ENGLISH ZONE: ACADEMIC WRITING

Introduction

Writing is necessary for all students in higher education. It is a process. It starts from understanding your task. It then goes on to doing the research and reading. The next stage is planning and writing various drafts. This is followed by proof-reading and editing. All this should lead to the final text.

Academic writing is writing form which based on analysis - the process of breaking down ideas - to increase one's understanding. It uses deductive reasoning, semiformal voice, and third person point-of-view.

Academic writing is any writing done to fulfill a requirement of a college or university. Academic writing is also used for publications that are read by teacher and researchers or presented at conferences. A very broad definition of academic writing could include any writing assignment given in an academic setting.

Academic writing is a social practice. By a social practice I mean that it is what people do together. This means that you always write with a readership in mind. You always write with a purpose: to explain, to persuade etc.

This paper will serve the purpose, the writing process and the examples of academic writing. There are many kinds of academic writing, but in this paper will only mention the two most common examples those are essay and reports.

Discussion

A. Purpose of Academic Writing

1. General purpose

The general purpose is to present information that displays a clear understanding of a subject or to search for a truth based on objective evidence.

Objective evidence often involves incidence, quantification, and interpretation. "Incidence" means that something has happened. "Quantification" means that something has been measured in numbers. "Interpretation" means finding a reason. For example, if I drop a ball and a feather, the ball will fall faster than the feather. If, however, I drop both of them in a vacuum, they will reach the earth at the same time. My interpretation is that the resistance of air makes the feather fall more slowly.

2. Specific purpose

The specific purpose is varies according to the assignment.

For example:

1. Argument and Persuasion: To persuade readers to accept the writer's opinion.

2. Exposition : To persuade the reader or listener by presenting one side of an argument, that is , the case or the case against.

3. Description : To describe something

B. The Writing Process

When we write, we do more than just put words together to make sentences. Good writers go through several steps to produce a piece of writing.

There are six steps of the writing process:

· Pre-writing

o STEP ONE: Choose a topic

As the first step, we chose one topic that interesting or good for certain assignment that we will make and think what we know about the topic (brain storming).

o STEP TWO: Gather ideas.

When you have a topic, think about what you will write about that topic.

o STEP THREE: Organise.

Decide which of the ideas you want to use and where you want to use them. Choose which idea to talk about first, which to talk about next, and which to talk about last.

· Drafting

o STEP FOUR: Write first draft.

Write paragraph or essay from start to finish. Use our notes about the ideas and organisation.

· Reviewing and revising

o STEP FIVE: Review structure and content.

Check what you have written. Read your writing silently to yourself or aloud, perhaps to a friend. Look for places where you can add more information, and check to see if you have any unnecessary information. Ask a groupmate to exchange texts with you. Your classmate reads your text, and you read his or hers. Getting a reader's opinion is a good way to know if your writing is clear and effective. Learning to give opinions about other people's writing helps you to improve your own. You may want to go on to step six now and revise the structure and content of your text before you proofread it.

· Rewriting

o STEP SIX: Revise structure and content.

Use your ideas from step five to rewrite your text, making improvements to the structure and content. You might need to explain something more clearly, or add more details. You may even need to change your organisation so that your text is more logical. Together, steps five and six can be called editing.
Proofread. Read your text again. This time, check your spelling and grammar and think about the words you have chosen to use.
Make final corrections. Check that you have corrected the errors you discovered in steps.

C. The Example of Academic Writing

There are many example of Academic Writing such as;

· Books and book reports

· Translations

· Essays

· Research paper or research article

· Conference paper

· Dissertation and Thesis - These are written to obtaining an advanced degree at a college or university.

· Abstract - This is a short summary of a long document.

Explication - usually a short factual note explaining some obscure part of a particular work; e.g. its terminology, dialect, allusions or coded references.

· But the common kinds of Academic Writing are essay and report.

1. Essay

o Definition

Essay is a piece of writing that develops a topic into several paragraphs (i.e. introductory, body and concluding paragraph).

o Essay example:

by: Jonathan Peter T, 1st winner

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and its resulting sickness, the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), are not new to the world. They have been scourges of humanity since their first emergence in 1981.

