What Is Academic Writing?

Lindsay Kramer

You learn a lot in college, and not all of it can be found in the course catalog. A lot of the skills you acquire you find yourself having to master on your own: managing your time, researching efficiently, and making ramen noodles in a coffee pot. Another skill you need to master is academic writing, which isn’t like other types of paper; it’s formal, it’s objective, and for a lot of students just starting college, it can be daunting. But once you break down the fundamentals of academic writing and examine them piece by piece, you’ll see they’re nothing to be afraid of.

Perhaps the most prominent characteristic of academic writing is the emphasis on adhering to a style guide. In most cases, you’ll lose credit if you don’t. Beyond that, there’s the use of formal language, focusing on clarity and conciseness. Many writers confuse formal with flowery, but formal language uses the most accurate, non-colloquial terminology available to communicate the author’s points. Overall, clarity and conciseness are your main goals.

When it comes to grammar, academic writing is prescriptive. By that, we mean there are specific grammar and style rules that you must follow. These rules come from two sources: the style guide for the piece you’re working on, and generally established conventions for academic writing. Your paper also needs to be formatted according to the style guide for your assignment. Formatting includes how you number your pages, what’s included in your header and footer, how the contents of your cover page are ordered, and how your citations and references are formatted.

Think of an academic paper as a formal event. Therefore, your writing needs to show up “dressed appropriately.” If the language you use with your friends shorts and sandals, and the language you use with your professor khakis and a polo, the language in your academic writing needs a tuxedo.

Adapted from: grammarly.com/blog/academic-writing/