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In an academic career, people regard academic writing as the most important skill essential for scholarly communication. It helps scholars construct impactful arguments, present their ideas and evaluate the novel research work. Many students find it difficult to write an academic paper; however, when you have mastered the art of scholarly writing, it will become easier for you to write it.
This article will cover academic writing, its features, types and other characteristics.
What is an Academic Paper?
Academic writing is a formal style of writing used by researchers and most educators in academic institutes and for other scholarly publications. Such writing concentrates on the subject's factual arguments and logical reasoning and enhances the reader's comprehension of the subject matter. The document used for such writing is called an academic paper, and it can be anything – an essay, an assignment, a term paper, a research paper or an analysis document.
Why Is An Academic Paper Important?
Regardless of your academic discipline, academic paper writing helps to establish sound arguments and ideas and contribute to scholarly conversations. This skill will help you make the most out of your academic qualification. It enhances your objectivity level and critical thinking skills. If you are not good at academic writing, it will be advisable to take academic writing help, where an academic paper writer will craft your paper per your needs. An undergraduate essay writing service can be hired for the same purpose.
What is a Good Academic Paper?
A good academic paper generally follows a proper organisational pattern. It follows a formal tone throughout the document, clearly focuses on a problem and uses the third person instead of the first person. It has a comparatively precise word choice and follows a standard writing style. All the paragraphs in such a paper include relevant evidence (such as facts, expert opinions, examples, quotations, etc.)
What Are The Five Characteristics Of A Good Academic Paper?
The five top characteristics of a good academic paper are the following:
- Citations and References: A good academic paper allows students to express their opinions regarding a potential research problem, display their knowledge, and support their arguments with different citations. Citing the sources is necessary for academic writing as it acknowledges other people's work and verifies important points of your research.
- Good Structure: Structuring your academic paper allows you to present your concepts concisely and rationally. It helps you form clear and logical arguments. An academic paper mainly comprises an introduction, a thesis statement, a conclusion, and other supplementary parts.
- Formal Tone: Most academic writers communicate their opinions and arguments formally to show their knowledge and professionalism regarding a subject. The formal tone ensures that the researchers present their work consistently throughout the academic paper. It helps establish the neutrality and credibility of the writer's thoughts.
- Objective Arguments: Academic papers present the information unbiasedly and support all the points with corresponding evidence. Including the work of other researchers in your academic writing articles will make them more objective and fair.
- Accuracy and Consistency: Other than following basic grammar rules, correct citation and punctuation rules, there must be consistency in your academic papers. If an academic paper is free of errors, it will help the readers view it as a credible source of information. The facts and figures used in the papers must be accurate.
What Are The Four Types Of Academic Writing Papers?
The four main types of academic writing are descriptive, persuasive, analytical and critical. Each of these academic paper writing types has specified language features and purposes. The description of these types is given below:
Descriptive
Descriptive academic writing is the most basic form of academic writing. Its goal is to provide information or facts. A summary of an article or a report on the findings of an experiment are two examples.
Some examples of instructions for a strictly descriptive article include using words like identity, report, record, summarise and define.
Persuasive
Most scholarly assignments require you to go one step beyond analytical writing and into persuasive writing. Persuasive writing combines all of the characteristics of analytical writing (information + reorganisation) with your point of view. Most literary essays are persuasive, and at least the discussion and conclusion of a research article contain a persuasive aspect.
In academic writing, points of view can include an argument, suggestion, interpretation of results, or evaluation of the work of others. Your persuasive writing claim must be supported by evidence, such as a reference to study results or published sources.
Some examples of the words used in persuasive academic writing include "argue, evaluate and discuss".
Analytical
A university-level text is rarely simply descriptive. The majority of academic work is also analytical. Analytical writing incorporates descriptive writing but also necessitates reorganising the facts and information you explain into categories, groups, parts, types, or relationships.
These categories or relationships may already be part of the discipline, or you may create them, especially for your text. If you're comparing two theories, you could divide your comparison into several sections, such as how each theory addresses social context, how each theory addresses language acquisition, and how each theory can be applied in practice.
Some words used in analytical articles include analyse, compare, contrast, relate and examine.
Critical
Critical writing is prevalent in research, postgraduate, and advanced undergraduate writing. It has all of the characteristics of compelling writing, plus at least one additional point of view. While persuasive writing necessitates your point of view on a given issue or subject, critical writing necessitates the consideration of at least two points of view, including your own.
For example, you could describe a researcher's interpretation or argument and then evaluate or provide your alternative interpretation.
A critique of a journal article or a literature review that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of extant research are examples of critical assignments. Some of the major orders used for critical literary articles include debate, critique, disagreement and evaluation.
What Are The Examples Of Academic Papers?
Academic papers can be classified into a variety of classes and types. Some examples include the following:
- Dissertations and theses
- An annotated bibliography
- Technical reports
- Research articles
- Literary analysis documents
- Academic essays and assignments
- Term papers
FAQs
What Is The Difference Between An Academic Paper And An Essay?
An essay can be an academic paper. Academic writing is a formal writing style widely used in scholarly publications and academic institutes. You will frequently observe it in journal articles and books written on academic topics.
What Is The Difference Between An Academic Paper And A Research Paper?
Research papers are lengthy academic papers, usually up to eight pages. It provides the reader with analysis, interpretation and arguments based on extensive and independent research.
What Is Academic Paper Vs Professional Paper?
Academic papers are written to fulfil academic needs, i.e. basically, they are written for academia. The main audience of such academic papers includes professors, fellow researchers and students, and industry experts such as historians and scientists. On the other hand, professional writing mainly focuses on colleagues, business people, clients and managers of an organisation.
