The Academic Writing Style

Writing is a form of communication that is shaped by the following factors:

1. Topic – What is the text about? What details am I imparting to the readers?
2. Role – Who am I as a writer? Do I write as a sibling? A student? A son/a daughter? A customer?
3. Purpose – Why am I writing this in the first place?
4. Audience – Who is reading this peace? What knowledge does he/she need to understand in my writing?

Four Important Features of Language

Formality – reflects your dignified stance in your writing as a member of the academic community.
Formality can be achieved through the following ways:
1. Choosing expanded modal forms over contracted forms, such as using cannot instead of can’t, do not instead of don’t.
2. Choosing one verb form over two-word verbs, such as damage instead of mess up.
3. Choosing expanded terms over their abbreviated equivalents, such as as soon as possible instead of ASAP.
4. Avoiding colloquial/trite/idiomatic expressions, such as kind of like, as a matter of fact, I need to go to the John.

Objectivity – the writing must be impersonal and maintain a certain level of social distance.
Objectivity can be achieved by:
1. Avoiding the use of personal pronouns such as you, I, and we.
Poor example: You need to conduct the experiment.
Improved version:The researchers need to conduct the experiment.
2. Avoiding rhetorical questions as it marks “closeness” with the reader, and constantly seeks his/her attention.
Poor example: How can these problems be solved?
Improved version:Certain measures must be discovered to solve the problems.
3. Avoiding motive language that shows biases and lessens objectivity.
Poor example: The investigators were very shocked to see the outcome of the tests.
Improved version:The investigators did not expect the results.

Explicitness – academic writing demands the use of signposts that allow readers to trace the relationships in the parts of a study.
If you intend to show a change in your line of argument, make it clear by using however.
Example:
It is apparent that the government hopes to provide assistance to the poor. However, giving dole outs to the “poorest of the
poor” does not work in the long term.

The following phrases may be useful in making ideas explicit:

1. This is due to the…
A number of MERALCO consumers trooped to the City Hall to claim a PHP 500 cash incentive. This is due to the Supreme
Court ruling that overcharges must be returned to the end users whose electric consumption for the April-May period was
below 100kw/hr.
2. This resulted in…
With the Supreme Court ordering MERALCO to return overcharges to the end users, government offices have been tapped to
operate as claim centers. This resulted in a number of MERALCO consumers trooping to the City Hall to claim the PHP
500.00 cash incentive.

When two ideas seem the same, express each one clearly.
The study showed that eighty percent of the 200 participants involved in the study were dissatisfied with the operations of
MERALCO. Similarly, the data revealed that majority of the participants were not aware of the charges imposed on them by
MERALCO.

If you intend to give extra information in your sentence, make it clear by writing “In addition…”
MERALCO has been operating as a business conglomerate involving foreign stakeholders and independent power producers
or IPP. In addition, MERALCO owns major IPPs operating in the region.

If you are giving examples, do so explicitly by writing “For example…”

The MERALCO issue has led to disputes between opposition and administration senators. For example, those who have been
labeled as against the president considered the issue as the administration’s way of avoiding the NBN-ZTE scandal.

Caution – caution is needed to avoid sweeping generalizations.

- Caution needs to be observed in the following parts of your paper:
1. When a hypothesis needs to be tested
2. Drawing conclusions or predictions from your findings that may generalize certain matters or may not be conclusive
3. Referencing others’ work to build on your own paper
 Verbs indicating caution: tends, suggests, appear to be, think, believe, doubt, indicate
Example:
The findings of the survey suggests that students who use the social networking in their academic work tend to be
more updated on recent developments in their respective subjects.

Modal verbs: will, must, would, may, can, might, could

Example:
The observation of students’ use of social networking sites may lead to the different behaviors that manifest in real-
life communication.

Adverbs of frequency: often, sometimes, usually

Example:
The essays that were given marks were usually high.

If your results show something different from another author’s ideas, these are possible ways in writing these points:
1. The results contradict Meyer’s findings
2. The results appear to be different from Meyer’s findings

While both sentences essentially mean the main thing, sentence 1 expresses an explicit difference between your findings and
of Meyer’s. This may be interpreted by readers as an attempt to highlight your findings as superior compared to Meyer. On the
other hand, sentence 2 shows that you are distancing yourself from your work (basing conclusions on what is observed) and
comparing it to previous works done by other researchers relating your contributions to other ideas in the discipline.

Structure – sentences need to be constructed in such a way that they show a level of complexity that reflects the sophistication of an
academic writer. Combining ideas effectively, nominalization and passivization are some ways to achieve structure fit for academic
writing.
In combining ideas effectively, you will need to avoid redundancy and at the same time, make sure that ideas are packed
effectively.
Consider the following examples:
The earthquake caused loss of life.
The earthquake cause massive property damage.
The earthquake changed the landscape of the village.
These sentences can be improved by continuing similar ideas expressing them through a more complex construction. Hence,
they can be rewritten this way:
The earthquake was a disaster that caused loss of life, property damage, and permanent changes in the landscape.

