Academic Writing

I have attended academic writing short course last week.

Here are some tips that I want to share with uols 😉

Last week, I have learned about the FLOW in academic writing.

What is FLOW?

1. Flow is about a continuity of your sentences in your thesis. Its like taking your readers to focus on the knowledge that you want to share throughout your writing.
2. It shows how your ideas moves and connects from background of problem to the suggested solution.
3. The purpose is to establish a clear connections from 1 sentences to another.

Bear in mind, that there are 2 paradigm in academic writing:

1. Writer Responsibility Culture
2. Reader Responsibility Culture

Writer responsibility  culture refers to the state where writer consciously intended to make sure that the readers understand their writing.

While reader responsibility culture refers to the state where readers need to or having a hard time understanding what is actually written.

Academics (read in social science filed) should be on the state of writer responsibility culture to make sure readers clearly understand their writing. Everything must clearly define in details. However, in science field, scientist have different way of organizing their writing. Their idea should be straight to the point, clear and doesn’t need everything to be explain in details. That’s why they obviously can write a paper/article with 3 pages length.

So, how to connect your sentences??

1. Give an example
2. Elaborate your ideas (and of course with proves from previous literature)
3. Repeat your words (depends on the structure of your sentences – just to clarify your stands)
4. Use linking words and phrases (eg: subordinators, sentences connectors, phrase linkers, etc )

This is the skills in which everyone can learn by — WRITING 😉

I give you an example of linking words that can help academic writers establish relationship between their ideas.

1. For additional ideas: Furthermore, in addition, moreover, besides, also, too, etc
2. To introduce opposite ideas: Although, even though, despite the fact that, while, whereas, etc
3. To show reasons or cause of something: because, since, so, therefore, as a result, consequently, hence, thus, etc
4. To clarify or further explain your ideas: in other words,that is, i.e
5. To show opposites: in contrast, however, on the other hand, etc
6. To introduce an example: conversely, for example, for instance, etc
7. To promote own result or to reconfirm your idea and to emphasize your point: on the contrary, as a matter of fact, in fact, indeed, etc

These are some of the words that might be helpful for you to come with a continuous ideas, connected together and build a well-designed structures of words in your thesis. Well, Good Luck Everybody! 😉

XOXO – Nurul