Tips to Master Academic Writing

Academic writing should not be as intimidating as it is seen nowadays by the majority of students. It seems everyone wants to visit lectures and participate in the class discussions but is afraid to express personal opinion in writing. Well, this should never be the case as writing teaches you so many things apart from actually putting words into sentences with certain meaning. That is why in this article we will try to teach you some basics of academic writing and how to master it!

Sometimes, referring to academic writing as a universal activity is not right. Given the number of different essay types one should necessarily take into account special requirements for each type of paper. PhD students most certainly require some further dissertation proposal help than the basics of academic writing can give them. Therefore, you have to first get well acquainted with the special features of your very own writing assignment and then go to general academic writing basics. 

Tips And Tricks For A Perfect Paper

The whole of higher education is built on the writing of researches and papers. One may find several tips from writing experts on how to perform more efficiency in writing. We have gathered the top five tips which you may apply in any kind of academic writing as they are rather universal approaches.

So, here is how to make your writing efficient and successful:

• Make thesis statement your first priority;
• Be logical in every paragraph, sentence and word;
• Develop personal writing style which complies with the academic requirements;
• Never omit proofreading and editing;
• Include only relevant, preferably the most recent sources.

Let us discuss these tips in detail. First and foremost comes the thesis statement. This sentence in the last paragraph of the introduction usually predetermines the destiny of one’s work. The main purpose of thesis statement is to present the very essence of the paper and its main idea. One may define it as a main claim one makes and tries to prove throughout the whole writing. All the following paragraphs have to explain this statement and revolve exclusively around it.

When it comes to the sequence of ideas presented in the course of the essay, this has to be nothing but a logical one. In this sense, logic has nothing to do with any of the complex philosophical matters. It is just a simple and clear presentation of the opinions with their respective argumentation. Therefore, one has to draft the outline before writing a paper. Outline helps to structure your thoughts and largely facilitates the consequent writing process.

If you are planning to develop in the scientific field as a researcher, you have to work on your personal writing style. This does not mean getting rid of the academic writing basics but rather creating a style recognizable by your readers. Personal writing style does not exclusively mean self-expression. Instead, it is rather the way a writer uses various types of sentences, idioms, and demonstrates the profound knowledge of subject-specific vocabulary.

As we have mentioned subject-specific vocabulary, there are a few important things to consider when using such. Choice of words and functional lexics largely depends on the target audience. When you know that your target audience constitutes of other scholars like you, then it would be more than appropriate to use domain-specific terminology. Otherwise, try to choose words and terms which a greater majority of people will understand.

The fourth tip calls writers for particular attention regarding punctuation, sentence structure, and grammar. Apart from showcasing one’s lack of the basic English language knowledge, carelessness may also result in difficulty of understanding on the part of readers. Poor grammar and ignorance of punctuation may significantly diminish not only your grade but also your position as a young researcher, however good your ideas may be.

Finally, resources have also to be in perfect condition both as to their relevance and formatting. There is a number of citation formats like APA, MLA, Harvard, which require one’s accuracy and understanding of their particular features. Moreover, it is generally advisable to choose literature that is of the most relevance today. Exceptions are the capstone works in the industry like Kotler for marketing or Bernays for public relations.