Foundations of

ACADEMIC WRITING
Prof. Y. A. Adediran
&
Dr. A. Abdulkarim
 Outline
• Introduction
o Definition , Types, Purpose and Characteristics
• The Writing Process
o Choose
o Brainstorm
o Problem statement
o Plan
o Write
o Writing style
o Edit
o Proofread
• The Abstract
• More Points/Advice
• Time Management
• Typical structure of a dissertation/thesis
• Conclusion
• Bibliography

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 Introduction
Academic Writing: a style of writing that makes
your work easier to read and understand.
o has rules and guidelines to be followed
o about proving something in one way or the other
o aims at expanding our knowledge of the world
o tries to win a rational argument by offering
evidence, precedence, and reference.
• Other names/types: essay, paper, research paper,
term paper, position paper, thesis, …
– All have the same goal!
• A specially designed ‘torture’ instrument
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 Introduction -
Goal/Purpose of Academic Writing
• To represent the result obtained from an academic
research
• To show that you understand and can think about
the given/chosen topic
• To develop skills in
o researching,
o evaluating information,
o organising,
o arguing,
o responding to others’ arguments,
o analysing and organising yourself clearly in writing
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 Principles of Academic Writing
• Clear purpose: answer question posed by the topic
• Persuasive purpose: getting readers adopt answer
• Analytical purpose: to explain and evaluate possible
answers to research question
• Informative purpose: giving readers new information
about the topic
• Audience engagement: directed to a specific audience
• Clear point of view: your answer to question; problem
statement
• Single focus: no contradictory/irrelevant/unimportant/
unnecessary information

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 Principles of Academic Writing
• Logical organisation: Abstract, Introduction, Body,
Conclusion, References/Bibliography
• Strong support: facts, examples, description, personal
experience, expert opinions, quotations
• Clear and complete explanations: do all the work for
the reader
• Effective use of research: current, high quality,
professional and academic sources
• Correct Referencing style: consistency
• Writing style: in your own words whenever possible

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 Characteristics of a Good Paper
• Your question does not have a simple answer
• Your question is worth answering
• Your paper will achieve its purpose
• You are interested in the topic
• The topic is the right size for the length of paper
• There is enough (but not superfluous) information
available in reliable sources
• You have enough time to do what is needed

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 The Writing Process
• Choose a topic
• Brainstorm
• Plan (-basic outline, -detailed outline)
• Write
• Edit
• Proofread

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 Choosing a Topic
• Narrow your idea from subjects to topics
• Subject: a broad concept
• Topic: narrows a subject into a specific
problem, time period, place to cover, …
• Need for little research by asking about the
subject:
– Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

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 Brainstorming (Thinking)
• Write down all possible answers to your
research question
• Write down all information, opinions and
questions you have about the topic (to avoid
forgetting your great ideas)
• For effective and less time-consuming
research:
o Plan your research
o Set up and follow a research schedule
o Immediately record source of information
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 Problem/Thesis Statement
• Main idea of the paper: ONE idea!
• Your opinion or point of view
• Purpose of the paper
• Answer to the research question
• An element of surprise: engaging, unexpected
• Clarity: understandable, error-free

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 Planning – Basic outline
• Your first attempt to organise ideas of the paper
• Preliminary thesis statement: write your question
and answer
• Write down all the reasons/arguments/
effects/solution
• Look at your list and organise the ideas
• Decide how to order your points (sequence)
• Cover alternative or opposing viewpoints
• Divide your sections into smaller points

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 Planning – Taking Notes
• On photocopies or printed documents: highlight/
underline, margin for comments/questions
• On a computer file: beware of plagiarism
• In a notebook: author?
• On note cards: one info per card; author?
• What: Background information; arguments &
explanations, facts, examples, expert opinions, …
• How: summarise, paraphrase, quote, comment

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 Planning – Detailed Outline
• Create by adding details to your basic outline
• Steps to follow:
o Make changes to your basic outline
o Go through your notes and find supporting points
o Always include the source of info (author, year)
o Determine how many paragraphs you need
o Divide your outline into paragraphs, listing
supporting points and details

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 Writing the First Draft
• Do not expect your first draft to be perfect
• Prepare before you start: have a purpose, a
thesis, enough research, a plan (outline)
• Just write …
• Advice:
o Know about Introduction, Body, Conclusion
o Know how to use a source material
o Be aware of plagiarism
o Do not wait until the last minute (leave time for
revision, editing and proofreading)

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 Writing the First Draft - Introduction
• Should gain the first attention of the reader
• Avoid being too general
• Hook the reader’s interest (not boring)
• Use draft to build up the thesis statement
• Use facts/statistics to show the problem
• Introduce briefly the main points/sections
• Last sentence should be a thesis statement

