Conventions of Academic Writing and Writing a Research Essay

The most common reasons for writing are as follows;

• to report on a study the writer has conducted,
• to answer a question the writer has been asked,
• to discuss a subject of common interest and give the writer’s view,
• to synthesize research done by others on a topic.

Academic writing follows a standardized structure, including an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction sets up the topic and purpose of the paper, the body presents the main arguments or findings, and the conclusion summarises the main points and provides a final perspective on the topic.

Academic writing uses a formal and objective tone, avoiding slang, contractions, and personal opinions. Instead, it emphasizes facts, evidence, and analysis.

Academic writing requires that writers provide proper references and citations to acknowledge other scholars' work and demonstrate the credibility of their own work. This involves citing the sources of information used in the text and including a reference list at the end of the paper that lists all the sources used.

Academic writing follows specific style and formatting guidelines, depending on the field and the journal or publisher’s requirements. This can include font size, margins, spacing, and headings rules. Using consistent style and formatting helps to make the text more readable and accessible to readers and maintains a professional and polished appearance.

Academic writing requires clear and precise language and adherence to standard grammar and punctuation rules. This helps to ensure that the text is easily understandable by readers and conveys the writer’s ideas effectively

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are connected by a comma instead of a conjunction or a semicolon. For example, “I went to the store, I bought some milk” is incorrect; it should be “I went to the store, and I bought some milk” or “I went to the store; I bought some milk.”

A modifier is a word or phrase that describes or adds information to another word in a sentence. A misplaced modifier occurs when the modifier is separated from the word it modifies, resulting in a confusing or awkward sentence. For example, “He only eats bananas” should be “He eats only bananas” or “Only he eats bananas.”

In academic writing, it is crucial to properly cite all sources used in research papers, essays, and other types of writing. Different citation styles are used for different disciplines and types of writing. Some of the most common citation styles include:

• APA (American Psychological Association)
• MLA (Modern Language Association)
• Chicago

Plagiarism is using someone else’s words, ideas, or work without giving proper credit. In academic writing, plagiarism is considered a serious offense and can result in severe consequences, such as failing a course or even being expelled from a university

Voice refers to the personality or character that comes across in your writing. It includes elements such as word choice, sentence structure, and rhetorical devices such as metaphors or analogies. Your voice as a writer should be appropriate for your audience and purpose, and it should also be consistent throughout your writing.

Editing refers to the process of reviewing and correcting your writing for errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and other mechanics of language. The goal of editing is to ensure that your writing is clear, concise, and error-free.

A research essay/paper is a commonly used text type in academic writing since many college/ university professors benefit from this genre to test their students’ knowledge of a particular topic or their research skills in general. In many colleges/universities, such papers play a pivotal role in students’ academic performance.

All of the essay's parts should fit together logically without giving irrelevant and repetitive information. Appropriate cohesive devices should be used to link the sentences within a paragraph and among the paragraphs within a text

During the research process, it can be observed that there is an extra amount of information and data that could be included in the paper. However, it is essential to be selective to choose a proper number of items to focus on for each section. In other words, a focused and relevant understanding of the study area should be provided.

This umbrella term is closely related to coherence, organization, and relevance. It means producing reader-friendly text; that is to say, each sentence and paragraph in the essay is natural and easy to read and understand. Namely, proper grammar, phrasing, and formal style are key to writing a research paper that is comprehensible to the target audience who may have a deep or surface level of knowledge about the research topic.

IMRD stands for the introduction, methods, results, and discussion parts of the research paper. This format helps authors write in an organised manner.

The title should be specific and indicate the theme of the research and what ideas it addresses. Keywords that explain the topic of the research paper clearly to the reader could be used in the title.

Readers use it to get a quick overview of the paper. 

This section summarizes the main ideas and restates the paper’s thesis, giving the reader the sense that the paper's stated goal has been attained. It is designed to help your reader out of the argument of your paper through a sense of finality. The beneficial findings of doing research could be listed here. Making suggestions for further research and improvement of research possibilities could be the alternative ways to demonstrate the critical thinking of the author.