ENGLISH FOR ACADEMICS

Academic Text and Non-Academic Text

ACADEMIC TEXT is defined as critical, objective, specialized texts written by experts or professionals in
a given field using formal language.
 Academic text is critical, analyzed, well-written, and researched-based.
 Academic text is objective, based on facts, has a solid basis, and shows no emotion.
 It is specialized and is written for specific disciplines.
 Language used is formal: (1) Avoid using contracted forms;(2) Choose one-word verb forms
over two-verb words; (3) Avoid abbreviations; (4) Avoid personal pronouns.

Examples of an Academic Text

 Abstract
 Conference paper
 Research paper
 Research proposal
 Textbook
 Thesis
 Essay
 Explication
 Dissertation
 Book report
 Academic journal article
 Annotated bibliography
 Literary criticism

NON-ACADEMIC TEXT is writing that is not intended for an academic audience. They are written for a
lay audience or the mass public. This type of writing may be personal, impressionistic, emotional, or
subjective in nature.

Examples of Non-Academic Text

 Magazine articles
 Text messages
 Website news articles
 Blogs
 Memo
 Novels

Academic Writing Non-Academic Writing

Definition Academic writing is a formal and Non-academic writing is an informal
impersonal style of writing that is and often subjective style of writing
intended for a scholarly or academic that aims at the mass public.
audience.
Audience Academia Mass Public
Purpose Inform the readers with solid Inform, entertain or persuade the
evidence. readers.
Style Formal and impersonal Personal, impressionistic, emotional, or
subjective
 Structure Standard structure No rigid structure
Language Formal language and avoids Informal and casual language may
colloquialism contain colloquialism
Citations and Contain citations and references Often do not contain citations and
Reference references
Examples Research papers, dissertations, Newspapers and magazine articles,
scholarly articles memoirs, letters, and digital media, etc.

Differentiate Language Used in Academic-Text from Various Disciplines

1. Academic Language – Academic language includes language used in textbooks, in classrooms,
on tests, and in each discipline. It is different in vocabulary and structure from the everyday
spoken English of social interactions. Each type of communication (both academic and social)
has its purpose, and neither is superior to the other.
2. Medical language - is used to describe components and processes of the human body, medical
procedures, diseases, disorders, and pharmacology. Simply put, it is the vocabulary that medical
professionals use to describe the body, what it does, and the treatments they prescribe.
3. Legal language -means a language used by persons connected to the legal profession. The
language used by the lawyer, jurist, and legislative draftsman in their professional capacities.
Law being a technical subject speaks through its own register.
4. Journalistic language - This type of language helps us understand how journalists create their
stories or reports, shape points of view, deliver expected news, and how media language is
different from other languages we encounter.
5. Literary language - register of a language that is used in literary writing.

Linguistic register - certain registers of language (types of language use) peculiar to specific professions
such as medical science, engineering, and business.
Jargon - special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult
for others to understand.

Content and Style of Academic Texts

⮚ Include concepts and theories related to the specific discipline
⮚ Have a clearly structured introduction, body, and conclusion.
⮚ Include information from credible sources that are properly cited.
⮚ Include concepts and theories that are related to the specific discipline they explore.
⮚ Usually exhibit all properties of a well-written text --- organization, unity, coherence, and strict
adherence to the rules of language and mechanics.

Journalistic Words & Phrases

■ an expert stated   heroic actions   increasingly concerned   raised questions
■ unsung hero   can reveal   since records began   not yet confirmed   unbelievable
■ without any warning   incredible   crucial witnesses   critics argue   sensationally
■ just confirmed   doctors worry   scientists conclude   sources   iconic
6 GENERAL CLASSIFICATIONS OF ACADEMIC TEXTS
 1. Essay - is generally the proforma (done or produced as a matter of form) for all analytical
compositions.
2. Concept Paper - defines an idea or a concept and its whatness'; thus, its most prominent
structure is the use of definition.
3. Reaction Paper- is generally an informed and insightful perspective on art, popular culture, and
a technical topic.
4. Position Paper - asserts an argument.
5. Report - retells data, incident, or event.
6. Research - this is a highly formal kind of report.

Structure of an Academic Text

 Introduction
 Body
 Conclusion

Important Things to Remember:

 Your thesis statement is the one-sentence gist or summary of your entire paper.
 One paragraph should deal with only one topic.
 The sentence that has the main topic is called a key or topic sentence.
 Linking phrases also known as transitional expressions.

SUMMARY
What is a summary?
 Also known as abstract or précis (pray-see), a SUMMARY is a form of writing that is a product of
careful digesting and relating to a shorter form of any long composition.
 It is also a form of note-taking that consists of stating briefly, sometimes in a sentence,
sometimes in a paragraph of your own words, the essential ideas together with some details of
the subject that was discussed at greater length in the original form.