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 Writing the First Draft –
Body Paragraphs
• Each paragraph to have ONE point supporting the
thesis statement (i.e. one argument or point of
information)
• Each paragraph should contain:
o Topic sentence
o Explanation of topic sentence
o Supporting points, details, explanations
o Concluding remarks (your own idea!)
• No long paragraphs (max. ¾ page).
• One sentence cannot make a paragraph
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 Writing the First Draft –
The Conclusion
• Shortest, but most important paragraph
• Should:
o Summarise the findings of your paper (main
points of paper, restating the thesis, … all in your
own words)
o Show the significance of your findings (meaning
of, problem solved, future of topic, take-away)
o End with a strong, memorable concluding
statement(s); hook to Introduction
o Not include new information
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 Writing style
• Keep sentences short and straightforward
• Follow instructions from target publications
(e.g. PG School or journal’s ‘Instruction to
Authors’) on referencing/citing style (Harvard
or Vancouver); font type/size, figure/table
numbering; abstract length; …
• Every cited source must be listed
• Every listed reference must have been cited
• Be consistent

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 Editing
• Connect between ideas (flow of beginning and
end of a paragraph)
• Wordiness: >25 words too long per sentence
• Repetition, lack of variety: use synonyms
• Sentence structure: not too many subject-verb
combinations in each sentence
• Word choice: replace long words with shorter,
clearer words
• Clarity: read your paper without much effort

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 Proofreading
• Print your paper
• Pay attention to grammar, spelling, margins,
punctuation, meaning, line spacing …
• Use dictionary or thesaurus or grammar book
• Fix any identified mistakes
• Print revised paper and proofread again
• Use a proofreader, if necessary (colleague,
professional, etc.)
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 The Abstract
• Most highly polished part of the paper
• To be written last!
• First thing seen by, or interesting to, a reader
• Should reveal:
o Why what was done was done?
o What was done?
o How was it done?
o What was found?
o What was concluded?
• Obey length of Abstact
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 More Points/Advice…
• Keep It Short and Simple (KISS rule)
• Readers do not read to assess but to learn
• Avoid repeating table title or figure in the text
• Number tables/figures in order of appearance in paper
• Avoid printing a wide table across two pages
• The worst sin in ambiguity
• Avoid passive constructions
• Accept total responsibility
• Abbreviation list may be helpful
• Write an abbreviation out when it first appears
• Avoid sexism (his/her, man/woman,.. Unless specific
• Acknowledge sources of information/funding politely
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 Time Management
• Prioritize tasks: use 4D’s (Do, Dump, Delay,
Delegate)
• Schedule time
• Time Stealers: Be aware of contribution of
Friends, Family, Romance, Jobs, Social media.
Manage them!
• Manage interruptions
• Create SMART goals: Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Realistic, Timely
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Typical structure of a dissertation/thesis
Cover Page
Preliminary pages
i Title page
ii Certification
iii Dedication
iv Declaration
v Acknowledgements
vi Abstract
vii Table of Contents
viii List of Tables
ix List of Figures
x List of Abbreviations
xi List of symbols
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Typical structure of a dissertation/thesis
Main Body
Chapter 1: Introduction (Background to the study, Problem
statement, Aim, Objectives, Scope of the study)
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Chapter 3: Methodology
Chapter 4: Results
Chapter 5: Discussion of Results
Chapter 6: Conclusions and Recommendations
References
Appendices

NOTE: Student should consult and follow strictly the PG

School guidelines for writing dissertations and thesis
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Introduction : What did you do ? Why ?
Literature Review : Resource consulted (relevant to the
study) and to be cited.
Methodology: How did you do it ?
Results: What did you find ?
Discussion: Your interpretation of your results
Conclusion & recommendation: Summary of the study
and its findings. Recommendation for future/ further
work in same area of study
References : List and details of cited references
Bibliography: List of used but uncited materials

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Students should note that:
- Someone else in that area of study should read your
write-up and understand it in your absence
- Follow your PG school format in toto to avoid
rejection
- your supervisor needs to go through your write-up.
So, submit the draft to him on time to rad and
comment

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 Conclusion
• Academic writing skill is necessary for
researchers to enable them put forward the
findings of their work
• An academic writing should be clear,
unambiguous and should avoid making the
reader to think hard to understand
• Enough time should be dedicated to the write-
up in order to provide adequate time for
effective revision, editing and proofreading
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 Bibliography
• Academic writing vs technical writing – What is harder.
Available on www.abg.jobs.com. Accessed 20/3/2018
• Akinci U. (2018): 3 important differences between academic
versus technical writing. Available on http://www.technical
communicationcenter.com. Accessed 20/3/2018
• Norris C.B. (2018): Academic writing in English. University of
Helsinki Language Series.
• University of Birmingham Library Services (2014): Research
and study skills - Academic writing (Student Pack), 2nd Edition.
• University of Wolverhampton Skills for Learning (2018): Guide
to academic writing. Available on http://www.wlv.ac.uk/skils.
Accessed 20/3/2018
• Whitaker A. (2009): Academic writing guide 2010 – A step-by-
step guide to writing academic papers. City University of
Seattle
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