An introduction to using your reading to inform your writing

This Module is designed to get you thinking about the final product - the essays you will be asked to produce as evidence of your engagement with your module materials, and the progress you are making throughout the course

Introductory activity

Comparing and contrasting your ideas regarding scholarly articles

Step 1

To start you thinking

What is 'academic writing'?

Take 3 minutes to jot down any adjectives that occur to you to describe writing that is 'academic'

Then compare with the suggestions given below

Answers
Participants	Suggested answers
Student answers	Writing that is: Informative Informed Dense Impenetrable Challenging
The Academic Writing Advisor's suggestions	The best examples to follow are: Critical Clear Concise Coherent Confident Convincing!

Activity 2

Analysing specific features of scholarly writing

TASK (30 mins) Take one issue of a journal that is highly rated in your field. Choose three articles that interest you, and perform an analysis of the features that you think appear to be typical of academic writing in your discipline.

Step 1

Firstly, think about the questions above. What do you notice about the
- function
- tone
- and authorial presence - how does the author take control of the material, or even take centre-stage?

Step 2

Secondly, drill down to some details about the language used
- How specific terminology is introduced and used
- Useful phrases that drive the argument along and help signpost what is going on for the reader
- Useful phrases the writer uses when they communicate their authority on, and engagement with, the subject?
Is there anything else that strikes you as interesting regarding common writing practices in your discipline?

Two key questions

What is the function of these articles?

Answers
	Answer
Suggested response	To communicate the results of recent research and to show how these findings contribute to knowledge and understanding within a particular field of enquiry

And who is the target audience?

Answers
	Answer
Suggested response	Other scholars in the field. This means that the level of assumed common knowledge is quite high. If the reader does not have this background knowledge, they may be expected to look it up and do some more reading!

Step 3

Pause for reflection

What about your own writing for this course?

What is the function of an academic essay?
And who is your target audience?

Step 4

Follow-up activity

Keep a glossary of general academic vocabulary and phrases you think will be useful
And do the same with subject-specific terminology
Make note of verbs used to refer to the work of other authors

Useful Resources

Just the Word for vocabulary usage (collocation) How to use Just-the-word
Manchester Academic Phrasebank How to use the Academic Phrasebank