Essay Form and Structure MLA Academic Writing Essay Form and Structure MLA

What is Academic Writing? Academic Writing is the writing that you do for school. It follows a fairly strict set of conventions. Academic writing is also used in journals, blogs, books, articles, etc.

Features of Academic Writing Uses standard edited English Uses clear and recognizable patterns of organization Marks logical relationships between ideas. States claims clearly and provides appropriate support. Presents your ideas as a response to others. Documents sources using appropriate style.

Standard English Follows standard conventions of spelling, grammar and punctuation. More rather than less formal. Shortcuts used in informal situations are not acceptable in academic writing.

Clear Patterns of Organization Academic writing is organized in a way that is easy for readers to recognize. The organization is described clearly in the thesis statement which states the main point and says how the text will be structured. All paragraphs, essays, letters, books, blogs, etc have three separate sections: Introduction Body Conclusion

Paragraphs The opening sentence of your body paragraphs tell the reader what that paragraph will be about. These are called topic sentences. Headings can help guide reader.

Academic Essays Follow a Pattern Begin with simplest ideas and then move step by step to the most complex ideas. Start with weakest claim or evidence and progress to the strongest ones. Treat some topics early as background information. Arrange ideas chronologically starting with earliest and ending with the latest ones.

Common Patterns Order of importance (AKA emphatic order). Time order Space order

Logical Relationships Academic writing makes it clear how your ideas relate to one another. You need to mark links between ideas. You need to help readers understand relationships by using transitions.

Transitions Show relationships between ideas. Use within sentences, between sentences, and to introduce paragraphs. Improve coherence. See list in Canvas. More About Transitions

State Claims Explicitly Present claims clearly. Support claims with evidence. Claims are stated clearly in a thesis statement which comes at the end of the introduction. Thesis Statements

Qualify Your Statements Very few issues are black and white, so avoid terms like always and never. Qualifying words like frequently, often, generally, sometimes, rarely make it easier to support a claim.

Good, Solid Evidence Evidence should be from trustworthy sources. Evidence should be persuasive. What is accepted as trustworthy in academic writing may be different than other contexts.

Consider Multiple Perspectives Don’t cite sources that only support one opinion. Consider and acknowledge counterarguments and viewpoints.

Synthesize Ideas Supporting your ideas involves synthesis. This means you weave the ideas and words of others into your argument. Give credit to those ideas using MLA style.

Develop an Academic Style Tone Audience Context Organization

Tone Refers to the author’s attitude towards the topic. Tone An academic tone is more formal than a conversational tone. Avoid slang Avoid cliches Avoid second person (you) Avoid first person (I) Avoid abbreviations and short cuts

Audience In academic writing the audience is the professor, and in some cases, your classmates In social media, the audience is your friends and family. There is a difference.

Provide Context You need to provide background information in academic writing. You can’t assume that the reader knows all of the backstory. Who, what , when, where, and why are guiding questions.

Organization State a claim Offer support for that claim Organize your ideas in a logical manner Present counterarguments Common organizational patterns include cause and effect, compare and contrast, definition, classification, example, process. Your purpose will determine the rhetorical strategy you use.