Academic Writing Genres in Postgraduate Levels: Similarities and Differences among the varied Genres
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Word Count: 1976Introduction
Academic writing that serves as one of the compulsory activities of students pursuing their studies at postgraduate level is a somewhat challenging yet exciting experience for students (Petrova 2017). Such forms of writing at a postgraduate level require lots of critical reading, thinking, analyses and evaluations. Subsequently, authors rely on available data and information as baseline for establishing new documents. For instance, research reports depend significantly on existing knowledge by focusing on previously accomplished studies and findings to attain areas that require further research studies as well as information for supporting new ideas. The above-mentioned processes consume relatively much amount of time, hence prompting writers to properly plan and stick to their schedules. Moreover, the different categories of academic writing demand the use of particular structures and supporting evidence for effective communication and better convincing powers. Also, academic writing at postgraduate levels exhibits high-quality by drastically minimizing on various types of errors and mistakes that may entail typos and wrong tenses. Accordingly, students at postgraduate levels should rely on specific skills that entail proofreading and editing, proper planning, writing skills, critical reading, evaluation, analysis, and thinking skills to generate quality academic documents.
Academic Writing Genres in Postgraduate Level
Precisely, there are four main writing genres at postgraduate level which entail essays, research proposals, research reports, and reflective writing. Essay writing entails in-depth exploration, analysis, and evaluation of a given topic. Moreover, essays are written in prose and presented in a continuous structure with the use of connected paragraphs from the introduction, body, and conclusion. Also, essays are grouped into four basing on their purposes; descriptive, argumentative, expository and narrative essays (Solomon et al. 2013). Narrative essays present writers’ stories from certain points of view to attain specific goals. Descriptive essays offer intricate details and descriptions of characteristics and traits of chosen subjects. Expository essays entail critical explanations of subjects’ traits, characteristics, and description. Finally, argumentative essays endeavor to persuade and convince their audience of particular stances and claims.
On the other hand, research proposals are academic documents that strive to explain details about the plan, methodology, purpose, and objective of a research study that could be undertaken in future. Accordingly, writers employ their critical thinking capabilities to elaborate and explain the importance of conducting research studies in chosen subjects as well as necessary resources. Moreover, research proposals do not contribute additional information but endeavor to present existing gaps and the need for necessary research studies (Walonick 2005).
Moreover, research reports are types of academic writing which rely on particular sections which entail discussion, methodology, literature review, finding and discussions, and recommendations and conclusion to present detailed information concerning selected topics. Accordingly, the authors employ their critical reading, analysis, and evaluation skills to develop research reports (Walonick 2005). Writers would find and critically read suitable resources for necessary evidence and development of the literature review sections. Consequently, research reports strive to expand existing knowledge through their conclusions and recommendations.
Final, reflective writing offers detailed responses that a writer develops through their critical thinking capabilities with regards to a given document or situation (Rai 2006). Accordingly, writers critically analyze and evaluate specific life experiences and develop suitable responses. Thus, reflective essays depend significantly on personal emotions, judgment capabilities, and authors’ writing skills.
Similarities
First, each of the academic writing genres relies on evidence to support their points. Different academic writing documents depend on predetermined information to support their ideas and give them authority (Cumming, Lai and Cho 2016). Since critical thinking facilitates the development of personal opinions and ideologies, evidenced and findings from earlier experiments and research findings are crucial in validating and proving such individual inferences. For instance, each type of academic writing relies on either direct quotes or paraphrased versions of other scholars’ findings. Thus, evidence act as qualifiers and validators of all categories of academic documents.
Secondly, all the different types of academic writing adhere to particular order and structures to guide the audience. Every form of academic writing exhibits a specific structure and order to ensure that their information flows smoothly from the begging to the end (Street 2009). Most academic documents rely on the use of three-part approach which entails the use of an introduction, body, and conclusion. Even so, every category of writing has a unique structure and order due to their varied purposes. For instance, research reports rely on sub-sections with the use of sub-titles that entail literature review, findings, and discussions, conclusions, and methodology to extensively elaborate and explain its varied groups of information.
Additionally, each type of academic writing exhibits in-text citations and the use of a reference list to reinforce their points and provide links to areas of further reading. Citations and references are crucial in all academic writings since they attract more value and qualify the documents (Fox, Paine, and Sauterey 2016). References play vital roles in supporting ideas that an individual develops through their critical thinking capabilities. Moreover, writers appreciate previous academic projects through the use of references and citations. Information that other academicians and scholars established contributes significantly to validating and reinforcing claims of a writer. Therefore, references are vital sources of evidence as well as validators and qualifiers of academic documents.
Further, academic writing at the postgraduate level relies significantly on critical thinking capabilities, evaluations, and analysis. Advanced levels of academic writing extend beyond mere descriptions of an idea or subject to include personal interpretations, responses, and conclusions (Andrews 2007). Since virtually every form of academic writing at advanced levels of studies strive to expand existing knowledge, personal inferences and conclusions are essential in contributing to such desired growth. Moreover, educational documents require writers to use reliable findings and facts to develop new information through critical thinking.
