Academic w i ing skills
Anneke & Gus a Bu le
17 Sep embe 2025
Pa 2
Academic w i ing con en ions
In oduc o y ema ks
•Pos g adua e esea ch ocuses on making a
con ibu ion o knowledge h ough con incing
a gumen a ion o a speci ic audience – he e o e
you need o p esen esea ch app op ia ely o
eade s in you discipline
•Pos g adua e s uden s a e use s o he
discou ses (how we p esen ideas and language)
in speci ic disciplines – be awa e o how
academics w i e in you discipline
•Exis ence o gene alizable ea u es/con en ions
o academic w i ing
Ques ions o ask ou sel es
Why is language use such a c ucial aspec o
pos g adua e s udies?
•Does w i en academic language di e om o he
ypes o language use (e.g. spoken [con e sa ional]
language)?
•Does a speci ic se o cha ac e is ics/con en ions
exis o academic w i ing?
•A e you, as an academic w i e , bound by such
w i ing con en ions?
Yes!
Yes, his p esen a ion will ocus on he con en ions
Yes, i you wan o be aken se iously in he academic wo ld
Why do s uden s expe ience di icul y wi h
academic w i ing?
•Pos g adua e s uden s no always adequa ely
p epa ed o he ype o academic w i ing done a
pos g adua e le el – ha e no had enough (o any?)
exposu e o gen es/ ypes o ex s (and accompanying
academic w i ing con en ions) used a pos g adua e
le el
•No one is a mo he - ongue use o academic language
(academic language is ano he addi ional language
ha we need o lea n)
•S uden s he e o e o en p oc as ina e (pu o s a ing
o w i e) – do no ealise ha pos g adua e w i ing is a
p ocess (a mul iple d a ac i i y)

Why do s uden s expe ience di icul y wi h
academic w i ing?
•The shee scale
•A lo o p essu e
•W i ing is a complica ed skill
•Language di icul ies (2nd, 3 d, 4 h language)
•W i ing while doing you esea ch
• Don’ know whe e o s a
•O he unique ci cums ances …
(James Hay on – YouTube)
Basic con en ions/ ea u es o academic w i ing
1. S uc u al ea u es
2. Tex ual w i ing con en ions
3. A gumen ea u es
4. In eg a ion o sou ces (ideas)
5. W i ing as a p ocess
1. S uc u al ea u es
Use app op ia e ex s uc u es o o ganise ideas
•Gene al ex s uc u e: in oduc ion; “body”;
conclusion; e e ences
•Speci ic o ma s: e.g. esea ch p oposal;
academic a icle; disse a ion; hesis
Cohe ence (1.1) and cohesion (1.2)
•Logical low and connec ion be ween chap e s,
sec ions, pa ag aphs and ideas
•How do we c ea e such cohe ence and cohesion?
1.1) Tex cohe ence (o e all s uc u e)
In oduc ion (beginning) – s a ing key issues
Body (middle pa ) – elabo a ing on key issues in
sepa a e pa ag aphs
Conclusion (end) – d aws oge he he main poin s
TIP
The middle pa is no “Body” – akes headings om
he con en

Examples o cohesion (golden h ead)
•This hesis is o ganised as ollows. Chap e 2
p esen s a heo e ical exposi ion o he concep s
‘in e nal con ol sys ems’ and ‘g uesome h eesome’
om he a ailable li e a u e. Chap e 3 p o ides an
o e iew o he con ol sys ems applicable o Sec ion
21 Public Schools in Sedibeng Eas . In Chap e 4, an
analysis and in e p e a ion o empi ical da a on he
e ec i eness o Sec ion 21 Public Schools in
Sedibeng Eas is p esen ed. The las chap e …
•In he p e ious sec ion Kan ’s iew o he acul y o
he ‘will’ has been discussed. The nex issue ha
needs o be add essed is wha condi ions make a will
posi i e o nega i e.
Examples o cohesion (golden h ead)
The indings also suppo ed he ac ha a small g oup
o social wo ke s was sympa he ic owa ds he abused
wi es. In con as , he es o he social wo ke s did no
display clea sympa hy owa ds he abused wi es.
The e o e, i is impo an o de e mine whe he he
sympa hies o some social wo ke s esul ed in hem
being biased in a ou o he wi es.
James Hay on – common solu ions o common
p oblems
“Fundamen ally w i ing is all abou aking he
in o ma ion and knowledge ha you ha e in you
head and pu ing i on he page in a way ha
somebody else can ollow.”
“The p oblem is ha w i ing is linea , bu he
knowledge in you head isn’ s o ed in a linea o de .
I ’s mo e o a angled mess o in e connec ed ideas
and insigh s.”
2. Tex ual w i ing con en ions
2.1 Fo mali y
2.2 Conciseness and exac ness
2.3 Impe sonali y
2.4 Nominalisa ion
2.5 G amma ical co ec ness

