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Writer's pictureDr Rizwana Mustafa

MASTERING ACADEMIC WRITING - ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR STUDENTS

Updated: Nov 2

Academic writing is the standard writing that is widely used in educational institutions and publications all around the globe. For students, it is considered necessary to become masters at it. This is so because their academic career is full of writing assignments, research papers, notes, etc. 


Like any other type of writing, academic writing requires mastering many skills. In this article, we have explained those skills in detail. 


Necessary Skills Through Which Students Can Master Academic Writing

Below we have discussed some skills that students should practice to become masters in academic writing. 


Research Skills


Research Skills

The key to success in academic writing lies in research. The more efficient students will be at performing research, the better their writing will be. Let us explain how. 


When students do research, there are strong chance that they will come across different sources that they can use to support their arguments efficiently. 


Apart from this, research will also allow students to get familiar with the information that others have already discussed/covered about the topic. This will help in idea formation. 


That is why research is considered an essential skill for students who want to master academic writing. But now the question here is how students can become better at research


  • They should gather information from multiple sources by relying on a single source. 

  • Only get data from credible and authoritative sources. 

  • You can also use AI-powered tools such as Google Gemini etc. 


Boost Critical Thinking


Boost Critical Thinking

We all know that academic writing usually deals with the understanding of complex information or ideas. So, critical thinking is also a necessary skill that students should possess. 


Critical thinking is an ability through which a student can analyze, interpret, and evaluate already available information to come up with a strong argument. 


Additionally, critical thinking skills also give students the capacity to understand an idea or information from different perspectives. This will further increase the chances of their coming up with better writing. 


There are several ways through which students can efficiently improve their critical thinking abilities. 


  • Carefully evaluate existing information.

  • Ask maximum questions. 

  • Listen to what others (teachers, friends, etc.) are saying. 


Ability To Write In a Simple and Consistent Way


Write In a Simple and Consistent Way

This is obvious, to master academic writing, students must learn how they can write assignments, essays, etc. in a readable and consistent flow.


Readability indicates how simple to understand a text is for the audience. Whereas, a consistent writing flow requires each sentence and paragraph of the write-up to be written in the same way. 


To write in a readable manner, the formula is simple - students just need to make use of easy wording instead of complex or technical jargon. For a consistent flow, they should focus on structuring proper sentences; write some sentences in active voice, while some in passive. 


Remember this also, if a student fails to ensure good readability or consistent flow, they may get low or even no grades from the professor. So, practice the aforementioned approach as much as possible.


To make things easier, students may opt for intelligent writing tools like Paraphrasing.io. Such tools will act as their online assistantin effectively simplifying academic content in a consistent way. See the attachment below. 


 Paraphrasing.io tool for student

As a learner, students should mimic the tool’s paraphrasing approach, and practice continuously to elevate their writing skills. 


Understanding Of How To Cite Source

In academic writing, students will strongly rely on external sources or information. And they should avoid using external sources as it is, as this can result in plagiarism. This is why it is considered a necessary skill for students to learn or understand how to perfectly cite a source. 


Citing is a process of giving credit to the third-party information that you have used in your write-up. Wondering how you (the student) can efficiently cite the source. Below we have listed the procedure. 


  • Determine the in-text citation – this points the readers to find the complete information in the reference list. 

  • Identify reference of citation – this tells from where you (the student) have taken the information. 

  • Use the right citation format (APA, MLA, Chicago) to cite the source. 


Note: Each format requires students to follow a different procedure. 


For instance, if you want to cite a source in APA format, then you have to add the original author’s last name and year of publication at the end of the used information.


Even after citing the sources, it is still recommended to scan academic write-ups for plagiarism. This can be only done by opting for intelligent tools like Editpad Plagiarism Checker.


It will quickly scan students' writing with millions of internet resources to find out any instances of plagiarism. The good thing is that the tool also provides the option to cite the sources on the spot. 


Editpad Plagiarism Checker AI tool

Time Management


Time Management

This skill is something that will indirectly help in becoming good at academic writing. Time is money…right? Efficient management of time will allow students to write faster with maximum focus. 


Apart from this, better time management will also increase their overall productivity and reduce the overall stress of writing. That is why it is considered essential for students to manage their time. 


There are several tricks that you (the student) can follow in this regard. 


  • Stay away from things or places that cause distractions. 

  • Set your writing goals (either hourly or daily). 

  • Prioritize important tasks. 

  • Do not try to be perfect in the first draft. 

  • Consider utilizing tools like Google Calendar. 


When you learn how to perfectly manage your time, you can practice academic writing with a better focus, which will contribute to mastering academic writing.

 

Editing & Proofreading


Editing & Proofreading

This is also an essential skill that will help students to become better at academic writing. Students should ruthlessly proofread and edit their write-ups. They can either proofread independently or get help from a teacher, senior friend, or family member. 


Proofreading will allow students to get familiar with the issues or flaws that they are committing while writing.


For example, proofreading will let them know that they are not properly connecting every part of the writing, making things go out of context, etc. 


The highlighting of these kinds of mistakes will give them the opportunity to take the necessary steps to edit the write-up to overcome those flaws. 


So these are some of the essential skills that will help students to become better at academic writing. 


Final Words

Academic writing is the most widely used type of writing used in the field of academics. This is why it is considered necessary for students to become masters at it, for a successful academic career.


However, becoming good at academic writing will require students to first strengthen their grip on different skills. This article has covered those skills in detail. 


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