Academic Writing

Academic writing plays a crucial role in the world of education and research.  It is a formal style of writing in that it uses appropriate academic language and structure in order to share research findings, theories, and ideas with others in a scholarly community. Effective academic writing ensures that knowledge is presented clearly, logically, and with supporting evidence. 

Students and researchers use academic writing to show their grasp of a subject since it reflects critical thinking, comprehension, and the ability to engage with existing literature. Academic writing requires analysis of evidence, synthesis of different perspectives, and evaluation of information. This helps writers and readers develop deeper insights and question assumptions in relation to a topic.

This resource can be used to help with writing essays, as well as other types of academic writing.

Academic writing at university fulfils a number of functions; In the first instance, it requires you to​​​​ make a clear attempt to answer the question or assignment task.

It also requires you to organise your writing, using clear links to guide the reader through the argument, and to present ideas and arguments that are well supported with information from your sources. To achieve this, you need to write in a style which communicates clearly and uses appropriate subject-specific language.

In relation to assessment, it helps you show a depth of understanding of the issues relevant to the question and demonstrate evidence of a wide range of reading, but also your ability to take a critical approach and not just write descriptively.  

Finally, to demonstrate your academic credibility and honesty, and your awareness of scholarly practices, it demands that all information from your sources is clearly acknowledged and appropriately incorporated into your text, and that you include an accurate reference list or bibliography that is consistent in layout and punctuation ​​​​​.

Different types of academic writing

There are different types of academic writing that you might be expected to produce at university, such as essay writing, critical writing, reflective writing, or scientific writing. These may require you to use a slightly different style, structure, language or approach depending on what is appropriate for your assignment.