Academic Genres

ACADEMIC GENRES
Academic Genres are nonfiction materials which are produced as a part of academic
work, including textbooks, essays, book reviews, theses, reports on empirical fieldwork or
research in facilities for the natural sciences or social sciences. Though the tone, style,
content, and organization of academic genres vary across genres and across publication
methods but nearly all academic genres shares a relatively formal materials.
When studying academic genres, you have to read different types of texts: textbooks,
reference works, scholarly and popular articles and essays, conference papers, official reports
and theses.
Classification of Academic Genres

Textbooks.
A textbook is mean to communicate established knowledge to students of a given
subject. It provides a general introduction to the subject as well as relevant problems,
concepts and theories. A textbook presents knowledge and explains how it has been used, and
can be used. It informs and instructs. Even though a textbook can include discussion and
argumentation, its primary objective is not to argue for or against particular positions, but to
present the existing views within the subject.
Scholarly article.
The purpose of a scholarly article is to present new knowledge or to provide new
perspectives on an academic or scientific problem or object. The target audience are other
scholars or students. A scholarly article is primarily argumentative. It claims that something
is true or probably true and presents arguments to support the claim. Hence, a scholarly
article has to present thorough and consistent reasoning. The reasoning must be properly
substantiated, through references to empirical data or other research. Authors of scholarly
articles should use acknowledged research methods, and also explain them.
Thesis.
A thesis is a major piece of scholarly work. In some fields (especially medicine and
the natural sciences), theses are frequently assembled from existing (published) articles. The
thesis will then include an introduction that explains how the different articles are related to
the overall theme of the thesis. In other fields (in particular the humanities and social
sciences), most theses are monographs, i.e., a continuous text divided into chapters. In either
case, a thesis is similar to a scholarly research paper in that it presents new knowledge to
other professionals in the field, puts forward arguments, and is thoroughly substantiated. If
you are writing a master’s thesis, this is the type of text you should aim to produce.
Encyclopedia article.
The purpose of an encyclopedia article is to present established knowledge neutrally,
concisely and clearly. The target audience is usually general readers, as well as specialists,
although there are also scholarly encyclopedias that require the reader to have specialist
knowledge. Encyclopedia articles are not generally intended to persuade the reader by way of
reasoned argument, and they do not clarify or instruct as a textbook would. Encyclopedia
articles are intended primarily to be informative and descriptive. They provide information,
define words and concepts and describe relevant circumstances.
Essays
An essay is generally a short piece of writing outlining the writer’s perspective or story. It
is often considered synonymous with a story or a paper or an article. Essays can be formal as well
as informal. Formal essays are generally academic in nature and tackle serious topics.
Reports
A report is a nonfiction account that presents and/or summarizes the facts about a
particular event, topic, or issue. The idea is that people who are unfamiliar with the subject
can find everything they need to know from a good report.
Case Study
The case study method is a learning technique in which the student is faced a
particular problem, the case. The case study facilitates the exploration of a real issue within a
defined context, using a variety of data sources. In general terms, the case study analyzes a
defined problem consisting in a real situation and uses real information as methodological
tool.
Research Proposal
A research proposal is a concise and coherent summary of your proposed research. It
sets out the central issues or questions that you intend to address. It outlines the general area
of study within which your research falls, referring to the current state of knowledge and any
recent debates on the topic.
Book Reviews
A book review is a descriptive form of criticism or evaluation of a book. Book reviews are
commonly assigned students to allow them to show a clear understanding of the Book. And
to check if the students have actually read the book. Book reviews are assigned to allow
students to present their own opinion regarding the author’s ideas included in the book or
passage.
Research Introduction
The introduction is your opportunity to show readers and reviewers why your research
topic is worth reading about and why your paper warrants their attention. The introduction
serves multiple purposes. It presents the background to your study, introduces your topic and
aims, and gives an overview of the paper. A good introduction will provide a solid
foundation and encourage readers to continue on to the main parts of your paper—the
methods, results, and discussion.
Introductions are always placed at the beginning of a paper. They guide your reader from a
general subject area to the narrow topic that your paper covers. They also explain your
paper’s:
 Scope: The topic you’ll be covering
 Context: The background of your topic
 Importance: Why your research matters in the context of an industry or the world
Literature Review
Literature reviews provide an overview of what is known about a particular topic.
They evaluate the material, rather than simply restating it, but the methods used to do this are
not usually prespecified and they are not described in detail in the review. The search might
be comprehensive but it does not aim to be exhaustive. Literature reviews are also referred to
as narrative reviews.
Literature reviews use a topical approach and often take the form of a discussion.
Precision and replicability are not the focus, rather the author seeks to demonstrate their
understanding and perhaps also present their work in the context of what has come before.
Often, this sort of synthesis does not attempt to control for the author’s own bias. The results
or conclusion of a literature review is likely to be presented using words rather than statistical
methods.

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ACADEMIC GENRES

Classification of Academic Genres

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