In nominalization, the verbs are made central as they denote action. Transforming verbs into nouns helps readers focus on the
action and not on the doer of the action.
Examples:
The company created software to manage the transactions successfully.
Nominalization:
The creation of software to manage transactions was a success.

The president announced a three-day holiday this September.

Nominalization:
The president’s announcement of a three-day holiday for September was released.

The mall distributed several free items to consumers in the hope to boost sales.
Nominalization:
Distribution of free items for consumers was done in the hope to boost sales.

In passive construction, the results of actions are highlighted. In academic writing, since the writer of the paper is presumed to
have done the collection and analysis of data, it is understood that all results of the action are a product of the writer’s work.
Examples:
The researcher conducted experiments to validate the hypothesis.
Passivization:
Experiments were conducted to validate the hypothesis.

An engineer built a saltwater lamp to help communities with no electricity.

Passivization:
A saltwater lamp was built to help communities with no electricity.

Several scientists conducted experiment to examine the effects of algae on biodiversity.

 Passivization:
An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of algae on biodiversity.

Plagiarism; Effective Note-taking

Plagiarism
- Is defined as the copying verbatim of language and ideas of other writers and taking credit for them.
- Citations can be done to acknowledge the ownership of the work you used.
- Note-taking techniques such as summarizing, using quotations, and paraphrasing are used to address plagiarism of language.

There are two types of plagiarism:

- Plagiarism of Ideas
- Plagiarism of Language

Plagiarism of ideas - Occurs when credit for a work is ascribed to oneself untruthfully.
- To address this, proper citations should be done.

Citations are done in different ways:

Author-oriented citation
- it starts with the surname of the author, followed by the year of publication in parentheses.
- verbs of statement such as argues, posits, and emphasis at the start of paragraph or sentence may be used.
Example:
Pulido (2012) believes that language in an online environment can be understood if other modes of online communication are
further analyzed to provide a full account of interaction in virtual words.

Text-oriented citation
- a paragraph or a sentence from a source is followed with the surname of the author of the work and the year of publication.
- the citation must be enclosed in parentheses.
Example:
Unless educators realize the importance of reading and writing across subject areas, problems in comprehension of subject
matter will be a prominent issues in the teaching-learning process (Estacio, 2010).

Another way of citation

- start the sentence or paragraph by using the phrase “According to…” followed by the surname of the author and the year of
publication enclosed in parentheses.
Example:
According to Mendoza (1990), by the end of the century, our fuel reserves will be reduced to half, and scarcity of energy
supplies will be a big problem.
The general rule is that the Author, title of work (may it be image, movie, or music) and year it was produced (if applicable) be
included in the citation.

Consider the following examples:

Images:
1. Luna’s Spolarium (1884) inspired several artists in music and creative writing to produce works related to this powerful
painting.
2. In 1884, Luna’s Spolarium presented the different aspects of Philippine life.
Video:
1. Spencer’s (2009) “The Matchmaker” shows the different experiences of artists when they struggle with stardom and deal with
the consequences of fame and fortune.
2. 2. “The Matchmaker” (Spencer, 2009) accurately captures the trials and tribulations of fame and fortune of artists making it big
in show business.
Music:
1. The Beatle’s song “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964) features John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s genius that will influence
generations of musicians to create songs that challenge the norm.
2. John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the song “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964) which is considered as one of the Beatle’s
greatest hits in their illustrious career.

Plagiarism of language – happens when an author uses the language of another writer and claims it as his or her own.
To address plagiarism of language, effective note-taking techniques should be used. There are three types of note-taking
techniques: using direct quotations, summarizing, and paraphrasing.

Using Direct Quotations – is employed for statements that are so closely associated that altering the words may lose its rhetorical
impact.
 Below are some points to consider for employing direct quotations:
1. Using direct quotation means to lift text and enclose them in quotation marks. In addition to the author’s name, the page
numbers are included.
Example:
“Globalization is just a covert term for colonization.” (Reyes, 1994, p. 2).
2. If the text is too long, you may omit certain parts and replace them with an ellipsis (three dots). If the words omitted are at the
end of the statement, another dot is added, making it four.
Example:
“Smartphones resulted from global innovations in technology… and therefore, consumers need to be updated on the
latest trends if they want to maximize opportunities offered by these gadgets to make daily activities more convenient.” (De
Claro, 2010, p. 7).
3. Interpolation may be done to insert notes within the directly quoted passage to help readers understand the context of the
statement. Interpolation is marked by open and closed brackets.
Example:
“De Quiros, Zabala, Uy, and Lee believe that the education sector should address the material conditions of schools
to improve teaching and learning.” (Danao, 2011, p. 7).
“[Educators] believe that the education sector should address the material conditions of schools to improve teaching
and learning.” (Danao, 2011, p. 7).
4. Using too many direct quotations does not ravel your identity as an author. Specifically, it is important that you develop your
own voice and style of writing in expressing ideas. Using others’ statements helps in arguments but does not show your
originality and strength in making claims. Therefore as a rule of thumb, twenty percent of the total length of the work may
employ direct quotations. For instance, if the prompt of the essay requires you to write in at least 1000 words, you may only
have a total of 200 words allotted for direct quotation.
Example:
“Smartphones resulted from global innovations in technology… and therefore, consumers need to be updated on the
latest trends if they want to maximize opportunities offered by these gadgets to make daily activities more convenient.” (De
Claro, 2010, p. 7).

