Introduction to Academic writing: Exercises

1. Differenciate between the skills expectations in school and college with focus on writing?

When one get in to college, they have to engage in an advanced level of knowledge of the descipline and preparing for the career. It becomes essential for us to revisit the writing skills.

2. What is the basic prerequisite for learning academic writing?

Start free writing

Keep a journal

Reading and writing

Think critically

Develop research skills

Learn the language of the discipline

Academic writing is to be understood as higher order of writing skill. It is apparent that to

learn academic writing one should possess basic skills to use writing for communication. The

following are the prerequisites for learning academic writing.

1. Start free writing: Write continuously without worrying about the correctness, grammar

mistakes, or logical order. You need to encourage yourself to write something.

2. Keep a journal: Make it a habit to write something in a notebook specifically meant for the

purpose. Keeping a personal journal can be used as a practice for developing academic writing

as well.

3. Reading and writing: Reading is an important prerequisite for aspiring writers. If you take into

account others’ opinions and findings it will help you to improve your writing skill.

4. Think critically: It is a process of inspecting something closely and reflecting on it. Writing

and thinking are complementing each other; that is, thinking will refine your writings and

writing will strengthen your thoughts.

5. Develop research skills: Developing research skills will help you to find out and make use of

the sources of information.

6. Learn language of your discipline: To write on your discipline you need to get a systematic

initiation into the fundamentals of your discipline. The fundamentals include the key words and

phrases frequently used in that discipline.

3.Diffrenciate between academic and non- academic writings.

4.How do you define academic writing?

Academic writing generally refers to all writing tasks assigned to students for the purpose of study at the college level. It is a formal way of writing

5. What are the general features of academic writing  across the disciplines?

In general, the features of academic writing across the desciplines are characterised as 

* A well defined purpose

* Formality and seriousness in the use of language

* Systematic and logical ordering of ideas

* Objectivity

*Use of reliable information and expert sources

* Referencing

6.Explain ‘blind peer reviewing'

A paper submitted by a scholar for publication to a journal is sent to other scholars(reviewers) by the editor of the journal without the names and other details of the writer. The reviewers read the paper and determine if the paper is worth publishing. The identity of the

reviewers is never disclosed to the author of the paper.

7.What are the implications of using others’ material as one’s own?

A. Plagiarism is an act of stealing others’ material as one’s own. It is an unethical act, a serious offence, and is treated as a breach of academic integrity.

8.What  is an 'Honour code' 

Honor code is like a pledge taken by students to the effect that they will uphold academic integrity and ethical behaviour and will not engage in any kind of cheating, stealing.