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Fundamentals of academic writing

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Read this blog to learn the fundamentals of academic writing. This blog will provide you with all the knowledge you need about academic writing secrets.

One of the most important skills you’ll learn during your graduate school career is how to write properly, and it’s one you didn’t expect to learn until you started. Although you are not expected to become a novelist, the ability to create clear and convincing arguments is essential for success in your studies.

Do you have any idea who gets a call to set up a job interview? It will be decided on the candidate with the most impressive CV/resume and cover letter. You’ll be expected to exhibit some writing skills once you graduate from graduate school. Do you know who has the best chance of moving up in their profession? The individual who consistently delivers high-quality reports, research papers, evaluations, and other tasks that are related to a given job description. Your writing skills will aid you in achieving success in any career you choose.

At this time, it’s vital that you focus your efforts on academic writing. A high-quality piece of work must be based on credible sources, but it should also include your own personal viewpoints. There are five fundamental requirements that must be followed at all times when producing an academic paper. The entire writing and research process will become much more straightforward for you if you keep these principles in mind.

5 Fundamentals of Academic Writing

1. a feeling of completeness

Many students mistakenly feel that complexity is the most essential principle in academic writing. Yes, academic literature is particularly difficult to comprehend because a single paper has multiple layers of data and a number of distinct arguments. On the other hand, the pursuit of complexity should not lead you astray. This is a regular occurrence in which students use long, distinctive terms to make the content appear more eloquent. That is not a good plan. The language used in the paper must be as simple as possible, despite the fact that the document’s structure and the concept it develops are complicated.

Avoid passive verbs, participles, adjectives, and terms you just looked up in the dictionary as much as possible. If it’s appropriate for the situation, use basic language to explain your points. Use the Hemingway Editor, a useful tool that shows you where you went off the rails. Long sequences of prepositional phrases, passives, and other features that make the text difficult to read and understand should be avoided.

The most crucial rule to remember is that if you want to be clear, you shouldn’t limit yourself to using fewer words; instead, you should use the strongest ones you can.

2. Particular examples of this

Consider the following scenario: you’re trying to show how a specific leadership trait (such as the ability to motivate others) affects the organization’s overall success. What proof will you utilise to back up your claim? To back up your claims and build credibility for your arguments, you’ll need specific data and examples from real-life circumstances.

An academic essay can incorporate abstract theoretical concepts, especially if the subject is related to philosophy or the social sciences. However, in order to make those concepts more understandable, you must present real-life examples to help the reader understand what you’re talking about. Examples are useful in every portion of the work, so use them anytime you wish to bring the reader’s attention to a certain subject or to clarify a concept.

3. Belief in one’s own ability to be objective

Of course, you have your own viewpoints and want to be able to back them up with evidence. True, you will emphasise your point of view and seek to explain your thesis statement with strong reasoning, but it does not mean you should disregard the opposing side. You must show that you have investigated both sides of the topic and are conversant with the opposing viewpoints in order to create a graduate-level paper.

Assume you’re writing a paper on marijuana’s health advantages, and you really want to show how beneficial it is to individuals suffering from a range of ailments. In that scenario, you should also pay special attention to the drug’s cautions and side effects. Don’t dismiss studies that reveal scary results; instead, explain why your ideas are better than those of your opponents.

4. Mention References

You must be very specific with the content you use in order to write an accurate academic paper. After you’ve completed your study, you’ll have a wealth of facts to back up your statements. It is vital that you use them appropriately at all times. “A huge number of cancer patients have found treatment through medicinal marijuana therapy,” for example, isn’t enough. Specific information, such as the number of patients, must be included. What research is there that provide this kind of proof? This information will be used throughout your paper, and you will need to correctly cite it. Before referencing any internet source, be sure the information you’re getting comes from trusted websites to avoid being duped into using untrustworthy resources.

The APA, MLA, and Chicago manual of style is three primary reference styles that are extensively employed in academic writing. It’s critical to understand the requirements of the style you’re using because each comma and capital letter affects the style.

5. Logical growth and consistency

Consistency in an academic paper refers to two things: the consistency of your writing style and the logical flow of your ideas. You cannot, for example, use both email and e-mail in your paper; you must focus on only one mode of communication. Your writing style should be consistent throughout the paper; for example, if you express yourself at the start with complicated sentences, it’s best to keep writing in this style throughout the document.

The reader is guided from the introduction to the very last line without difficulty in an academic document with a perfectly logical flow. You must read and review the paper after completing the first draft to ensure that there are no information gaps. Read it from the perspective of someone who has no prior understanding of the topic. After that, review your arguments to ensure that they are all consistent with and relevant to your thesis statement. Don’t hold back if you find yourself penning phrases or paragraphs that are redundant or unnecessary. Each piece of the jigsaw must contribute to the overall impression you want to leave with the visitor.

Do you understand what goes into creating a good academic paper and why it’s important? Now it’s time to put your knowledge to the test!

Developing into excellent academic writing takes time and work. Because successful writing concepts are essential, you were able to comprehend them quickly after reading the descriptions above. It is, nevertheless, vital to put them into practice! If you continue to work on your papers and put in a lot of effort at each level of the process, you will progress as a writer.

It’s conceivable that you’re not working on a specific project right now. Then pick a topic that piques your interest and write about it! The principles outlined above are applicable to all types of academic writing, thus they’ll help you write an essay, a thesis, a dissertation, a research paper, or any other type of content. You’ll be well prepared to deal with any writing challenge that arises in the future once you’ve mastered them.    

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