What is culture of academic writing?

When we talk about culture, we usually refer to a person’s cultural background or the culture of a place or country. The term culture of academic writing refers to the spoken and unspoken rules of writing in an academic environment. Similar to a person’s or country’s culture, academic writing can be very multifaceted. Culture of academic writing, for example, describes the register and tone used, meaning the words you choose to express yourself in academia, as well as the correct referencing etiquette to help you avoid plagiarism.

The culture and style of academic writing will differ between the specific disciplines, so it is best to seek advice on the details from your departments, lecturers or teaching assistants. At the beginning of your academic writing journey, it is good to be aware of the different writing styles that exist in college, but, don’t worry, you are not expected to be an expert in academic writing right away. You will learn about all the differences and ways to express yourself and how to communicate your ideas during your time at UCC and this course can help you take the first steps.

The culture of academic writing video lesson

How to answer a question?

When we talk about “questions” in academic we often refer to essay-style questions. This means that they are open-ended and that professors do not expect a definite or pre-determined answer. Key here is to show how you arrived at your answer and that you used logical reason to answer the question.

When answering the posed question, whether in an essay or in a presentation, you will start with an introduction, followed by the main part of the work (the main body), and you will finish with a discussion and conclusion or just the conclusion. In the introduction, the idea is to give your readers enough context and background information so that they can follow your argument without needing additional information. Furthermore, you might explain how you will answer the question, without necessarily writing these exact words.

Depending on your field, this background information may include dates, main principles or theories. Typically, your introduction also includes your thesis statement, which reflects all parts of the question:

Example of a question and thesis statement:

'How did the position of women change in Irish society between 1900 and 1960?'

There have been considerable changes in the role of women. In Ireland, these significant changes took place between 1900 and 1960 especially in terms of politics and religion. This essay will discuss the various ways in which women's roles changed between 1900 and 1960 focusing specifically on family, social activities, and marriage.

The answering of the question will happen in the main body of the essay, with every paragraph in the main part giving a direct answer to your question. In order to do that, you will need to break your questions down into parts that can be answered separately. In the main body, you will also develop your argument and show your reader how you arrived at your answer.

In the conclusion (sometimes combined with the discussion; depending on your field), you tell the reader what you have done and restate your overall argument. The conclusion might also include giving an outlook on future research directions.

Essay planning and structure

Planning your essay is essential. A plan helps you to give your writing a clear and logical structure. Structures for writing can vary depending on your department, so pay attention to any style guide or other information you are provided with. Spending time planning and getting feedback on your plan is essential because you can ask advice about whether you are using the correct structure for that essay.

The exact structure of your essay will depend on your studies, but you can follow the general layout shown below (Essay Planning Template) until you have specific instructions. Having a structure, which you can use as a sort of itinerary for your essay, will also help you stay focused and on topic. This, in turn, will help your reader follow your train of thoughts and understand your argument more easily.

When you first start brainstorming about how you want to approach the essay and the posed question(s) a spider diagram/ mind-map can be very helpful. It allows you to add new pieces of information as they come in:

mindmap example essay planning template

Another good way of planning your essay is to check if you have followed the rules of the 3 Ts:

1^st T: Tell us what you are going to discuss! Tell us how you are going to answer the question including stating your thesis statement.
2^nd T: Tell us the main points! Answer all points related to the question.
3^rd T: Tell us how you answered the question! How did you support your thesis statement/argument, what is your conclusion?

Academic Style

The overall key to good academic writing is clarity. An idea should reach the reader or audience with the same meaning it had when it left you. So when you are writing your essay, pay attention to the fact that it is very important that your ideas need to be communicated in a way that they are both received and understood by its target audience. Your essays are academic research papers and your lecturers are your target audience.

The acronym COILS (Clear, Objective, Impartial, Logical, Simple) is a good way to remember the academic writing style when you write your essay.

Clear – Avoid unnecessary detail
Objective – Statements are supported by evidence
Impartial – Avoid making assumptions
Logical – Statements are presented in a logical structure
Simple – Use direct language, avoid using over-complicated language or being vague

Additionally, it is also important that you link your sentences and paragraphs in an appropriate manner. Linking words can be used as signposts throughout your essay and they make sure that your reader can follow along the “story” of your essay.

If you are interested in more information about academic writing and how to develop an argument, get in touch with us or book a writing clinic or advisor appointment to discuss your needs with one of our tutors.

Plagiarism

It is absolutely essential that you never plagiarise anything in your work. More information on the UCC plagiarism policy can be found here.

The basic rule to avoid plagiarism is: When in doubt, reference it. Generally, you have to reference (direct) quotes, paraphrasing of someone else’s work, any material you used to form your opinion and any ideas/theories that are not your own. Basically, everything you did not think of yourself first. Common knowledge, like someone’s date of birth/death, does not need to be referenced.

Referencing is done in various style and the style you will have to use depends on your department. The rule of thumb is to give enough information to uniquely identify the sources you used. This commonly includes the title of the piece of information (book, journal or newspaper article, YouTube video), the authors/contributors, and the year of publication (the precise date of access is needed for websites). However, make sure that you know the reference style your department is using as some departments at UCC use a slightly adapted style of a major referencing system. If you are unsure, contact your department or ask your lecturer.

Depending on the amount of referencing you need for your essay, it might be helpful to use a reference manager (for example, EndNote or Zotero) as they keep track of your references and they can be used with Microsoft Word.

Culture of Academic Writing for International Students