Academic writing is a formal writing style used in universities, schools, and scholarly publications. Scholars basically start using this writing style in high school and continue throughout their academic pursuits.
Research papers, books, term papers, essays, and professional journals are all examples of academic writing. In this article, we’ll provide the do’s and don’ts of academic writing that black students should know.
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Dos of Academic Writing Black Students Should Know
Below are four key dos of academic writing that you should be aware of as a black scholar:
Use Trusted and Accurate Sources
There are plenty of blogs and websites that you can use to cite your academic writings. But the bad news is that you can’t just use information from any source. You’re required to use and reference information from factual and verifiable sources.
Government websites, websites owned by trusted bodies or organizations, and books written by reputable authors who are authorities in their fields are examples of credible sources to use and cite in your academic writings.
It’s also important to learn how to cite your sources correctly. Many books that teach how to reference academic papers are available on Amazon, you can get a copy or two to learn.
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Write Objectively
Academic writing is subjective in nature. It’s unemotional, factual, precise, and logical. This means you need to argue and state your facts without emotions. It’s expected that you present your findings, readings, and observations with zero emotions and objectively.
Write Clearly
When writing your academic papers, clarity should be your number one concern. All the dos and don’ts of academic writing are designed to ensure that others can easily read and understand the result of your research or analysis.
You need to ensure that readers understand the concepts and ideas that you have presented in your work without having to dive too much into the body of your work. This can be achieved by breaking your work into subtopics, starting each paragraph with a new topic, and using data to support your statement.
Vary Your Sentence Structures
Using too many long sentences in academic writing will make your paper hard to read and understand. In the same way, using short sentences throughout will make it sound rushed and repetitive. So, the best method is to vary the structure and length of your sentences to ensure that your work flows and is easy to read.
Don’ts of Academic Writing Black Students Should Know
Below are four don’ts of academic writing that you should have in mind as a black student writing:
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Don’t Use Personal Pronouns
The basic purpose of academic writing is to present information and facts. So, you’re not expected to use any personal terms that try to address the readers directly. Keep in mind that using personal will make your paper tone sound too personal. If you’re not sure about what personal pronouns are, there are many books on Amazon that you can get to learn.
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Don’t use Colloquial Language
Watch out for your language usage when writing academic papers. During the writing stage, it’s normal for everyday conversational English terms to flow into your work. But you’ll need to edit and remove them from your final work. The use of colloquial language is generally not accepted in academic writing.
Don’t Go Above the Word Count
It’s often frustrating to write academic papers with small word counts. But the word count limit encourages you to only include the important information to help establish your points. It also helps to develop your editing skills.
Avoid Inappropriate Fonts or Text Colors
Besides not using colloquial language and sticking to the word count, you should also ensure to pick the right text colors and fonts. It’s inappropriate to use difficult-to-read and fancy font styles in your academic papers. The best practice is to stick to the font and text color recommended in your writing guidelines.
Many students find academic writing difficult since it’s not our everyday writing. But as a black student, if you pay attention to the dos and don’ts of academic writing outlined here, these assignments will become less daunting. Many guides on Amazon have covered the topic in detail. You can get them and learn more.
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