Janene van Loon, Arnoud Thüss, Nicole Schmidt and Kevin Haines - Academic Writing in English

1.5 Academic papers: circular organisation

Different types of academic texts exist because authors have different pur poses and audiences in mind when they write. Purpose and audience are therefore central themes that will appear throughout this book.

TASK 5 Discuss the following points.

1 Mention five types of texts with which you are already familiar. 2 Discuss the content of three academic texts that you have read recently. 3 Give three examples of non-academic texts that you have read in English (these might include literature, newspapers, magazines etc.). 4 How do the non-academic texts differ from the academic texts?

1.5

Academic papers: circular organisation

At this stage, we would like to introduce some basic concepts that are central to the organisation of academic writing. We will return to all of these aspects in more detail later in the book. In an academic text, your writing should be formulated in a clear and log ical manner. Each paper needs to have an introduction , a main body , and a conclusion . Every paper begins with an introduction in which the writer clarifies the topic of the paper. This introductory paragraph usually ends with the thesis, or main point, of the paper. The main idea of an academic text is contained in this single sentence, referred to variously as the thesis state ment , problem statement , research question , or hypothesis , depending on the type of academic text you are writing. The argument presented in the thesis will be supported throughout the paper and addressed again in the conclusion. Consequently, the paper is circular in argument; the conclusion re-examines the original purpose in the light of the arguments presented in the body of the paper. In the main body, the arguments are arranged in paragraphs, and these are presented in a logical order. Sentences should flow smoothly and coherently. This is achieved by repeating important words, using synonyms and substi tutions for the main subject, and using words that make a transition between sentences, such as “however”, “for example”, and “therefore”. Such connectors glue your ideas together and show how they are related.

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