HIV/AIDS is a deadly sickness, of which no proper cure has been found. It is true that due to this fact, and the accompanying fatality of the disease, people should be supportive of those infected with it.

However, most people are still ignorant on matters regarding HIV/AIDS and its victims. When it first appeared in the 80s, it hit the homosexual community, causing many to believe the disease to be exclusively homosexual. Up to this date, discrimination against both the gay community and HIV/AIDS victims still rages on.

HIV/AIDS patients are also often heavily judged because of the association of the disease with immoral habits, such as drug abuse and sexual immorality. People are often not familiar with the fact that HIV/AIDS can attack everyone, heterosexual or homosexual, drug addicts or clean, educated or illiterate, rich or poor. It is indiscriminate.

Exile from society is also one of the facts of life for HIV/AIDS victims. Lack of knowledge on the matter and its perception as a potentially fatal disease has led many people to avoid HIV/AIDS victims completely. One cannot help drawing a line between HIV/AIDS victims and lepers in the Bible, who had to live on the fringe of society, lest they be called unclean.

With these factors in mind, one can see that the older generations are not suited to become a medium for change in the field of HIV/AIDS issues. Years of misinformation of the disease have made it difficult to alter their perception of it. For change to occur, one must look to a different generation: the youth.

History has shown that the youth have always been vital in societal changes in many different fields. Young doctors have pioneered revolutionary types of surgery. Students have been the most active groups participating in constructive criticism of government. For HIV/AIDS awareness, it is no different. Support from the youth is basic and crucial in creating change.

The role of the youth in HIV/AIDS awareness is especially important because young minds are the most susceptible to new ideas. When HIV/AIDS first appeared, today’s old generation was young, and their minds were embedded with misconceptions of the disease. These mistaken beliefs however have been confuted over the course of time with new scientific findings. In a manner of speaking, today’syouth can now be free of misconceptions and false truths, but with proven facts about HIV/AIDS.

Conducted successfully, this will be the catalyst for fully-fledged awareness about HIV/AIDS among the youth. With young men and women today connected via the internet, facts about the disease can move quickly around the world, educating millions.

Having the right mindset and true knowledge then proper action follows. With knowledge in their hands, youths must now move to educate everyone else on misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, as well as the unwanted discrimination caused by these misconceptions.

Youths are always active in organizing groups. Social networking sites and teenage cliques are just one of the many examples. They could also start teaching programs aimed to eliminate prejudices against HIV/AIDS victims. Likewise, brochures can be printed to ensure that their message gets across.

However, perhaps the most effective way to truly destroy any false assumptions of HIV/AIDS victims is publically talking to victims and helping them. Youths should show no fear when talking to these unfortunate people. Armed with knowledge rather than unproven beliefs, fear should be totally absent. By doing this, people will be able to see that victims of HIV/AIDS are not deserving of the pariah status placed upon them for many years. Instead, they should be viewed as who they truly are: victims of a deadly disease, who need society’s help more than anything.

Thus, it must be said that the role of the youth in fighting HIV/AIDS discrimination is a pivotal one. However, the youth of the world must first be armed with knowledge before they act to destroy the myths and misconception surrounding HIV/AIDS. Then, and only then, can change for the better be possible.

2. Reports

o Definition:

A reports or account is any informational work (usually of writing, speech, television, or film) made with the specific intention of relaying information or recounting certain events in a widely presentable form.

Written reports are documents which present focused, salient content to a specific audience. Reports are often used to display the result of an experiment, investigation, or inquiry. The audience may be public or private, an individual or the public in general. Reports are used in government, business, education, science, and other fields.

Reports use features such as graphics, images, voice, or specialized vocabulary in order to persuade that specific audience to undertake an action.

Some examples of reports are: scientific reports, recommendation reports, white papers, annual reports, auditor's reports, workplace reports, census reports, trip reports, progress reports, investigative reports, budget reports, policy reports, demographic reports, credit reports, appraisal reports, inspection reports, military reports, bound reports, etc.

o Example :

1. A Trip Report

I'm creating this site two years after we actually traveled the Dempster Highway, so I'll describe our trip briefly. You can find some more information on the Pictures page.

