Even if you dread writing, there is no way you will be able to avoid it when you get into college. Academic writing is an integral part of the learning process which helps students showcase their skills, knowledge, express their individuality, develop a unique voice, share expertise with peers, and thus contribute to science and research. Lots of students wonder what actually makes a strong and effective academic paper and what techniques need to be used to succeed in academic writing. Hopefully, you’ll also manage to find answers to these questions after reading today’s article.
What You Need to Know Before Getting Down to Writing
Most academic writing follows specific rules that you’ll be expected to follow when writing in college. However, because academic writing comes in many forms like essays, thesis papers, reports, reflective journal articles, position papers, and literature reviews, these different types of writing will follow specific styles, so be sure to always check with your instructor about the type of writing you’re expected to do.
Academic writing consists of a number of consistent features. First of all, it needs to follow a particular tone, be as objective as possible. A strong academic paper is a piece of formal writing with no colloquial or slang words. Moreover, it should include evidence from other experts in the field, which are called references.
Most types of academic papers answer or debate a specific question or field and need to be highly focused on a subject. Regardless of their type, academic papers should have clear organization and layout, so that they follow a logical structure.
And finally, it’s mandatory that your piece of academic writing be free of grammar, stylistic, punctuation, and spelling mistakes.
Things to Pay Attention to When Working on Your Paper
And now let’s go into more detail and look at some useful recommendations that will help you put together a strong and effective paper.
- Be objective
You already know that any academic paper has its own tone and it usually objective. So, you need to refrain from using first-person pronouns in our writing and opt for their third-person counterparts. This will go a long way towards helping you establish your credibility and authority as a writer.
- Be concise and authoritative
Academic papers are concise, which means that you should strive to use as few words as possible when conveying your ideas or defending your position.
It’s also critical that you maintain an official tone throughout your paper. So, make sure to avoid jargonism, slang, exclamation marks, and contractions.
- Consult your readings
You should also note that the tone of academic writing may vary depending on the subject area and the academic discipline you’re writing in. The readings and text-books for your course are the good examples of the tone you’re expected to use in your papers. So, it is a good idea to study their style carefully.
- Cite properly
Furthermore, you need to keep in mind that academic writing is based on the citation and referencing of published sources. So, if you make judgments about something in your academic paper, you’re always expected to prop up your arguments with detailed evidence taken from authoritative sources. Always link your opinion to what a published author has previously written on your subject. Citing the work of other researchers is essential in academic writing, since it shows that you have read relevant literature, understood the ideas, and have incorporated useful ideas and viewpoints into your assignment.
Online Writing Tools that May Come In Handy
It’s always good to know that you there are effective tools wherewith you can edit, format, and check your paper for style, logic, and coherence. Below are some useful tools you can use to ensure your paper is a success.
- Grammarly. A handy digital writing tool that helps students compose unique and mistake-free papers.
- ReadWriteThink. One of the most popular tools that help students enhance their writing skills in a variety of subjects and areas.
- Google Docs. A free spreadsheet and word processor that enable learners to create, edit, and share their papers with others.
- BibMe. A free bibliography and citation generator that allows documenting consulted sources according to MLA, APA, Chicago, and Harvard styles.
The article was created by Isabelle Foster, a journalist, qualified teacher, and one of the top writers at PapersOwl, an online academic writing service. The author is keen on arts, sports, philanthropy, and reading. She spends most of her time tutoring, giving instructions to students, and writing, of course. Her biggest dream is to travel all around the world, learn the Chinese language, and win the Pulitzer Prize for her fiction.