Barrot and Sipacio (2017) argue that summarizing is an important skill because it helps you
⮚ deepen your understanding of the text;
⮚ learn to identify relevant information or key ideas;
⮚ combine details or examples that support the main idea and keywords presented in the text;
and,
⮚ capture the key ideas in the text and put them together clearly and concisely.

You are NOT summarizing when you

⮚ write down everything;
⮚ write down ideas from the text word-for-word;
⮚ write down incoherent and irrelevant ideas;
⮚ write down ideas that are not stated in the text; or
⮚ write down a summary that has the same length or is longer than the original text.
Summarizing Strategies
1. Finding the Main Idea
2. Separating General Ideas from Details/Examples 
3. Identifying keywords

General Guidelines in Summarizing

1. Clarify your purpose before you read.
2. Read the text at least twice until you fully understand its content. Locate the gist or main idea
of the text, which can usually be found either at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end.
3. Highlight key ideas and phrases; another strategy is to annotate the text.
4. Write all the key ideas and phrases you identified in the margins or in your notebook in bullet or
outline form.
5. Without looking at the text, identify the connections of these key ideas and phrases using a
concept map.
6. List your ideas in sentence form in a concept map.
7. Combine the sentences into a paragraph. Use appropriate transitional devices to improve
cohesion.
8. Never copy in verbatim a single sentence from the original text.
9. Refrain from adding comments about the text. Stick to the ideas it presents.
10. Edit the draft of your summary by eliminating redundant ideas.
11. Compare your output with the original text to ensure accuracy.
12. Record the details of the original source (author’s name/s, date of publication, title, publisher,
place of publishing, and URL, (if online). It is not necessary to indicate the page number/s of the
original text in citing sources in summaries.
13. Format your summary properly. When you combine your summaries in a paragraph, use
different formats to show variety in writing.

Formats in Summarizing
1. Idea Heading Format - the summarized idea comes before the citation.
2. Author Heading Format - the summarized idea comes after the citation.
3. Date Heading Format - the summarized idea comes after the date.

A reporting verb is a word used to discuss another person’s writings or assertions.

STATE THE THESIS STATEMENT OF AN ACADEMIC TEXTS

What is a Thesis Statement?
 A controlling idea about the topic that the writer is attempting to prove. It is usually found at
the beginning of the text or at the end of it. The central idea of a multiple-paragraph
composition.

Why do we have to write a thesis statement?

We must write the thesis statement:
 to test your ideas by narrowing them into a sentence or two
 to better organize and develop an argument
 to provide the reader with a “guide” to the argument

Characteristics of a Good Thesis Statement

 A good thesis statement takes a stand on the prompt.
 A good thesis statement is specific.
 A good thesis statement is unified and expresses one main idea.
 A good thesis statement does not simply state a fact but sets the stage for analysis of a topic.

1. A thesis statement, unlike a usual topic or title, uses a complete sentence.

2. One strategy that you can use in writing a thesis statement is through asking a question.

A thesis statement with implied or abstract details.

Ex: Tagaytay City is an enthralling city of the South.
A thesis statement with explicit and concrete details.
Ex: Tagaytay City is an enthralling city of the South because of its beautiful landscape, amazing people
and sumptuous food.

How to Write an Effective Thesis Statement

1. It should be written in a complete sentence with a clearly stated subject.
2. It should not be too narrow or too broad, and it should contain at least two details.
3. Avoid an awkward thesis statement that states the obvious. These statements usually start with
the phrase “I will tell you…” or “I will talk about…”
4. Enumerated details should have the same level of significance. If one of the details can be
classified under another detail, you cannot omit it.
5. It should not state an absolute fact, because it will not present any central idea that can be
developed further. It should have a point.

Tips for Writing an Effective Topic Sentence

1. It should follow the basics already discussed in the thesis statement.
a. It must be written in a complete sentence and with a clear subject.
b. It should not be phrased awkwardly, and it should not state the obvious. An awkward topic
sentence is characterized by sentences that start with “I will tell you…”
2. It should contain one detail that is related to one of the details in the thesis statement.
3. It should vary in structure across paragraphs. If the topic sentences are uniform throughout
your essay, they might seem monotonous to read. Varying the structure will also enable you to
stress important parts.
4. If the composition is just one paragraph, the topic sentence should be straightforward.
SUPPORTING DETAILS
These details are pieces of information necessary to better understand the main idea. They can be facts,
reasons, testimonies, statistics, and experiments that support the topic sentence.

Major Details directly support the topic sentence

Minor Details directly support the major details

PRINCESS ALLYSSA BIANCA BARDON