Academic writing is one particular type of writing which requires you to think critically about a topic and consider other academic works.
You are required to formulate your arguments and reflect on counterarguments. Your thoughts, arguments and evidence need to be organised into coherent sections for the purpose of clarity and logical progression. You will also need to utilise subject-specific terminology and apply it in the correct manner.
Types of academic writing
Academic writing can be classified in the following way:
| Category | Task |
|---|---|
| Explanation | Conveying facts and understanding |
| Exercise | Testing comprehension and applying knowledge |
| Literature Review | Presenting and discussing literature |
| Methodology | Describing methods and their value |
| Research Report | Fully describing and assessing research |
| Essay | Making a complete argument |
| Critique | Critically evaluating an argument |
| Event Report | Reporting an event |
| Public Engagement | Translating to an easily understood register |
| Case Study | Reporting an uncontrolled, pre-existing case |
| Specification | Specifying a process or product |
| Problem Question | Addressing a real- world problem |
| Proposal | Arguing for a future action |