Features of good academic writing

Of late, there is an unprecedented enthusiasm in creating a research and publication culture in many institutions of higher learning in India.

This is mainly due to the growing awareness that educational institutions must focus on research and faculty publications if they want to be on top. Accordingly, many colleges and universities are now focussing on strengthening the academic writing capabilities of their faculties and students.

Academic writing is a style of writing governed by certain rules, practices, formal structure and order. It presupposes the use of correct spelling, grammar and punctuations. Typically, academic writing is divided into the essay format and the academic report format. In the case of an essay, there are three distinctive parts —  beginning, middle and end.

The introductory paragraph highlights the nature of the topic and the writer’s approach on the issue. The topic is then discussed and evaluated in several paragraphs in the middle of the essay. The middle part is often referred to as the body of the essay. The third and the final part of an academic essay constitutes a conclusion in which the writer may summarise the overall points made. In some essays, the conclusion may suggest the scope for further research and studies on the subject.

Different sections

Another type of the structure of academic writing, common in standard university assignments and scholarly research papers is that of a report, often focussing on a research problem and its solutions. Unlike most essays, a report is divided into clearly labelled sections, such as introduction, discussion, conclusion and recommendation.

Sometimes citations from past research could be used as evidence to support ideas. Further, unlike in an essay, reports can have bulleted points in the conclusions and recommendations sections. To facilitate quick scanning by readers, most academic reports use headings, subheadings and bullet points, as well as tables, graphs and illustrations.

A standard academic report should essentially have a title page, an abstract, a content page, an introduction, a literature review, a main section, a conclusion, recommendations, bibliography and appendices.

The title page of a report describes its subject, and the abstract states the problem, how the researcher investigated it and then summarises what s/he found in her/his research. The contents page lists the report’s major and minor sections and illustrations, while the introduction provides background of the study and elaborates the investigation’s purpose.

The review of literature outlines what accredited scholars and researchers have recently published on the topic and critiques them. The review of literature may identify the research gap and the relevance of the study undertaken. The main section details what the researcher investigated, how he investigated it, what he discovered and how he has interpreted the findings.

The conclusion then summarises whether the study met its purpose. The recommendations propose a course of action, the bibliography lists the research sources, and the appendices contain illustrations, graphs, charts, tables and other data the researcher omitted from the report’s body.

Academic writing is characterised by an impersonal and dispassionate tune, targeted mainly for academic peers. In addition to having an objective stance, scholarly writing usually circulates within the academic and scientific community.

It differs from personal writing because it explores and analyses theories in depth and offers explanations for societal customs, problems and events. Academic writings are generally explanatory, narrative, expository or argumentative. It is expected from a scholar to eliminate controversial phrases from his/her text.

At the centre of it...

Miscellaneous observations on a topic are not enough to make an accomplished academic essay. An essay should have an argument. It should try to answer a question or a set of questions. It should try to prove something by reasoning and evidence. Evidence could be elicited from minor researches, case studies or secondary sources such as past researches.

If needed, to bring in scientific rigor, one or two hypotheses could be set and tested. Citations are usually in specified formats such as MLA (Modern Language Association style) or APA (American Psychological Association style). While MLA style is used by the Humanities, the APA style is used by researchers in the fields of Education, Psychology and Sciences.

It is important for the academic writer to keep the essay’s overall purpose and organisation in mind. As the writing progresses, a sincere academic writer can experience the development of an outline. A serious academic writer is expected to revise the text extensively and proofread the final copy meticulously.

While the text needs to be grammatically sound and appropriately framed, a quality academic writing should feature clear, concise and well-constructed language. An academic writer should avoid colloquial phrases, contractions, run-on sentences and extreme verbosity in language.

S/he should try not to digress from topic. Plagiarism of course is a big no. If at all it is required to include somebody else’s contribution, due credit should be given to the source in the writing.

(The author is a Bengaluru-based professor and researcher of Economics)