Understanding Culture Society and Politics

Structure of an Academic Text
Academic texts are characterised by having a clear structure. On an general level, this means that the
texts have an introduction, a main body and an end.
Sometimes the shape of an hourglass is used to illustrate the basic structure of an academic text with
introduction, main body and discussion/conclusion.
In the introduction, you present to the reader what the text will be about. You can do this with phrases
such as The purpose is to discuss… or In the text I will argue for…. Such formulations prepare the reader
for what the text will be about and makes it easier to read.
In the main body of the text, you do what you say you will do in the introduction. For example, you can
present your arguments and develop your reasoning around them. The main body of a text consists of
paragraphs that describe and develop the topic introduced in the introduction. Here you weave in
references to your course literature and other relevant sources that substantiate and support your
statements and any discussion that you may have.
In the conclusion, summarise what you have done in the text. Remind the reader what the purpose of
the text was by using phrases such as The purpose was to ... or In this text I have described and
discussed….
Paragraphing, topic sentences and conjunctions
Academic texts are also structured with the help of well-thought-out paragraph organization, topic
sentences and conjunctions which connect the text together.
Examples of academic writing include book reviews, critique papers, essays, movie analysis, reports,
research papers, etc.
Here is some Sample of Academic Text:

1. Research Paper
2. Conference Paper
3. Feasibility Study
4. Thesis
5. Book Review
6. Research Paper
7. Essay
8. Academic Journals
9. Reports
Definition of Academic Text

Academic Text is the process of breaking down ideas and using deductive reasoning, formal voice and
third-person point-of-view. It's what your thinking and what evidence has contributed to that thinking.
For more details about the definition of Academic Text please see the link: brainly.ph/question/720045
Six Main Text Types of Academic Text

Textbook - These are specifically designed to help the learner. For example, they might have summaries
or review quizzes.
Essays - Student essays vary in length and formality, but they usually contain three sections:
Introduction, Main Body, Conclusion. They usually need to include citation of sources. Essays help
teachers to see what students have learned and how deeply.
Theses - You will probably have to write longer texts at postgraduate level. Longer texts include
dissertations (typically 10,000 to 20,000 words) at the Master's level and theses (typically 60,000 to
80,000 words) at Doctor's level (Ph.D.). The structure and style vary across disciplines but is likely to
include the following:
Introduction
Background
Literature Review
Research Design/Methodology
Results/Findings
Discussion/Interpretation
Recommendations
Conclusion
Research Articles - Research articles are written mainly for a specialist audience – researchers,
academics and postgraduate students. They usually contain the following:
Introduction to the research

Literature review
Background to the research and method
Results or main findings
Discussion, including authors' interpretation of the results
Recommendations: ideas for future research
Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendix (optional) to give information such as tables of raw data from the research
Case studies - may be found in any discipline, though they are most common in disciplines such as
business, sociology, and law. They are primarily descriptive. A typical structure is as follows:
Context (what is the focus, where, when?)

Description of the setting (person, company or place)
how does the account change over the period of time under investigation
Headings help the audience work through the text
Reports - The purpose of reports is to describe what happened and discuss and evaluate its importance.
Reports are found in different disciplines, such as science, law, and medicine. These include some or all
of the following:
Context/Overview (Title, Contents, etc.)

Introduction
Methodology/Description of the event (e.g. a piece of research)
Findings/Main points
Discussion/Evaluation
Conclusion
The difference between Academic and Non-Academic Text
Both texts may be written with the goal to persuade, to entertain, or to inform. They differ in their
approach to these goals, though, with academic texts relying far more on research and factual, verifiable
material for their content. Nonacademic texts may also include research or verifiable material, but are
less likely to include references to any source material, and may be published in a rather informal
setting.
Academic and nonacademic texts are both written for a particular audience. While nonacademic texts
are intended more for mass, public consumption than scholarly or academic texts, they may be targeted
towards special interests or occupations in society.
When it comes to formatting, both texts may be found in print, periodical, and digital forms.

Understanding Culture Society and Politics

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Understanding Culture Society and Politics

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Understanding Culture Society and Politics

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Structure of an Academic Text

Here is some Sample of Academic Text:

Definition of Academic Text

Six Main Text Types of Academic Text

Introduction to the research

Context (what is the focus, where, when?)

Context/Overview (Title, Contents, etc.)

You might also like