Study Notes on Identifying Academic/Scholarly Writing

HOW TO IDENTIFY ACADEMIC/SCHOLARLY WRITING

PART 1: SOURCES: ACADEMIC vs POPULAR

Definition and Overview of Academic vs Popular Writing
  • Academic Writing:
    • Written by specialists in specific fields.
    • Aimed at a specialized audience.
    • Uses narrow focus and specialized terminology (often referred to as "jargon").
    • Structured with in-text citations and a reference list at the end of the paper.
  • Popular Writing:
    • Written by journalists or non-specialists.
    • Targeted at a broad general audience.
Example of Popular Writing
  • Article Reference:
    • Kyle Shnitzer. "Turns out Using Your Smartphone May Make You Less Intelligent." Thrive Global, 2019.
    • Excerpt:
    • Highlights common perceptions of smartphone impacts, stating they lead to addiction, harm personal life, and degrade cognitive abilities.
Study Findings Referenced in Popular Writing
  • Research Published:
    • Journal: Applied Cognitive Psychology.
    • Key Findings:
    • Usage of smartphones linked to decreased cognitive functions.
    • Study used tracking software to monitor participant screen time—approximately one-fifth of their day.
    • Peter Frost, a professor of psychology, reported averages of five-and-a-half hours of smartphone use daily for many individuals.
Characteristics of Popular vs Academic Writing
  • Popular Writing:
    • Engaging and general audience appeal.
    • Often features flashy graphics and advertisements.
  • Academic Writing:
    • Dense text, typically black and white format.
    • May include charts and graphs for data presentation.
Indications of Academic Writing
  • Essential to analyze the evidence of intended audience in writing.
  • Analyzed texts should reflect focus on specialized knowledge aimed at a narrow audience.

PART 2: THE CRAAP TEST

Introduction to the CRAAP Test
  • Purpose:
    • Framework to assess the credibility and relevance of sources for academic assignments.
Components of the CRAAP Test
  1. Currency:
    • Considerations: Avoid sources older than five years, with exceptions based on the context of the research.
    • Example Situations:
      • Outdated for current cost of manufacturing dental equipment.
      • Adequate for historical cost trend analysis.
  2. Relevance:
    • Questions to ask: Does the source contribute meaningfully to the assignment? Is the content comprehensible?
  3. Authority:
    • Author credentials:
      • Check if the author is linked to reputable institutions (universities, government departments, research institutions).
    • Importance of peer review for validating scholarly work.
  4. Accuracy:
    • Verify the presence of research evidence supporting claims within the source.
  5. Purpose:
    • Understand the author's intent:
      • Are they communicating research, expressing an opinion, persuading, or attempting to sell something?
      • Assess conflicts of interest; e.g., an author funded by a pharmaceutical entity discussing vaccine benefits requires scrutiny.

PART 3: WHAT ACADEMIC ESSAYS LOOK LIKE

Characteristics of Academic Essays
  • Example Reference:
    • Journal: Journal of Advanced Nursing. Title: "Nurses Views of Patient Participation in Nursing Care."
    • Structure:
    • Author lists provide the authors' academic qualifications and associated organizations.
    • Publication date noted clearly.
    • Abstract follows the title, summarizing aims, methods, findings, etc.
    • Includes citations and concludes with a references page.