Academic Language and Learning
Writing clarity and style
Of course, good writing involves far more than just correct grammar and spelling. The quality of written expression depends on a number of additional factors, including choice of vocabulary, logical organisation of ideas, linking between ideas, clear and concise sentence construction, synthesis of information from different sources, and quality of sources. Sometimes, the reason for a poor quality writing product is not about writing ability at all. A poor grasp of concepts, inadequate understanding of task requirements, misunderstanding the question, poor paraphrasing, time management problems and lack of motivation can all impact negatively on the quality of a finished piece of writing.
The following section deals with some of the most common clarity and style issues in academic writing.
Flow
As a reader, it is easy to recognise whether a piece of writing flows well (although it’s much more difficult to recognise if the piece of writing is your own!). It is not so easy to pinpoint the features which do or don’t make a piece of writing flow.
The flow of a piece of writing is affected by:
Logical organisation and order of ideas
This is one of the most difficult things to get right and may take several attempts, particularly in longer pieces of writing. Ideas need to be organised logically within paragraphs. There also needs to be a logical order of paragraphs so that the whole piece of writing flows.
Devices linking the ideas (both within and between sentences).
This includes linking words such as ‘however’, ‘as a result’, ‘similarly’, ‘for example’. Flow can be affected by:
1. not using linking words, making the ideas difficult to follow
2. overusing linking words, impeding the flow, or
3. using inappropriate linking words, confusing the reader
Topic sentences
Using a topic sentence at the beginning of a paragraph can help the reader to engage with the ideas that follow. Topic sentences provide a summary of the main idea or argument presented in a paragraph. An example of a topic sentence follows.
There are several morphological features that all annelids have in common.
The paragraph would then go on to describe these features.
The length of the sentences
A lot of short, choppy sentences can impede the flow of writing. Many long, overly complex sentences may confuse the reader and force them to go back and read again.
Word Choice
Precision is very important in scientific writing. Poor choice of words can result in vague or inaccurate expression.
e.g.
it went up (vague)
the temperature increased steadily (more precise)
e.g.
the process of purification is a vital ingredient in biochemistry (inaccurate – a process cannot be an ingredient)
purification is an important procedure in biochemistry (more accurate)
Wordiness
Wordiness may result from a need to reach the word count requirement. Students may also be under the misapprehension that using more words in a sentence gives the writing a more academic style. However, good academic writing is clear and concise. The principle of ‘maximum content, minimum words’ is a useful one to remember. Here are some examples.
Wordy
A proposition was made by the researchers that indicated that x was correlated with y.
More concise
The researchers indicated that x was correlated with y.
Wordy
There are, in effect, several factors, all of which could be deemed of equivalent importance, which are involved in the determination of the types of interactions between a papovavirus and a host cell, which are relevant in this situation.
More concise
Several equally important factors are involved in the determination of the types of interactions between a papovavirus and a host cell.
Academic style
It takes time to develop a formal, academic style of writing appropriate to the sciences. Be careful not to try to ‘fancy up’ the language with words that 'sound good', particularly if you're not sure of their exact meaning. There is a danger that you may choose inappropriate words and lose the clarity of your ideas. As you gain more exposure to academic writing in second and third year by reading more journal papers, you should develop a more academic style. Some strategies for making writing more academic are listed below.
Avoid personal language
It is advisable to avoid using personal language, particularly pronouns which refer to the reader e.g. you, your, us, our. It is sometimes acceptable to use I and we in academic writing, but this varies throughout the different scientific disciplines.
e.g. If you want to improve this experiment, you should increase the sample size. (informal)
e.g. To improve this experiment, the sample size should be increased. (more formal)
Avoid colloquial language
Colloquial language is everyday language which may be suitable when speaking, but should not be used in formal, academic writing.
e.g. Every day, more and more electronic stuff is chucked out and ends up in the tip. (informal)
e.g. Electronic waste is an increasing problem with 75% of computers bought annually in Australia ending up in landfill (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006). (more formal)
Avoid emotional language
The use of emotional language may weaken an academic argument.
e.g. It will be a tragedy if these graceful and beautiful animals are lost to the world forever. (emotional & informal)
e.g. It is vital that conservation measures are immediately put in place to save this vulnerable species from extinction. (more formal)
Avoid generalisations and unsubstantiated claims
In order to build a strong argument, claims made in scientific writing need to be supported, usually with information from a reliable, academic source.
e.g. The population of koalas in outer Brisbane coastal areas is declining.
e.g. The population of koalas in outer Brisbane coastal areas is declining. In 2008, numbers were found to be 64% lower than in 1999 (Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management 2008).
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