What is “Academic Writing”

The other day, I had the pleasure of reading a paper called “What is Academic Writing” by L. Lennie Irvin.

When we think about academic writing, we tend to think about really smart people from Ivy League schools writing papers about certain topics. This, however, is not always the case. 

Academic writing, in a simpler sense, is informed writing. All that is required of Academic Writing is that you know your material and topic inside and out. For academic writing, the topic or idea must be researched inside and out, with evidence and support. 

It’s pretty self-explanatory: “Academic” meaning informed or knowledgeable, and “Writing”, which is what you are writing (Duh).

While you don’t need a masters in English Literature to write academic papers or articles, this does not mean it’s easy. Writers must have the ability to read complex text, have adequate research skills, and have a true understanding of concepts within the subject.

The key component to academic writing is one of the most redundant: practice. Practicing writing is essential because, as the saying goes, practice makes perfect.

One point I disagreed with in the paper was one portion where Irvin talks about writing as “constricting”

“When we speak, we inhabit the communication situation bodily in three dimensions, but in writing we are confined within the two dimensional setting of the flat page (though writing for the web—or multimodal writing—is changing all that).” (Irvin 2010)

Although pictures speak more than a thousand words, that does not mean that words do not speak. With the proper tools and devices, a writer has the ability to paint a picture in one’s head: it just depends on the skill of the writer.

What I took from this article and conclude with is this: Academic Writing is not reserved to the scientists and professors. With enough research, practice, and effort, anyone can successfully write an academic paper.