Guide to Types of Academic Writing

The main kind of writing that you’ll have to deal with while being a college student is the academic one. At school you might have covered the basics of it, but college writing has a number of features that distinguish it from everything else. Not only do you need to have good grammar and vocabulary skills, but it’s also necessary to know each type of academic writing and what is expected from you in every case.

Persuasive Paper

It might not be stated clearly in your assignment, but if you need to support or dispel an idea or express your personal attitude to something, you’re working with a persuasive (also known as argumentative) paper. The structure of such essays is established. First of all, finish the introduction with the thesis statement where you express the main assertion. In the body part, provide main pieces of evidence to support or criticize it and finish with summing them up in the conclusion.

Research Paper

This type of writing is usually a reflection of more extensive scientific research. In most cases you have to apply it to give a summary of your research project, analyze the results that you’ve achieved in the process or shorty describe previous works that were conducted in your sphere of work. The key to succeeding in this kind of writing is to be clear and concise and never forget to mention all research literature and resources you use.

Expository Paper

These essays follow the same structure as persuasive ones and aim for the same result – to support a certain idea. Usually this assignment is a part of an exam, so a beforehand research of the topic can be necessary. The main difference between expository and persuasive papers is that in the first the idea should be supported by specific information and not your personal beliefs. That’s why avoid mentioning your opinion in the thesis statement.

Exam Essays

Some professors like checking the level of course comprehension of students in a form of an exam essay. Can you explain the main concepts of the course? Have you done the assigned reading? Did you take part in discussions? If your answers were yes, you won’t have problems with writing an exam essay. If no, then you should start getting ready for that.

Academic Proposal

This kind of writing is quite different from the ones mentioned above, but it’s still a component of scientific experience of many students who take part in conferences or presentations. If you need to write a proposal to another university or organization, first of all, follow all set instructions. Your main purpose should be to persuade them that you have something valuable to offer. So, include the best parts of your research in the academic proposal. Whatever type of academic writing you’re currently dealing with, never overlook the importance of proofreading. It takes only a few minutes to look through the text, but it saves you from a lot of stress when you realize you’ve made a mistake in the already submitted paper.