Academic writing is one type of non-fiction writing characterised by its formality, use of evidence-based logical argument, and use of balanced, bias-freeLanguage which is free of prejudice towards others especially regarding questions of race, gender, age, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, and so on. language.

Academic writing also follows certain conventions regarding text patternsGo to the 'Text Organisation page.', the use of complex noun phrasesA noun phrase which contains a head noun which is premodified and/or postmodified., hedgingThe avoidance of absolute commitment to an argument or thesis by using words or grammar which introduce an element of doubt or tentativeness., and citingTo write words spoken or written by another person and to formally declare the source. sources. Academic texts are expected to be coherentCohesion is a feature of the text itself and concerns the way in which certain grammatical items (such as pronouns) and words can connect a sentence to previous (and, sometimes, later) ones. and have a logical flow.

Academic writing is writing produced with academic integrity. The fundamental values of academic integrity are: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage. Read more about academic integrity.

This means that as an academic writer you need to be able to:

  • be aware of the appropriate registerThe type of language (vocabulary, grammar, style, formality) you are expected to use in a particular situation with a particular audience for a particular purpose. for your writing;
  • use different writing pattens in a logical way;
  • support your arguments with appropriate evidenceInformation presented as support for the truth of an argument.;
  • properly cite your sources of evidence in an appropriate style;
  • avoid bias;
  • use careful measured language by using hedging devices;
  • write concisely by using appropriate grammatical forms such as complex noun phrases;
  • construct a readable and coherent text using suitable cohesive devicesThe main cohesive devices are reference substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion.;
  • have a good grasp of academic vocabularyWords which tend to occur more often in academic texts. and mastery of specialist vocabulary in your area of study;
  • use appropriate graphical information and dataSuch as line graphs, bar charts, tables. and be able comment on it;
  • abide by the fundamental values of academic integrityhonesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

These are the basics. But academic writing does not take place in isolation. To be a competent academic writer you need to be able to integrate your own ideas or research with what others have written on the topic before.