An Introduction to Academic Writing

In this video for the NUST MISiS Academic Writing Center, English Language Fellow John Kotnarowski provides a brief introduction to academic writing in English. More than just the passive voice and formal tone, the video begins by explaining how academic English acts as the “voice” of research and moves on to discuss a few general features of academic writing in English. The video concludes with a series of comments on the value and importance effective communication in written academic English.

[MelodyIU]

Hi, my name is John Connor Oskie. I'm an
English as a foreign language instructor
here at the National University of
Science and Technology new species in
this series of videos for the academic
Writing Center, I will be talking about
different concepts techniques and
strategies related to the field of
academic writing in English in this first video, I'd like to begin the series
by providing a brief intro to the
field of academic writing and answer the
following questions:
1. what is academic English?
2. what is academic writing?
3. what are the general characteristics of academic writing?
4. why's academic writing important?
According to dr. Karen oh well of the Cambridge University
Language Center at its most basic
academic English is the variety of the
English language that we use to share research
research refers to the process of answering a research question by
creating an argument that is supported
thru critical analysis and the use of evidence, we use academic English to
reach a wide general academic audience
in an attempt to persuade them that the argument we've created to answer our research question is an effective 1
there are two varieties of academic
English spoken academic English and
written academic English
let's take a closer look at this 2nd variety when
most people think of academic writing
they think of thesis papers composed by
grad students and research articles
written by professional scholars while
these are 2 great examples of academic
writing the concept can be applied more
generally to include a much wider
variety of tasks and objectives as I
mentioned in part 1, academic English is
the variety of English used to convey
research so academic writing is the
variety of academic English used to
convey
research in writing that means there are
many different kinds of academic writing
from literature reviews to research
papers to abstracts and lab reports
while trying to compare and contrast all
the many different types of academic
writing is a tall order
the most important thing to remember is that
generally, each kind of academic writing
has its own rules and conventions as
such it's important to identify the
rules and expectations for a particular genre of writing before starting to
write I will discuss the rules and
expectations for a few different genres
in later videos, while the
characteristics of a piece of academic
writing may differ depending on the type
few traits are common to
most academic writing 1st there are
focused and specific expectations when
producing a piece of academic writing
academic writing is used to answer
research questions these questions are
either provided by a course instructor
or developed by the writer or researcher
good academic writing starts w/
focused and specific questions to be
answered
2nd academic writing emphasizes
logical reasoning over emotional or
sensory perceptions
facts are more important than feelings
writing clearly means thinking clearly, and so effective academic writing demonstrates clear critical thinking and the ability to make arguments stronger by supporting them w/ evidence
3rd academic writing must be clear
English is both a low context and reader
responsible language by this, I mean readers will depend on what's been written and believe it is the writers' job to make his argument as comprehensive as possible
4th academic writing must be coherent
this means that there are logical
connections between sentences
1 way to do this is to begin sentences w/ info that relates back to the previous sentence
it also means that paragraphs are unified around a single idea and that all the info included in a piece of writing helps to create an effective argument used to answer the research question
finally, the most effective academic writing follows a process while each writer will eventually develop his own unique process
there are a few steps that most people follow when producing a piece of academic writing
these steps include
1. analyzing the task. this involves clarifying your purpose for writing and identifying your target audience
2. planning your argument. next, you need to develop the main claim and decide how you will support this claim using evidence
3. research this is necessary to gather quality
fact-based objective evidence that you
need to create the argument you will use
to support your main claim
4. start and engage in the writing and
drafting process no good writing is done
overnight it's important to produce
multiple drafts and to both edit and
proofread your writing while it is
important to consider things like
punctuation and proper spelling it is
even more important to see how well
you've structured your argument and the
info in your writing to do this
it's a good idea to ask for comments
from peers and colleagues, finally there
are many benefits of investing your time
and energy in becoming a proficient
academic writer
academic writing is an important skill to master for a wide variety of professional and personal reasons
1st it allows writers to make individual contributions to the ongoing dialogues in their fields
it allows individuals a greater voice and ability to participate in conversations about topics important to them additionally by mastering the skills necessary to become an effective academic writer
a person also becomes an effective researcher and critical thinker
finally, academic writing is a marketable skill that improves one's professional qualifications and makes one a more
attractive candidate for potential employers
so, in the end, we see that academic writing is about much more than just the act of writing which
is itself not simply a skill but a collection of skills in addition to putting your thoughts on the pg
effective academic writing involves
critical thinking the ability to create
a convincing argument and good research skills
I hope this video has helped to improve your understanding of what people mean when they talk about academic writing
if you have any questions, pls feel free to bring them to us at the Academic Writing Center
once again, I'm John Capp NeuroSky
see you next time

[Venusgem]

1. Find the genres you write.
2. Expectation: answer with focus.
3. Facts,
4. Connect sentence
5. Unify paragraph.
6. Follow steps- analyse text, target audience, main claim support by reserach. Write a draft. Multiple edits, punctuation and proper grammee. Get peer support,

[rosemariereyes]

I got 90% on my assignment thank you very much hyung

[canchita_lo]

¡Muy buen vídeo! I'm from Peru and I'm learning english, a beautiful language. My teacher showed this video in class and I loved it. Please keep uploading videos like this so my classmates and I can learn more about academic english.👍🏽

[russiamangao]

Well-delivered presentation....very clear and concise as what Academic English is as well as Academic Writing is all about . It translates ideas to further wisdom for a leaner. Thanks.

[Sarah_z]

Poetically, the enchanting confirmation of your Sales Incentive payment has gracefully danced its way through the process.

[mindasantos]

This a perfect video presentation on academic writing. Thank you for sharing

[wy]

Thank you for this! I’m starting my academic class next week and this has been really helpful

[mylenemiguel]

Thank you very much. Through this video, I could answer my assignment easily 😊

[GarlicGrinder]

in my opinion as an undergrad student, academic English needs a SERIOUS overhaul. It is seemingly incomprehensible, almost like researchers don't want anyone to know what they're writing, using it as a sort of lock, the key to which is VERY specific knowledge about the field. I thought the point of academic writing was to distribute research information and advance a field of study. Well how can one expect to advance a field if nobody studies it because they can't understand whats going on??

[inleusabasengkham]

Thank you for sharing, this is so important and useful for my academic writing class. Much appreciated, thank you.

[rosminazuchri]

Hello AWUC. My name is Rosmina Zuchri Lived In Indonesia. I just have whached this your youtube. good subject. I hope your youtube used important for many peoples and expecially for me., thanks

[I.A.Noah]

I love this guy. His explanation is is quite clear.

[englishforkhmer]

This video is a great one to have a brief idea what academic writing is. It is really helpful. Thank you, very much! (From Cambodia)

[MohamedAli-rdrn]

Thanks a million for sharing this extraordinary opportunity!!
Tell me the easiest way to become a great academic writer ¡
I really appreciate your time and you ❤️

[Johnathon]

Very Good video very helpful and well presented, clearly put over. I have subscribed and will be watching more.

[philipspringer]

Clear explanation, but surely at 4:03 you misspoke: "English is both a low-context and reader-responsible language" . That should be low-context and *writer*-responsible language?

[leafdragon]

Clear and easy to understand explanation. Thanks.

[alirezaabdi]

thank you, I need these skills, because I am a researcher and should write my papers. regards

[flormarthas.ferreira]

Great video, thanks! How about a History Academic writing video?