Mr.

Rirhandzu Maluleke

Academic Writing
 Definition(s)

Academic writing is a formal style of writing that researchers and educators use in
scholarly publications.
• It focuses on evidence-based arguments and logical reasoning to guide a reader's
understanding of a subject.
• It entails reading, thinking, arguing and writing according to academic parameters
• It is formal writing
• It involves logical reasoning
• It guides the reader
• It is writing done by scholars for scholars

Writing is considered an important communication skill in university

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 Academic writing is divided into two types (both
adhere to the same academic standards)

• Student academic writing • Expert academic writing

• Used as a form of assessment at • Intended for publication in a
university journal or book
• At school as preparation for
university study

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 Academic writing features

• Structured
• Evidenced
• Critical
• Balanced
• Precise
• Objective
• Formal
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 Background
• Contrast between High school writing
and university writing
• At high school, writing included
compositions, letters, paragraphs,
and other shorter pieces of writing
• Not academic writing per se
• Quantity of work increases at
university
• Longer pieces of writing
• Required to engage with new ideas
and reflect on them, making
connections, drawing conclusions
or finding new ways of thinking
about a given subject
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 University level Writing Expectations
• Expected to come to class with a basic understanding of the material
An example of an essay question:
Is Health Education still a relevant subject to be included in the school curriculum?
• There is more responsibility on the self
do baseline research/own research and not rely on your teacher or lecturer for
information
• Most assignments are expository
• intended to explain or describe something
• Expected to master standards, new forms within a particular field
• You need to be pro-active (help yourself)

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 Contrast in high school and University Writing

High school level writing University level writing

• Reading assignments are moderately long. • Some reading assignments may be very long.
• Teachers set aside some class time for reading • You will be expected to come to class with a
and reviewing the material in depth. basic understanding of the material.
• Teachers often provide study guides and other • Reviewing for exams is primarily your
aids. responsibility.
• Your grade is determined by your performance • Most assessments are writing based
on a wide variety of assessments.

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 Characteristics of formal writing

• Use of a formal tone

• Use of the third person rather than the first person perspective
• Clear focus on the issue or topic rather than the author’s opinion
• Precise word choice
• The writing follows a certain process
• Exploring the topic
• Evidence based work
• A clear argument – a coherent series of reasons

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 Strategies for mastering the new challenges of
academic writing
• Plan your work carefully by setting daily and weekly goals.

• Stay focused on your day-to-day actions to determine your long-term success.

• Doing solid, steady work, day by day and week by week, will help you meet those goals.

• Understand the text/topic well before writing on it.

For example, a topic on the benefits of social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook to education. You
might need to do some research on whether social media platforms can be utilised for educational purposes.

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 Relationship between reading and writing
The more we read, the better our writing becomes. That is because the
processes of reading and writing are undeniably connected. One could view them
as the inverses of each other, and while they use different skills, growth in one
invariably strengthens the other.

Braintrust Tutors

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 Three core strategies to use for your reading
assignments
These strategies fall into three broad categories:

a) Planning strategies to help you manage your reading assignments

b) Comprehension strategies to help you understand the material
c) Active reading strategies to take your understanding to a higher and
deeper level

The question to ask now is what do these broad categories for reading
entail

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 Strategies unpacked

Planning phase Comprehension phase Active reading phase

• First step in handling your reading • Now you want to understand all the • Actively and critically engaging
successfully. information you expected to know. with content
e.g. determine where to find readings e.g. read on the subject of health
on health education in schools/check education and basic education e.g. Read while you raise
the curriculum for basic education. curriculum. questions, problems and
arguments that will spur your own
• Managing your time and setting a • Identify the main points and relate think.
clear purpose for your reading. all other details to those main
points. • Reading with determination to
• Setting aside enough time for
reading and breaking your • Monitor your reading understand and evaluate
assignment into manageable comprehension by stopping to
chunks. check what you have understood • Reading with a purpose
before going too far.
• Setting out what you want to get • For example, reading trying to
out of a reading, for example, do • Keep evaluating which strategies determine the author’s choice of
you want to read for understanding work best for you as you go along.
to discuss the text in class the words and phrases/determine if
following day or are you reading to the text is factual or opinion
compare two texts. based

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 Do you recognise these messages?

Clip by Wole Soyinka Clip by Ms Brenda Thoka (Analogy)

Renown Author Lecturer in the English department (UNISA)

• Without reading, humans are like wild, • Compares our minds to bank accounts
ruminant animals in the field • When we read, is the same as banking or
• Reading is important for young children depositing knowledge into our minds
• Reading enlarges your personal horizons • Whenever we will need information, we will tap
into this bank of knowledge
• A good book keeps the devil away
• You cannot withdraw money when there are
insufficient funds in your account

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 Messages cont.

Prof Alexander
• Wishes for interaction from your end
• Wants you to have fun while you hone your
skills in academic writing

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 20 June 2023
Next session
19h00 – 20h00

The writing process

 Rirhandzu Maluleke

Thank you malulr@unisa.ac.za