SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Saint benilde
International school (calamba), inc.

ENGLISH – ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

QUARTER 1
WEEK 1

READING ACADEMIC TEXTS

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. Its
objective is to inform rather than entertain. As well as this it is in the standard written form of the
language.There are ten main features of academic writing that are often discussed. Academic
writing is to some extent: complex, formal, objective, explicit, hedged, and responsible. It uses
language precisely and accurately. It is also well organised and planned.

Complexity
Written language is relatively more complex than spoken language. Written language has
longer words, it is lexically denser and it has a more varied vocabulary. It uses more noun-based
phrases than verb-based phrases. Written texts are shorter and the language has more
grammatical complexity, including more subordinate clauses and more passives.

Formality
Academic writing is relatively formal. In general this means that in an essay you should
avoid colloquial words and expressions.
In general this means in an essay that you should avoid:
a. colloquial words and expressions; ""stuff", "a lot of", "thing", "sort of",
b. abbreviated forms: "can't", "doesn't", "shouldn't"
c. two word verbs: "put off", "bring up"
d. sub-headings, numbering and bullet-points in formal essays - but use them in reports.
e. asking questions.

Precision
In academic writing, facts and figures are given precisely. You need to be precise when
you use information, dates or figures. Do not use "a lot of people" when you can say "50 million
people".
For example:
1. Chemists had attempted to synthesize quinine for the previous hundred years but all they had
achieved was to discover the extreme complexity of the problem.
2. The volatile oily liquid beta-chloro-beta-ethyl sulphide was first synthesized in 1854, and
in 1887 it was reported to produce blisters if it touched the skin. It was called mustard gas and
was used at Ypres in 19I7, when it caused many thousands of casualties.

Prepared by: Julious C. Balajadia, LPT & Nelly Jean T. Manalo, LPT
June 2019
 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Saint benilde
International school (calamba), inc.

Objectivity
Written language is in general objective rather than personal. It therefore has fewer words
that refer to the writer or the reader. This means that the main emphasis should be on the
information that you want to give and the arguments you want to make, rather than you. For that
reason, academic writing tends to use nouns (and adjectives), rather than verbs (and adverbs).
In general, avoid words like "I", "me", "myself". A reader will normally assume that any
idea not referenced is your own. It is therefore unnecessary to make this explicit.
Don't write:" In my opinion, this a very interesting studies."
Write: "This is a very interesting study."
Avoid "you" to refer to the reader or people in general.
Don't write: "You can easily forget how different life was 50 years ago."
Write: "It is easy to forget how difficult life was 50 years ago."

Explicitness
Academic writing is explicit about the relationships in the text. Furthermore, it is the
responsibility of the writer in English to make it clear to the reader how the various parts of the
text are related. These connections can be made explicit by the use of different signal words.

Accuracy
Academic writing uses vocabulary accurately. Most subjects have words with narrow
specific meanings. Linguistics distinguishes clearly between "phonetics" and "phonemics";
general English does not.

Hedging
It is often believed that academic writing, particularly scientific writing, is factual, simply
to convey facts and information. However it is now recognised that an important feature of
academic writing is the concept of cautious language, often called "hedging" or "vague
language". In other words, it is necessary to make decisions about your stance on a particular
subject, or the strength of the claims you are making. Different subjects prefer to do this in
different ways.
Language used in hedging:
Examples: (introductory verbs) seem, tend, look like, appear to be, think, believe, doubt,
be sure, indicate, suggest; (certain lexical verbs) believe, assume, suggest; (modal verbs) will,
must, would, may, might, could; (adverbs of frequency) often, sometimes, usually; (modal
adverbs) certainly, definitely, clearly, probably, possibly, perhaps, conceivably: (modal
adjectives) certain, definite, clear, probable, possible; (modal nouns) assumption, possibility,
probability; (That clauses) It could be the case that. It could be the case that. There is every hope
that.

Responsibility
In academic writing you must be responsible for, and must be able to provide evidence
and justification for, any claims you make. You are also responsible for demonstrating an
understanding of any source texts you use.

Prepared by: Julious C. Balajadia, LPT & Nelly Jean T. Manalo, LPT
June 2019
 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Saint benilde
International school (calamba), inc.

Organisation
Academic writing is well organised. It flows easily from one section to the next in a
logical fashion. A good place to start is the genre of your text. Once you have decided on the
genre, the structure is easily determined. Students are asked to write many different kinds of
texts. Depending on your subject, these could be essays, laboratory reports, case-studies, book
reviews, reflective diaries, posters, research proposals, and so on and are normally referred to as
genre families or genres. Genres are defined by their purpose, their audience and their structure.
Looking at typical structures can help you with your organisation.
The following genres are common in higher education.
1. Essays
2. Reports
3. Case Studies
4. Research proposals
5. Book reviews
6. Brief research reports
7. Literature reviews
8. Reflective writing
9. Introductions
10. Research methods
11. Research results
12. Research discussions
13. Writing conclusions
14. Research abstracts
15. Research dissertations & theses

Planning
Academic writing is well planned. It usually takes place after research and evaluation,
according to a specific purpose and plan.
The following procedure is typical when writing an extended essay or assignment.
Task
1. Read the question or brief and understand what you are required to do.
Think about the subject, the purpose and the audience.
2. Think about what you know about the subject.
Write it down in some way.
3. Go to the library or initernet and find relevant books, articles or websites.
4. Find the books on your reading list - if you have one - and study them.
5. Make notes on these books and articles.
Record full details of the materials you use.
6. Organise your piece of work.
7. Type or write your first draft.

Prepared by: Julious C. Balajadia, LPT & Nelly Jean T. Manalo, LPT
June 2019
 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Saint benilde
International school (calamba), inc.

8. Discuss your first draft informally with friends, other members of your class and your
lecturer if possible.
9. Revise your first draft, bearing in mind any comments that were made in your discussions.
Go back to 2. if necessary
Produce your second draft.
10. Proofread your draft.
11. Produce a final typed version.
12. Check everything.

Academic writing is a broad term that applies to all forms of communications at high
academic level, including articles in peer reviewed journals, university and college papers as
well as theses and dissertations. Despite a relatively broad spectrum of academic fields and
versatility of publishing formats and media, there are some universal standards of academic
writing that should be kept in mind.

Prepared by: Julious C. Balajadia, LPT & Nelly Jean T. Manalo, LPT
June 2019