What is academic writing? It's simpler than you think.

For many students, the phrase academic writing can feel intimidating. Perhaps you're starting university for the first time, returning to education after a break, or simply feeling unsure about what your tutors expect from your written assignments.

You might imagine that academic writing involves using long, complicated words, writing sentences that sound particularly sophisticated, or adopting a style of language that feels completely unfamiliar.

But this is one of the biggest misconceptions about academic writing.

Good academic writing isn't about using the most complicated language possible. In fact, some of the strongest academic writing is straightforward, clear and easy to understand.

You're probably already better at explaining ideas than you think

Think about the last time you explained something you knew well to a friend, colleague or even a stranger.

Perhaps you were describing something you're passionate about, explaining a problem at work, or answering a question in a job interview.

You probably didn't feel the need to use lots of complicated words. Instead, you thought about what you wanted to communicate, organised your thoughts and explained your ideas in a way the other person could understand.

These are many of the same skills we use in academic writing.

Of course, writing an academic assignment involves additional expectations, in particular references to research, developing and argument, and being able to handle multiple perpectives. But the underlying skill of communicating an idea clearly is something most of us already practise in everyday life.

Academic writing is about clarity, not complexity

One of the most common mistakes students make is believing that their writing needs to sound more complicated to be considered academic.

This can lead to unnecessarily long sentences, unfamiliar vocabulary and paragraphs that are difficult to follow.

Consider these two examples:

Example 1:

The implementation of physical activity interventions may facilitate the amelioration of psychological wellbeing outcomes among university students.

Example 2:

Physical activity interventions may help improve psychological wellbeing among university students.

Both sentences communicate a similar idea, but the second is easier to understand. It gets to the point without using unnecessary language.

Academic writing should be precise and appropriate for your subject, but that doesn't mean it needs to be difficult to read.

Sometimes, using a simple word is the strongest choice.

So, what makes writing academic?

If academic writing isn't defined by complicated language, what actually makes it different from everyday writing?

There are a few important characteristics.

Your ideas are supported by evidence

In everyday conversation, we often share opinions based on our experiences or observations.

In academic writing, we generally need to go further by supporting our arguments with relevant evidence, such as academic research, theories, data or other appropriate sources.

This is where referencing comes in.

For example, you might explain to a friend that you think spending time outdoors can improve people's wellbeing. In an academic assignment, you could make a similar point, but you would need to support it with relevant research and acknowledge where that evidence came from.

Referencing isn't simply about adding citations to your writing. It's about showing the reader the evidence behind your ideas.

Your writing has a clear purpose and structure

When explaining something to another person, you usually try to present your ideas in an order that makes sense.

Academic writing works in much the same way.

Each paragraph should have a purpose, and the ideas within it should contribute to the overall argument or question you're addressing.

This doesn't mean every assignment needs to follow exactly the same structure. Different subjects and types of assignments have different expectations. What matters is that the reader can follow your thinking.

You consider different perspectives

Academic writing often involves doing more than explaining what you know.

Depending on your assignment, you may be expected to compare different ideas, evaluate research, consider alternative interpretations or identify limitations in the available evidence.

This is an important part of critical thinking.

For example, rather than simply stating that a particular intervention is effective, you might consider what the research tells us, how reliable that research is, and whether other studies have reached different conclusions.

You use language appropriate to your subject

Every academic discipline has its own terminology, and sometimes specialist words are necessary to explain something accurately.

A nursing student, for example, may need to use clinical terminology, while an architecture student might use language specific to design and construction.

The important distinction is between using terminology because it communicates something precisely and using complicated words simply to sound academic.

You don't need to avoid specialist vocabulary. You just need to understand the words you're using and make sure they serve a purpose.

Try explaining your ideas out loud

If you're struggling to write a paragraph, try explaining the idea out loud first.

Imagine you're speaking to a colleague who is interested in your topic but doesn't know as much about it as you do.

What are you trying to say? Why does it matter? What evidence supports your point?

You might find that you can explain the idea quite naturally when you're speaking, even though you've been struggling to put it into writing.

Try writing down that explanation in your own words. You can then develop it into a more formal academic paragraph by adding relevant evidence, clarifying your argument and making sure the language is appropriate for your assignment.

The aim isn't to write exactly as you speak, but to use your ability to explain ideas as a starting point.

Academic writing is a skill you can develop

Nobody starts university knowing everything about academic writing. It's something you learn and develop through reading, practising, receiving feedback and becoming more familiar with the expectations of your subject.

You don't need an enormous vocabulary or a naturally formal writing style to produce strong academic work.

What matters is learning how to communicate your ideas clearly, support them with evidence and develop a reasoned argument.

And those are skills you can build on, whatever your starting point.

Need some help with your academic writing?

If you're unsure whether your writing is academic enough, or you're struggling to communicate your ideas clearly, Aster's One-to-One Tutorials can help you develop your academic writing skills, understand what your assignment requires and build confidence in your own writing.