English academic style

and language
 Definition of
academic language
• Academic English is the genre of English used in the world of
research, study, teaching and universities. (English for university,
2016).

Academic language (American English for Academic English)

refers to the oral, written, auditory, and visual language proficiency
required to learn effectively in universities and academic programs.
i.e., it’s the language used in lectures, seminars, books, and
journals. It’s the language that students are expected to learn and
achieve fluency in (Education Glossary, 2017).
Main features of academic English

 is usually formal in tone and impersonal in style

 avoids contractions or shortened forms of verbs, such as won't, doesn't or it's
 avoids using a linking word such as 'and' or 'but' at the beginning of a sentence
 avoids personal pronouns such as I, me, you, your
 may use the passive form of verbs
 avoids verbs that are composed of multiple words, such as 'give up', 'put up with'
 tends to employ a cautious way of explaining findings, using expressions such as 'may’,
'it is possible that...', 'could'
 may use specialised vocabulary.
• Formal writing requires considerable effort to
construct meaningful sentences, paragraphs, and
arguments that make the text easy to comprehend. In
general this means that conversational English
should be avoided and facts and figures should be
presented in a clear manner. Academic texts should
be factual, concise and accurate.
• It is important to remember that academic texts are
written with an academic audience in mind and your
writing style needs to conform to the conventions of
the field you are studying.
• In academic writing, the complexity of the subject
matter is acknowledged through critical
analysis. Through critical analysis we are able to
add a new perspective to a subject instead of just
rewriting what has already been written.
• Treating your topic and your material in an
analytical manner should seep through in your
language. Part of being analytical in your writing is
to compare and contrast, evaluate and consider both
sides of an issue. It also means that you explain,
give reasons, draw conclusions, make suggestions
and recommendations and support this with
evidence.
• Academic writing is based on research and not on
the writer’s own opinion about a given topic. When
you write objectively you are concerned about facts
and not influenced by personal feelings or biases.
• At the same time you will probably have to do an
analysis or a discussion and in that manner express
an attitude. In order to convey attitude without using
for example “I think”, you may use words such as
apparently, arguably, ideally, strangely and
unexpected. The attitude you are expressing should
not be based on personal preferences but rather on
the evidence that you are presenting.
Academic writing is explicit in several ways.
First and foremost, it means that there is a clear
presentation of ideas in the paper. The text
should have a well-organized structure and be
easy for the reader to follow.
One way to accomplish clarity and structure in
your text is through the use of signposts.
Signposts are words and phrases that you can
use in your text in order to guide the reader
along. Signposting can be divided into two
different categories: major signposting and
linking words and phrases.