points made in academic writing.

Rewriting sentences with formal and objective language is a practice to improve academic writing skills.

Examples of rewriting informal sentences to formal ones were provided as an exercise.

The lesson concludes with an encouragement to practice and improve academic writing skills.

A call to action for likes and subscriptions to Teacher Aya Edukatun is made at the end of the lesson.

Transcripts

let's learn english through educatune

with teacher aya

today let's discuss the features

of academic writing

academic writing is a formal style of

writing

its general purpose is to present

information

in order to display a clear

understanding of a particular subject

[Music]

here are some examples of documents

where academic writing is used

books research paper

journals conference paper

abstract theses

and news articles

as a writer you need to remember that

academic writing uses

words which are formal and objective

it is important to be formal in writing

an essay

which means your tone should not sound

casual or conversational

to make your writing more formal try to

avoid

using colloquial slang or idiomatic

expressions

and choose expanded forms over

contracted forms

[Music]

here are some examples of colloquial

slang

or idiomatic expressions and their

corresponding formal language

[Music]

so instead of saying with women

there is a lot of pressure to conform to

a certain physical shape

replace the word a lot of with

a great deal of therefore it should be

with women there is a great deal of

pressure

to conform to a certain physical shape

[Music]

some people will find colloquial

language difficult to understand

which can lead to misinterpretation

instead find the formal equivalent of

the word

or just drop or remove it depending on

the sentence

to make your writing formal choose

expanded forms

over contracted forms

[Music]

contraction is when two words are

combined

into one

instead of omitting letters and replace

them by apostrophe

it is more formal to spell it out or use

the expanded form

[Music]

instead of writing the policy doesn't

permit

illegal dealings it is better to write

the policy does not permit illegal

dealings

[Music]

objectivity is another feature of

academic writing

in general academic writing is based on

facts and evidence

and is not affected by personal emotions

therefore to make your essay or research

paper convincing

you must use an unbiased style of

writing

to maintain an objective tone in your

writing

avoid the following personal statement

and judgment

and emotional language

[Music]

in writing a research report avoid the

use of

personal pronouns such as you

i and we

[Music]

example instead of writing i performed

an experiment

right the experiment was performed

for you to avoid using personal pronouns

use the passive voice

another example is instead of saying

i believe that fast food contributes to

obesity

it is better to say in this paper

the effects of fast food consumption on

obesity

were presented in various studies

avoid phrases like i believe

i think and i feel because

these may indicate biases

avoid emotive language that shows biases

[Music]

avoid writing it is unfortunate that

many filipinos do not have

work these days instead make it formal

by writing

based on the philippine statistics

authority or psa data

about half or 48.2 percent

of unemployed filipinos are from ages 18

to 24.

include facts or evidence to prove your

point

rather than using emotional language

[Music]

now let's try

[Music]

rewrite the following sentences by using

words

that are formal and objective

one carlo didn't submit his assignment

two mike is gonna be here soon

[Music]

number three let me introduce you to the

guests

[Music]

four i interviewed the candidates

and number five anna can't reach the top

shelf

congratulations you have just completed

this lesson

[Music]

do not forget to hit like and subscribe

to teacher aya edukatun

thank you