Academic Writing: Key Features
The purpose of academic writing is to inform, not entertain, and so has a lot of features that make it different from everyday writing:
- formal tone - avoiding the use of
- slang
- colloquialisms (Wikipedia definition)
- conversational language
- clichés
- first or second person point of view - no "I" or "we"
- buzzwords and jargon
- avoids emotional language
- written in complete sentences, avoiding fragments and bullet points
- structured, with a beginning, a middle and an end
- evidence-based - ensuring that each point of view should be supported by research
- cautious - avoiding sweeping and definitive statements
- Uses, for example, "may", "possibly" "seems to" "indicates"
- well-organised - easily flowing from one section to the next
- precise - clearly communicating relevant information that can be easily understood by the reader
- analytical - critically discussing the findings of the research
- objective
- presenting different points of view, some for and some against the argument
- based on facts, not opinions
- referenced - acknowledging all sources of information used in the work