Furthermore, each form of academic writing has a specific thesis that acts as their baselines. Theses are vital aspects of academic writing since they act as a guide and controller to ensure that the writer remains within the essential areas of coverage (Toprak 2014). For example, theses dictate the extent of what the writer would cover, the type of objectives and research questions that a writer would use. A well-directed document is relatively easier to understand and read since the audience would have specific expectations. Therefore, academic documents strive to explore, explain, and support particular theses.
Difference
A key difference amongst the varied writing genres is based on the degree of research studies that a writer has to conduct. The amount of research studies that an individual does depends on the quantity of information that is needed (Shim 2005). For example, research reports and research proposals require extensive research studies to attain adequate documents that would be used in the literature review and other sections of the paper. On the contrary, essays and reflection tend to rely on limited but enough sources to support their claims and ideas. Since reflections strive to present personal emotions, interpretations, opinions, and believes about a given subject, they depend primarily on a writer’s critical thinking, evaluation and analysis skills rather than exhaustive research studies. Hence, the extent of research studies differs from one category of writing to the next.
Required Skills
Also, all forms of academic writing at postgraduate level demand advanced research and reading skills. Research skills are essential in ensuring that a writer provides the right and valid information that enriches their wealth of knowledge. Similarly, critical reading enables readers to collect crucial information from a given document. Accordingly, research skills involve intensive and extensive critical analyses and evaluation of available materials to establish the most suitable ones that would be employed in a given piece of writing. For instance, an individual would have to find, read, analyze and evaluate various documents to determine and select the most appropriate sources that would be used to enrich their literature review section (Fox, Paine and Sauterey 2016). Such a practice is highly-involving since the practice of establishing verified, and credible sources consume lots of time and energy. An individual could end up replicating the work of another person, thus generating similar information rather than expanding the existing ones by failing to conduct adequate research studies. Still, a writer should conduct exhaustive research studies to avoid plagiarism while increasing their knowledge for better information development (Bakhtiyari et al. 2014). Thus, research skills are critical in all academic writing.
Still, advanced writing skills are crucial in postgraduate level writing activities. At postgraduate levels, academic writing tends to be more sophisticated since it entails expression and explanations of particularly complex subjects in in-depth and lengthy approaches (Langan 2013). For example, an individual could be required to provide basic descriptions of a chosen topic then offer their inferences and conclusions. Accordingly, a writer should be able to establish a suitable writing structure and style to develop an interesting document that is relatively easy to read and understand. Moreover, writers should use appropriate terms and sentence structures that are relatively easier to understand by avoiding ambiguity while ensuring clarity and simplicity. Also, meticulous referencing, appropriate structuring, proper grammar, apt planning, and drafting of academic documents are critical in promoting quality work. Thus, suitable writing skills are essential in every type of academic writing at postgraduate levels because they enable writers to adequately communicate their messages to the target audience.
Similarly, proper time management and planning is another essential skill in the development of all the varied academic documents. Appropriate time management enables writers to adequately study, analyze, evaluate, and interpret collected data while ensuring that sufficient time is available for writing quality documents (Rani and Mangala 2010). An individual would probably conduct quality analysis, evaluations, and interpretations when they have ample time. Research and critical thinking activities consume relatively lots of time and energy. On the other hand, students at postgraduate levels tend to operate under tight time schedules following the complexity of their studies. Accordingly, an individual should establish and stick to a suitable timeframe that puts into consideration every aspect of the writing processes.
Additionally, all the varied categories of academic writing rely primarily on proofreading and editing to gain adequate quality. Proofreading and editing a document contribute significantly to ensuring that it exhibits all the desired qualities while presenting extremely minimized or not errors (Harwood, Austin and Macaulay 2012). For instance, writers could proofread and edit their work to ensure the inclusion of all the required sections and proper titles/ subtitles while embracing the correct tenses and vocabulary. Well-edited and proofread documents are free of punctuation and spelling mistakes. Consequently, such documents would exhibit high-quality because they communicate effectively while ensuring a smooth flow of information from one point to the next. Moreover, the writers would present full details by ensuring that they provide all the necessary details. Therefore, proofreading and editing are vital tools that are used to refine academic documents to ensure they are of high-quality.
Overall, academic writing at postgraduate level comprises four main genres that entail research proposals, research reports, essays, and reflections. The varied groups of documents tend to be more sophisticated since they demand lots of critical thinking skills to provide valuable information for expanding existing knowledge. The main similarities in the varied groups of writing entail the use of critical thinking and evaluation skills, time management and planning skills, editing and proofreading skills, writing skills, the use of a thesis, and essential reading and research skills. On the other hand, the differences exist in the structures and extent of research studies that are employed to develop the different types of documents. Research papers demand extensive research studies since they focus on literature reviews. On the other hand, reflections and essays tend to rely on limited amounts of research because they depend mainly on critical thinking, analyses and evaluation skills of an individual. Therefore, academic writing at postgraduate levels is more demanding and requires a sufficient understanding of the varied writing genres to ensure quality work.
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