Academic Writing Skills
The ability to write accurately and clearly is crucial for all disciplines. Research is also crucial, but without the equally vital skill of expressing that research in writing, information will not be received by readers. To that end, we are committed to improving student’s written expression.
Features of Academic Writing
The ability to express yourself clearly and accurately is important in academic writing. Here you will find information to help you improve your academic writing and grammar.
Academic writing is:
Clear and concise – only includes what is relevant and necessary in as few words as possible
 Structured (see the Essay Structure and Report Structure boxes below for more details)
 Formal
 Based on research
 Objective – words should be neutral, showing neither too much emotion nor attitude
Academic writing does not:
   Use first person (e.g. “I”, “we”, “me”, “us”, “my”, etc.)
  Use contractions (e.g. isn’t, doesn’t, it’ll, can’t)
   Use slang (e.g. stuff)    Â
  Use qualifiers (“really”, “very”, “surely”, “often”, “basically”, “hopefully”, etc.)
The Dos and Don’ts of Academic Writing This link opens in a new window
A useful chart from Lund University providing further details relating to the Dos and Don’ts of writing academically.
Essay Structure
It is vital that all essays, whether for an assignment of in an exam, are structured clearly and logically for the reader.
All essays should include:
Further Support
If you want further support with improving your writing skills, please contact
learning@imc.edu.au
