Academic and research writing is an integral part of postgraduate study. Students at Master’s or Ph.D. levels must write and present long essays often called dissertation or thesis. This is a major requirement for the completion of the programme.
Postdoctoral fellows and faculty members are not exempt from academic writing. This can be for a journal article, research proposal, or poster presentation. Simple put, to be a great scholar, you must be good at writing.
Therefore, students must build the skills needed. Many postgraduate students believe writing skills are for arts and language based courses. Many scientists and engineers struggle with academic writing.
Software and AI have become helpful tools to enhance the quality of writing. Whether with the traditional pen and paper or the use of Information and Communication Technology, the writing skills are basic. There is need to get and develop this appropriate skill set.
What is Academic Writing?
Academic writing is a formal writing style of the academic community. That is, it is used in universities, research institutes and scholarly publications.
Materials written and published using academic writing can easily be found in journal articles and textbooks on academic topics and long essays. As a student, you would be expected to write your term papers, research summary, research proposal and dissertation in academic style.
University of Southern California describes academic writing as a style of expression that researchers use to define the intellectual boundaries of their disciplines. This writing methods helps students, researchers and faculty members organise and present their idea, hypotheses and findings in the most appropriate language. Academic writing is used to construct scholarly arguments and technical reports.
Types of Academic Writing
Skills in Academic Writing