How has your academic writing changed throughout the course? Provide examples.
Review this week’s assigned reading in the course text, Essential Guide to Critical Reading and Writing. Then, review and reflect on the journal entry you wrote in Week 1. Provide a self-assessment in your journal this week on:
- How has your academic writing changed throughout the course? Provide examples.
- What areas in your academic program do you think have improved the most, and why?
- What areas do you think you need further guidance? What is your strategy to improve the areas identified?
Your journal entry should be approximately 400–800 words. Include at least two Walden resources from the Learning Resources this week (that you used in your self-assessment).
Running Head: ACADEMIC WRITING 0
ACADEMIC WRITING
Kiara Bonds
Walden University
Foundation of Graduate Study in Human Service
Instructor: Felicia Mack
June 30, 2019
Academic Writing
In our day-to-day activities, we are involved in writing in one way or another. For instance, one may be involved in writing emails to friends, companies, and letters of job applications or even writing reports for research or documentation and filing (Swales, 1994). All these ‘parts’ of writing can be grouped into formal and informal types of writing. Academic writing can be described as a type of scholarly writing which fall under the formal type of writing (Swales, Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills (Vol. 1), 2004). Scholarly writing communicates original thought, whether through primary research or synthesis, that presents a unique perspective on previous research( Walden scholarly Writing Center 2015). Just like other types of writing, such as technical writing, literary writing, and creating writing, academic writing requires special skills as it is majorly about academic disciplines. The formality of the academic writing makes it distinct from general or informal writing since it is concise, and objective as compared to other writing styles.
Various disciplines which use an academic style of writing includes; abstracts, term papers, conference papers, research projects, and essays, among others. There are set structures and rules which accompany the academic writing style, unlike other types of writing. It identifies itself through the use of strict guidelines on grammar, precision, and punctuation.
Being in the academic writing on my quest as a Bachelor level student for more than two years has given me a average amount of confidence in almost every kind of academic writing requirement. Through writing practically weekly doing college assignments, I have done average, virtually with almost every set of skills and structures required in academic writing (Swales, Academic writing for graduate students, 1994). The daily interaction with different requirements of different projects, researches and essays have equipped me for the most part and transformed me from just an horrible writer to a good writer in writing.
English being my first language has helped me in my journey of writing since the requirements such as excellent grammar and different styles of approaches such as APA, Chicago ,and MLA have been practicing since I have been in high school. I have learned to be average on every instruction and detail of any academic writing requirement, may it be a research or a term paper. I have developed a keen eye to some of the necessary strengths needed for an good academic writer such as reliable research sources, developed argument, proper time management, clear and concise writing, good flow of ideas through having a well organization of thoughts and ideas and knowing the audience I will be addressing in my writing. These strengths do not only qualify me to handle various assignments in academic writing but enable me to excel in most academic program.
My area of concern is when I deliver a paper to the professor or instructor and they give the paper back for revision only because I may have missed the point only slightly. I develop negative feeling and emotions concerning that particular paper such that I may take more time in revising the essay than I took initially writing the paper. This has been a weakness in writing. I have consulted my coaches in academic writing and always advised to have patience when writing a paper and that I should always reread the instructions and details of each paper. I have witnessed this strategy work in the last few months.
References
Swales, J. M. (1994). Academic writing for graduate students. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Swales, J. M. (2004). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills (Vol. 1). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.