Formality in Academic Writing
Refers to the level of professionalism in language use.
Essential to maintain credibility and respect within a scholarly context.
Discuss the concept of formality in academic writing.
Explain the importance of observing formality in academic papers.
Rewrite informal statements using a formal register.
Group Chat Context: Use conversational language.
Online Forum: Critique and personal views are prevalent.
Parental Conversation: Informal yet respectful language typical.
English Class Paper: Required academic formality and structure.
Academic papers must be understandable to all who seek knowledge in specific fields.
Key Reminder: First characteristic learned is formality.
The style of language appropriate to a particular situation; signifies respect and professionalism among academics.
Contractions: Should not be used in academic writing.
Informal to Formal Examples:
Informal: "The total amt of sales has been reported."
Formal: "The total amount of sales has been reported."
Colloquialisms: Informal expressions that should be replaced.
Informal: "There is a sharp decrease in tube viewers."
Formal: "There is a substantial decline in television viewers."
Phrasal Verbs: Main verbs combined with particles; should be substituted for more formal language.
Informal: "The researchers arrived at a conclusion."
Formal: "The researchers reached a conclusion."
Rhetorical Questions: Avoid as they do not solicit real answers; express assertively instead.
Informal: "Do you think participants would agree?"
Formal: "Participants disagreed with the unethical proposition."
Observing formality ensures clarity in communicating ideas to academic audiences.
Avoiding contractions, colloquialisms, phrasal verbs, and rhetorical questions is essential.
Objectives:
Discuss the concept of impersonality in academic writing.
Explain the importance of using impersonal forms in academic contexts.
Write objective and impersonal sentences.
Impersonality is tied to objectivity; ideas should stem from logic and evidence, not personal opinions.
First-Person Pronouns: Should be avoided to maintain objectivity.
Informal: "We found out..."
Impersonal: "Results show..."
Second-Person Pronouns: Avoid addressing the reader directly.
Informal: "You must employ digital marketing."
Impersonal: "Digital marketing strategies must be employed."
Personal Opinions: Should be backed by literature or factual interpretation.
Objectivity: Ensure ideas are logical and evidence-based; not influenced by individual perspectives.
Objectives:
Discuss the concept of nominalization.
Explain its importance in academic writing.
Write nominalized sentences.
The process of converting verbs or adjectives into noun forms for clarity and formality.
Examples of nominalization:
Verb: "intention" from "intend."
Adjective: "malleability" from "malleable."
Provides clarity and emphasis on concepts rather than actions.
Aids in expressing ideas objectively in writing.
Objectives:
Discuss the concept of specificity in academic writing.
Explain its importance in writing.
Express ideas in concrete terms.
Academic writing requires clear expression to avoid ambiguous interpretations.
Specific language improves objectivity and clarity.
Generics vs. Specifics:
Generic: "Hamburger sales increased by 50%."
Specific: "Hamburger sales increased by 50% when pickles were added."
Ensures sentences are clear and eliminate misinterpretation.
Use definite terms for accurate reporting in academic writing.
Objectives:
Discuss hedging in academic writing.
Explain the role of hedging in scholarly works.
Practice using appropriate hedges in claims.
Claims made should stem from solid research; hedges indicate uncertainties present in findings.
Hedges minimize risk of opposition and convey scholarly humility.
Presented As Absolutes: Should be avoided, e.g., "Results prove..."
Using Hedges: Recommended, e.g., "Results suggest..."
Modal auxiliary verbs: may, might, could.
Probability adjectives: possible, likely.
Nouns: assumption, claim, chance.
Phrases: "to our knowledge," "it appears that."
Objectives:
Define complex sentences.
Explain their preference in academic writing.
Show relationships among ideas using complex structures.
Comprise an independent and a dependent clause to illustrate connections between ideas.
Academic writing favors complexity for depth in understanding concepts.
Cause-and-Effect:
Formal: "Swallows migrate to southeastern regions whenever air temperature plunges."
Objectives:
Explain the significance of references.
Describe APA conventions for citations.
Utilize APA methods for attributing sources.
Proper referencing acknowledges original ideas and helps avoid plagiarism.
In-text Citations: Essential for referencing paraphrased concepts.
Reference Citations: Essential details about sources formatted correctly at end of papers.
Properly formatted citations include author's name, publication year, title, and page numbers.
Additionally, citations must follow APA formatting rules.