When writing academically we use formal language, I.e.:<ul><li>no idiomatic or colloquial vocabulary (dad, guy) </li><li>no adverbs that show personal view (luckily, remarkably) </li><li>no ‘get’ or ‘go’ phrases</li><li>we do not use question forms, but we do use statements. (What were the reasons for the decline in wool exports? Vs The main reasons for the decline in wool exports are …) </li><li>no contracting verb forms (don’t, can’t) do not do it. </li></ul>

Formal Language 

When we write academically, we write objective. We only state facts, not what we think. It can be hard writing about something and not mentioning how you feel about it so pay attention to this.

Be Objective 

In academic writing we can not say things like “some people believe X”we have to be precise and state exactly how many people believe X.

Be Precise 

We should be careful about supporting claims with evidence. We soften our message by saying: “it seems to be that…”, “it might be that…”. This shows your ability to think critically! (Stash coming soon). for some examples: https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/using-cautious-language/

Use Hedging Vocabulary 

This relates to the the previous tip. If you write academically you state just the results, not that it has “great impact to society” or “revolutionises the industry”. This can be hard to do for my entrepreneurial friends. 😅

Be Cautious About The Size Of Claims You Make 

Whatever you write in an academic context can be hard, most of it is serious stuff. Texts full of industry specific vocabulary. Therefore it is important that you write as concise as possible. One way to write more concisely is to use noun phrases. In noun phrases we turn verbs into noun. For example: Students often need to be encouraged. Students often need encouragement. What helps me is to just type the verb from my sentence in to Google, plus the word noun. And then rephrase my sentence.

Concise

Everything we mention in our academic text has to be complete. We fully explain a topic or thought or further research idea. Some things can be obvious to you but they are not so obvious for your reader. Have someone else, preferable someone that doesn’t know much about your field, read your text. Someone like me maybe?

Clear Development Of Ideas 

Rhetorical questions are only used in presentation to capture the attention of your audience.

Rhetorical Questions 

In this stash I give some tips about academic writing, this is one I refer to every time I have to write something so be sure to safe it so you can too!

How do we write academically?

Stany