Academic Writing

What are the Top Dos and Don’ts of Academic Writing?


It is informative to study academic writing as a process necessary for students and researchers. Developing academic writing skills in the official language can make a tremendous difference in one’s success academically as well as in the working world.

What Do’s Should You Follow in Academic Writing?

The steps that should be strictly followed when writing academically:

1. Do Understand the Assignment

Listeners and readers should have full appreciation of the specific assignment that they are carrying out or the research question they are going to address before they begin writing. Ask your instructor or supervisor to help you clarify confusing areas to make sure that you are headed in the right direction.

2. Do Plan and Outline

Outlining your paper is a key step that you should not neglect. Outlining is very effective in showing the continuity of your argument from one point to another. Because you can arrange the points you are making in order.

3. Do Use Credible Sources

Scholars depend more on sight hence the importance of reliable sources in their work. Make a specific effort to check the issue date of articles. And other source material to be sure they are current and suitable to the topic under consideration.

4. Do Cite Sources Properly

It helps to avoid plagiarism. And every student should know that citing is necessary. Make yourself acquainted with the various citation formats (APA, MLA, and Chicago among others), and then make certain that all the sources that you use have to be cited appropriately. You can use software like EndNote, and Zotero or generators are using which you can manage your references.

5. Do Write Clearly and Concisely

Make sure that the source is clear and concise in its language, which is standard for academic writing. There is a need to be simplistic in the passage of information and should seldom employ technical terms.

6. Do Proofread and Edit

Editing is a very important stage in writing but does not involve complete re-writing of the text. It is important to reread the paper to check for spelling and grammar mistakes or omissions, making certain that the arguments you are presenting are clear and organized, and that all the cited references used meet all correct APA formatting standards. It may be helpful to have a coworker or a teacher return your work to you for a second look.

7. Predetermined Format

The introductory section of your work should contain the formulation of the thesis. The main body should extend the arguments, and the conclusion should reiterate your conclusions and state the impact of the work.

The following steps are recommended during the writing of an argumentative academic paper;

Remember, your thesis is the core of the paper and it is the fact that will remain unchanged throughout the entire work. In the case of an argumentative essay, should present the writer’s thesis statement or the general aim of the research study.

What Should You Avoid in Academic Writing?

There appear to be few rules or ‘Do nots’ of academic writing as the key highlights have demonstrated.

1. Don’t Plagiarize

Resist the temptation to plagiarize text samples from other authors. Thus, even though you might rewrite a passage. Or an idea in your own words, you have to cite the source from which you borrowed it. A plagiarism check is another useful measure to make sure you are not copying anyone’s work but using it for reference.

2. Don’t Use Informal Language

Frankly speaking, they are saying that academic writing should not be informal or free for a beat. In matters of grammar, do not use the expression “don’t” but “do not,” and avoid writing “can’t,” but rather, “cannot.” You can even check out samples at assignment help in Dubai.

3. Don’t Overuse Quotations

Even if you need to use other people’s ideas in support of your ideas, using quotations may not help your paper because your papers become dependent on quotations, or rather your ideas become dependent on other people’s words. Avoid using quotes as fillers as it is always best to ensure that when using quotes they support your concepts. And add adequate value to your points.

4. Don’t Ignore Formatting Guidelines

It is to ensure that apart from the message passed, the overall presentation and layout of the document are pleasing to the eye. There can be so many things like the size of the font, the margins, and the citation format that you must follow in the letter. If we are violating these rules, then our work seems very unprofessional and we may likely lose some marks.

5. Don’t Make Unsupported Claims

Evidencing makes your points: It is important to fully support all the claims you make in your academic writing. This is because writing that is filled with flat assertions does not substantiate your opinion or establish trust.

6. Do not Attempt the First-Person Point of View (unless specifically asked)

First-person pronouns are kept out of the writing to avoid biases, although one can sometimes come across a piece of academic writing where it has been employed sporadically.

7. Don’t Procrastinate

Successful delay implies postponing the important task to the last possible moment and, as it is known, nothing good comes from that. If you still have a choice, start writing early because the process can take time, thus allowing enough time for the formulation of ideas and improvement of content.

8. Don’t Neglect the Conclusion

The conclusion section is very important in your paper as it provides the conclusion to your research. It should reiterate your position taking into consideration the evidence provided and the importance of the discovered outcome and surrounding procedures. The conclusion does not include any new material – it should only summarize the study.

Conclusion

Credible writing refers to the understanding of various regulatory measures that need to be adhered to when developing quality work. On the other hand, not using materials from other sources without citing them, the use of informal language, making unsupported assertions, and delaying the writing process will assist one in sustaining the seriousness, accuracy, and professionalism inherent to the academic writing process. I urge you to adopt these guidelines to enhance your writing ability and thus enhance your academic performance.

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