Summarizing – is a short restatement of the main idea of a text. Ideally, it is a third of the original text of your paper. For developing
your summary, the following tips may be helpful.
1. Make sure to read the text thoroughly and highlighted the important details in the text. Bear in mind that certain details have
relationships (cause and effect for example) and these need to be noted as well.
2. After getting the main idea/s, use your own words in your summary. Make sure to check if the relationships between ideas are
established.
3. When done with your summary, recheck your output with the original to see if your output does not stray from the original text.
You may seek your teacher or peer’s feedback to be sure.

Paraphrasing – A restatement in your own words of the main idea and supporting details of a text.
- A paraphrase may match the length of the original work.
- Though paraphrasing may be considered more challenging than summarizing, paraphrasing allows little opportunities for
misinterpretation on the part of the reader as you account for both major and minor points.

Consider the following tips in crafting your paraphrases.

1. Read the text thoroughly, noting both main ideas and supporting details. If confronted with a long text, you may outline these
ideas to distinguish the major points from the minor ones.
2. After identifying these, carefully state the major and minor points in your own words, making sure that the relationships
between and among these ideas are observed.
3. Finally, when the paraphrase is done, compare your work with the original to make sure that the original intentions of the
author are not changed.

The following are also several ways in paraphrasing:

1. Literal paraphrasing – this type only replaces vocabulary terms from the original text.
2. Structural paraphrasing – this type changes the sentence structure as well as the word class of key words of the original text.
3. Alternative paraphrasing – in this type, the writer first poses questions about the text such as what the text is about, how the
main idea is supported, and the stand of the author about the topic. Then, the writer answers these questions using his/her
own words after reading the text; making sure that all ideas are connected.

PLANNING ESSAYS AND PRESENTATIONS

- Writing is an activity that requires organization.
- As ideas arise there are two important components to consider – the thesis statement and the outline.
Thesis statement – The overall idea or argument of your work.
- It is a general statement that presents essential points that leads the reader to the right direction.
- Your thesis statement makes all parts of your work stick together.
- A good thesis statement should be focused and succinct, and must be framed as a declarative sentence.
- Ideally, the statement should have at least three ideas that will be developed in succeeding sections at work.
A thesis statement is different from a topic sentence in two aspects. First, the thesis statement is the main idea of an essay.
This means that since an essay has several paragraphs, the thesis statement covers the main idea of the essay. On the other hand, a
topic sentence serves as the main idea of a paragraph. Second, the thesis statement contains at least two supporting points which are
developed in succeeding paragraphs. A topic sentence usually has just one supporting point.

A good thesis statement has several qualities:

1. A thesis statement is always framed as a declarative statement.
Poor example: What is plagiarism?
Improve version: Plagiarism can be explained from cultural and socio-political perspectives.
2. A good thesis statement is focused, meaning it provides supporting points that strengthen the main claim.
Poor example: An effective local government unit should have good communication facilities and efficient resource
management programs since these initiatives will be beneficial for its citizens.
Improved version: Effective dissemination of information and efficient resource management are indicators of effective local
governance.
3. A good thesis statement has clear boundaries. Meaning, it sets limits to what the essay intends to explore.
Poor example: Guitar playing skills can be improved if the player is dedicated and there are sessions devoted to technique
and investments on good equipment must be considered since these will be influential in performing in front of an audience.
Improved version: Excellent guitar playing requires countless hours of practice, strategic decisions in purchasing equipment,
and tireless dedication.

Outline – set as a series of input and it shows the logical arrangement of ideas to be included in your essay.
In preparing your outline, there are two things to remember – outline format and principles.
Format – there are Two Types of Format:
1. Traditional – uses roman numerals, letters, and numbers
2. Standard – uses numbers

Traditional Format Standard Format

Title of Work: Units of a Research University Title of Work: Units of a Research University
I. College of Medicine 1.0 College of Medicine
A. Community Medicine 1.1 Community Medicine
B. Pathology 1.2 Pathology

II. College of Engineering 2.0 College of Engineering

A. Industrial Engineering 2.1 Industrial Engineering
B. Chemical Engineering 2.2 Chemical Engineering
C. Mechanical Engineering 2.3 Mechanical Engineering

III. School of Fine Arts 3.0 School of Fine Arts

A. Painting 3.1 Painting
B. Sculpture 3.2 Sculpture

IV. College of Liberal Arts 4.0 College of Liberal Arts

A. Political Science 4.1 Political Science
B. History 4.2 History
C. Literature 4.3 Literature

For principles consider the following:

Parallelism – entries should observe the same language structure (e.g., words, phrases, sentences).
Coordination – entries should observe levels of importance. In the example above, note that colleges are labeled as major
ideas because they carry the same level of significance in the research university.
Subordination – entries should observe differences of importance (which ideas should be classified as minor or major ideas?).
In the same example, the different units under colleges are labeled as minor ideas since they differ in scope from the colleges.
Division – entries should at least be two to be sure that supporting points of a major idea are adequate.