Part one of our two part guide to academic writing covers the all essential essay plan along with other top tips from our Writing Mentors.
It can be a big jump for many students who are starting university for the first time or returning after a long period of time and there can beconfusion around what is expected of you when it comes to academic writing.
At university a variety of assessment methods are used, depending on the course you are on and these can include: assignments, lab reports, presentations, case studies and exams.
People often have misconceptions around academic writing, thinking that it has to include complex vocabulary with long sentences. However, academic writing should be clear and concise to help the reader understand as they go through your work.
It’s important to note that each subject has its own style of writing and vocabulary, you will find out more about this as you progress through your course.
There may be numerous questions you have about academic writing: What is it? How do I start? What should I avoid?
Well who better to ask than our very own Writing Mentors on campus? They help with the Writing Café, which runs twice a week, and are here to answer any questions students ask them. In the first part of this tips guide we will be looking at the more general features of academic writing, which is pretty much applicable across most subjects.
Why is it a good idea to have an essay-plan before you start writing?
“When tackling a piece of work as long as an essay, it can be easy to forget why you're writing it in the first place. That's why it is incredibly important to first come up with a plan of everything you wish to include and outline a basic structure before launching into it and becoming distracted by trying to reach the word count.
“Firstly decide what angle you want to take. What side of the discussion are you going to support most strongly? What would be a good way to structure your points so your essay flows smoothly?
“Then the important bit - bulking out your points with in depth analysis, keeping everything you discuss relevant to the essay title. Finally, by no means do you need to stick to the plan you made before starting, if you think your essay would benefit from being taken in a different direction.” - (Lana, MSc Candidate in Biological Sciences)
For academic writing, what are the key things students should do?
“The two key prerequisites to academic writing may be summed up as the two Rs – reading and reflection. It is important to read widely on the subject area before embarking on an academic piece of work.
“It is also important to reflect over what you have read and what you intend to write. Reading enables you to further develop your ideas/thinking on which you can build up your arguments. It also helps in developing persuasive and critical writing, which are fundamental elements in academic writing.
“A third ‘R’ – referencing, is an important part of academic writing that also ought to be given due consideration. It is also important to cite the source of your arguments/ideas and avoid plagiarism through proper referencing.
“The fourth R – researching is all about allowing you to gather as much information and facts on the subject matter being studied and coupled with reading, reflection and referencing are key elements that students ought to consider when it comes to academic writing.” - (Margaret, PhD Candidate in Economics)
What advice would you give to a student who has writer’s block?
“The first thing that I would say to anyone with a writer's block is: ‘Don't worry, this happens to everyone and is completely normal.’
“There are, however, some tricks that may help. Try taking a break - it may help you to stop thinking about the assignment which can inspire some new ideas. So, work on something else for a while, go for a walk, or read a book, and then get back to it.
“Another thing that can be helpful is to just write. Type and type without thinking about it too much, so that the page will no longer be blank (a blank page can be very demotivating).
“When you do know what to write, but don't know how to say it, my advice would be similar: get it on paper. Writing down your ideas is the first step in the process, and refinement of language and style are something to worry about later.
“Other things that can be helpful are to change your habits: if you always write in the morning, try writing in the evening, or take your computer (or better yet, a piece of paper and a pen) to a location in which you normally not do work, such as a cafe, the park, or anywhere else. This might spark some new creative ideas.” - (Freida, PhD Candidate in Music and French)
What is an academic argument?
“Well, an academic argument is an argument that takes account of secondary literature. As such, academic writing is writing that considers what has already been written: the work of other scholars as well as other, less formal sources.
“I suppose one might say that an academic argument follows a water-tight line of reasoning, but sometimes this is not the case (the fierce debates and disagreements that go on within academic journals are proof of that).
“As undergraduates, therefore, if you want to make your arguments more 'academic', you should consult a wide variety of sources, and try and find the weak areas or points of disagreement in a network of arguments. Such things often provide fertile ground for essay writing.” - (Oliver, PhD Candidate in Music)
That's all for this article. Look out for part two next week where we'll take a look at common mistakes, the need to proof read your work and more.