We drove our own car from Seattle, Washington. First, we went by road from Seattle to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. There we boarded a ferry and took the Alaska Marine Highway to Skagway. We spent a few nights in Sitka, which has a Russian heritage, and in Juneau. In Skagway we crossed the Canadian border again and entered the Yukon Territory. We drove to the historic Dawson City, which used to be the heart of the Gold Rush. We spent two days in Dawson - we took a tour around town and visited Jack London's cabin.

The Dempster Highway starts near Dawson City and runs for 456 miles (733 km) to Inuvik. From there we took a plane to Tuktoyaktuk (Tuk) to see the Arctic Ocean. There is a road between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, but it goes through the delta of the Mackenzie River and is open in winter only. At Eagle Plains there is the only gas station and hotel between the beginning of the Dempster and Inuvik. On our way to Inuvik we had to cross two rivers – the Peel and the Mackenzie - by ferry. There is no charge for these ferries, and the waiting time is no more than 45 minutes. But they do not operate at night, so you have to plan your schedule accordingly.

The Dempster Highway was paved only in the beginning, but the condition of the gravel portion was pretty good, so we had no problems driving it. We got a cracked windshield, but it was my fault - I was trying to pass a truck where I shouldn't have. The weather was good during our whole trip, but shortly before we came there had apparently been a few rainy days. We didn't see a single mosquito in August.

To our big surprise, on our way back we could observe Aurora borealis on the border between Yukon and British Columbia. It wasn't nearly as strong as in winter, but clearly visible.

To our big surprise, on our way back we could observe Aurora borealis on the border between the Yukon and British Columbia. It wasn't nearly as strong as in winter, but still clearly visible.

Overall, we had an excellent time. However, two weeks was not enough for such a big trip. I could only wish we had had at least three weeks.

2. Book report

The Legend of Dagad Trikon

540 pages long, limited edition hardcover, ISBN 1-932406-01-8 price US$ 29.95

The new novel by Grégoire de Kalbermatten is now being printed and copies will be ready shortly. The novel was shown to Shri Mataji and Sir CP at their home in New Jersey , USA , and Shri Mataji was visibly pleased when asked for Her blessing.

One reader described the novel as “ a fast paced, amusing and contemporary plot guaranteed to keep you enthralled and guessing to the very end.” This entertaining work of fiction is meant to break into the cultural mainstream as it appeals to the millions of readers who are seekers. The professional book editor who edited the book, (a non-Sahaja yogi) said:

“ As the editor of the Legend of Dagad Trikon and of many other fantasy titles, this fascinating novel was unique for me in the sheer depth and scope of the stage on which it plays out. The breath-taking sweep of the author's knowledge of world cultures is evident on every page as the reader is transported from Delhi to Delphi, from Cairo to Oslo , from Moscow to Washington DC - all in pursuit of a secret that has the potential to change the course of human history. More importantly, the possibility of real human happiness is visualized and the very fate of our planet is at stake. We find ourselves caring deeply for the characters and it is the heady page-turning momentum of this fully realized fantasy that propels the reader onward. To read this novel is to embark on a journey, an adventure - a quest that is at least as richly rewarding as the search for the secrets of Dagad Trikon itself .”

Copies can be obtained as follows: outside the USA , send $39.95, by Paypal, to info@daisyamerica.com, which includes, postage and packing via US Global Priority Airmail service. For customers in the USA , send $34.50 by Paypal, to info@daisyamerica.com, which includes postage and packing, via US Priority Mail service.

CHAPTER III

CONCLUSION

After explain all about Academic writing, we can conclude that:

o Academic writing is writing form which based on analysis - the process of breaking down ideas - to increase one's understanding. It uses deductive reasoning, semiformal voice, and third person point-of-view.

o Academic writing is a social practice. By a social practice I mean that it is what people do together. This means that you always write with a readership in mind. You always write with a purpose: to explain, to persuade etc.

o Academic writing involves a wide range of writing form.

o There are Six Steps of the writing process, those are; choose topic, gather ideas, organize the ideas, writing first draft, review and revise structure and content.

o The most common form of academic writing is essay and report.