GOOD ACADEMIC STYLE IN WRITING:

[page

1

2

3

]

Your aims in academic writing in general terms are to be:

• Clear:         see points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
• Complete: see point 6
• Concise:   see point 5
• Precise:     see points 6, 8, 9 and 10
• Coherent: see point 4

More specifically to achieve a standard level of acceptable style in academic writing you need to do the following:

1. Avoid repetition – it's poor or even bad style to repeat words too often; and certainly not within a sentence or a paragraph. So you need a wide vocabulary – and perhaps the help of a reference book such as a thesaurus which presents words in groups classified according to meaning.

Avoiding extra or unnecessary words is another common problem.

2. Use formal and not informal language – this means for example

• Avoiding forms usual in spoken language but not in written, e.g. Children are educated by their parents, is more formal than, Children are brought up by their parents

3. Avoid personal language – mainly the use of "I" and "you": use constructions like

• It can be seen that
• It is most significant that

    Thus avoiding "I think"

4. Make the structure clear to the reader by using

• linking words
• stating the main topic at the beginning of paragraphs
• summarising frequently
• having a good introduction and conclusion

  or put another way:

• say what you're going to say
• say it
• say that you've said it

5. Keep sentences and paragraphs shorter rather than longer so as to be clear and not rambling or confused. But remember that paragraphs typically consist of at least 3 sentences and often more. They should never have only one sentence.

6. Make sure your writing is as complete as possible for the reader:

• Have you done everything asked for in the unit guide/assignment handout?
• Have you done everything the lecturer has asked you for?
• Can your writing be read and easily understood by an educated non-specialist reader interested in what you have written?
• Have you emphasised important points?

7. Avoid abbreviations and contractions:

• Write words in their full form: don't write "e.g." – write "for example"
• Write "they are" not "they're"

8. Avoiding being too general or too certain about what you state: be more cautious:

• Use words like: sometimes, often, frequently, seldom and avoid "always" and "never"
• Use words like: may, can, could, might, perhaps, possibly and avoid saying something "is" true – most things are only true to some extent and not 100%
• Use expressions like: it appears, it tends, it seems

9. Giving examples and evidence for all your points – which includes references and quotations.

    You need to think about if you have explained and justified everything you say – there's always a reason for something. If for example your survey sample was half the size you wanted, explain why that happened and how you adjusted your survey accordingly.

10. Check for errors in surface features such as:

• Spelling errors
• Grammar errors
• Missing words
• Extra words

[page

1

2

3

]