Academic Writing Skills
www.jcu.edu.au/tldinfo/writingskills/podcasts/nursingwritingskills09.ppt
genre: a style of expressing
yourlf in writing
Whether you’re a students
or supervisors, academic writing skills are significant in today’s
world.
Essays
Reports Prentations
Rearch papers Final thesis
are just some examples of
documents written in the academic style.
an analytic or interpretive literary composition
Academic writing, when ud appropriately, prents a polished and professional image.
Academic writing skills
encompass:¾strong composition ¾excellent grammar
¾a consistent stylistic approach
[in'k ʌmp əs]include in scope [stai'listik]perfected or made shiny and smooth
of or relating to style
(especially in the u of
language) It is a learnt skill, rather than
a natural ability or quality.
2. What is academic writing?
Academic writing refers to a particular style
of expression in academia.
3. Features of Academic Writing
Academic writing in English is linear, which means it has one
central point or theme with every part contributing to the main line
of argument, without digressions or repetitions . [dai'gre ʃən]a message that departs from the main subject
[.repi'ti ʃən]Complexity
Written language is relatively more complex than spoken language.
Formality
Academic writing is relatively
formal. In general this means that you should avoid colloquial words.
Precision
In academic writing, facts and
figures are given precily .Objectivity
Written language is in general
objective. Academic writing tends to u nouns (and adjectives), rather than verbs (and adverbs).
Exp’licitness
Academic writing is explicit about the relationships in the text.
Accuracy
Academic writing us vocabulary accurately.Hedging
In academic writing, it is necessary to make decisions about your stance on a particular subject.
Responsibility
In academic writing you must be responsible for, and must be able to provide evidence and justification for, any claims you make.
[k ə’l əʊkwi:əl] [pri’si ʒən] [pr ɪ’sa ɪsli] [,ɔbd ʒek’tiv əti] Attitude or feeling Characteristics include
Employing the formal academic style, avoiding jargon , slang , and
abbreviations a way of regarding situations
or topics etc.
：position , view
[p ə'spektiv]
Synonyms [t əun]
a characteristic language of a particular group
informal language consisting of words and expressions
A formal tone
U of the third-person rather than first-person perspective Clear focus on the issue or topic rather than the author’s opinion Preci word choice
investigate conduct examine verify demonstrate eliminate
Characteristics of informal writing
z the u of
colloquialisms and
jargon
z writing in the first person view
z making “I”statements, making direct personal statements, and
impreci word choices.
[k ə’l əukwi əliz(ə)m] slang, dialect
[.impri'sais]
characteristic of informal spoken
language or conversation
Just as you probably would wear shorts and flip-flops to a wedding, there’s a time and a place for informal
writing . Informal writing is fine for diary entries, blogs, personal writing, letters or emails to clo friends.
The most informal writing
imaginable is:
z the text message, full of abbreviations such as “R U here ?”to
convey quick questions and respons. z In comparison, the most formal writing of all can be found in legal documents .
[i'mæd ʒin əbl]
[‘pai ərit]
someone who us another person's work or ideas as if they were his own
‘plagiarism Writers working on papers
for school, college application essays , scientific papers,rearch papers , international conference prentations , and business proposals generally employ a more formal style akin to donning a suit or dress
to attend a wedding.
[ə'kin]
similar or related in quality or character
put clothing on one's body
['d ɔni ŋ]4. Tips on academic writing Examples
Informal writing :I think he ’s a lor .
Formal writing :
Macbeth’s horrific choices cau him to lo everything he holds dear :children, wife, friends, crown and king.
frightening colon [ 'k əʊl ən]
？
The first statement is informal. The writer speaks in the first person , using the word “I”, and states an opinion . The slang term “lor ”, is ud, which is inappropriate in a formal context. They also us the contraction “he’s ”. If this were in the middle of a paragraph, it may be easier to understand to
whom the author is referring.
Taken as a simple statement, however, it’s
impossible to know whether the writer thinks his best friend, his
dog, or a rock star is a lor !
The cond example us an academic, formal style . Written in the third-person view , the ntence omits references to the writer and focus on the issue. Strong, specific adjectives like “horrific ”convey the author’s view clearly without resorting to slang . The u of the colon creates a strong, formal feeling when properly ud
here to introduce a list .
[ 'k əʊl ən]
Where’s the resource ??•Library
•On-line
•Data bas (turn on remote access)•Lectures
•Text books
•Tutorials
•News
•Newspapers
•Everywhere!!!
5. Referencing and plagiarism
Most plagiarism is acci’dental; either the result of not understanding what actually amounts to plagiarism, or of being poorly organized, so that we u the ideas of others without realizing that’s what we have done.
Whenever the author has given something
distinctive to the information or its organization,
cite the source.
Anything that is common knowledge you need not cite: in other words, anything that is not distinctive
of a particular author.
distinguishing /skills4study/studyskills/reading/referencing.asp
unintended
What is plagiarism?
Copying of
passages/text/work/
ideas/data without a
proper
acknowledgement of
the author. This
includes other
students’work.
['pleidʒiərizəm]
Getting started
•Find your time
•Find your space
•Discipline, lf & others
•Brain storming, clustering, mind mapping
•Free writing
try to solve a problem
by thinking intenly about it
6. Practice makes perfect
Introduction
•What is the question?•Global view from the broad to the narrow •Introduce the :
•Who
•What
•When •Where •Why •How 5W+H
The topic
•Why is it being asked?
•Is it multi layered?
•Does it invite a largely factual respon?
•Is it looking for a particular stance such as
argue or cri’tique?[stæns] position
posture
review, asssment, comment
Literature
•Is it current?
•Is the author a credible source?•Is the subject relevant?•Clustering
•References/endnote
Beginning
•A quotation –is it relevant
•A question
•An opinion
•An interesting fact
•An irony or paradox
•An a’nalogy
•And anecdote
['ænikdəut]
story, narrative
(especially a biographical one)
[‘aiərəni
[‘pærədɔks]
[ə’nælədʒi]
(logic) a statement
that contradicts itlf
irony witty language
富于机智的，诙谐的
similarity
Body
Your paragraphs should flow naturally into one
another and
connections should
be made.
Paragraphs
•7-8 ntences
•Each should be topic specific, preferably with an introductory ntence
•Each ntence states the content/context and then some supporting example which is where the references come in.
•The last ntence concludes the paragraph and forwards to the next.