2.1 Fo mali y
Fo mal egis e – ocabula y shi , a oid colloquial
wo ds (e.g. dumb [igno an ]; kid [child]), slang (e.g.
gease [man]; ozz [policeman]), con ac ions (a en’
[a e no ]; can’ [canno ])
•C ea ing a sense o se iousness
•Au ho i a i eness o claims
•Condi ion o app op ia eness o he academic con ex
•Example: he use o GOOD
2.2 Conciseness and exac ness
To he poin and exac (as economical as possible) o mee he
equi emen o cla i y
•The ac ha he au ho belie es ha social jus ice is possible
leads he o de end he claim ha people should pa icipa e in
hei democ a ic sys ems. (25 wo ds)
oShe a gues ha people should pa icipa e in hei democ a ic
sys ems because social jus ice is possible. (15 wo ds)
•A oidance o inde e mina e/ ague lexical i ems (e.g. ‘ hing’),
e bosi y & edundancy (e.g. "a iny li le child“), emo ional
wo ds (‘g ea !’)
Examples o e bosi y (S e en Pinke )
• “Mos impo an ly, he e is a lo o a iabili y in his
popula ion ega ding he le el o linguis ic di icul y
ha is being exhibi ed …”
•Child en di e a lo in hei language p oblems …
• “Comp ehension checks we e used as exclusion
c i e ia …”
•We excluded pa icipan s who did no unde s and he
ask …
2.3 Exp essing you own ' oice' in you s udy
(impe sonali y?)
•His o ically, no place o a pe sonal oice (‘sel -men ions’)
in academic w i ing – a oidance o 1s pe son p onouns (I;
we; my; us; ou )
•Impo an : wha is you discipline's s ance on his?
•Wha is he eal unc ion o a oiding a pe sonal s yle?
•Dis ancing onesel pe sonally om wha one w i es c ea es
an imp ession o being mo e objec i e
Example: in eg a ion o ideas

Example: in eg a ion o ideas
Example: in eg a ion o ideas
5. W i ing as a p ocess
•W i ing is a p ocess: you i s a emp is NEVER
you inal a emp
•Re ise: you cons an ly e ise you CONTENT
•Edi : you cons an ly edi you language and s yle
Conclusion
•Academic discou se no o be sepa a ed om social and
disciplina y con ex
•Academic discou se a ies acco ding o disciplines
•Key no ma i e ea u es can be iden i ied – egula ed by
unc ional condi ions
•How do we accomplish his?
▪(i) wha you see in you eading o you discipline
▪(ii) eedback om you s udy leade
▪(iii) mul iple d a app oach o w i ing
Discussion and e lec ion on AI ools
RULES
•AI canno eplace he need o you o de elop
you own w i ing skills
•Always e iew ALL AI ou pu s c i ically
IDEAS
•AI can, o example, gi e you quick eedback on
you w i ing (e.g. g amma and s uc u e)
•AI is no good o gi e you eedback on discipline-
speci ic, nuanced con en
•Do no allow AI o make adical changes o you
wo k ha would change he meaning
•Good o sugges ing g aphs, images and isuals

E.g. NWU & AI ools
h ps://se ices.nwu.ac.za/a i icial-in elligence-ainwu/ai-hub
Good luck wi h you academic w i ing!