Academic Writing Tutorial - Choosing an Essay Format

Academic writing is mostly associated with factual information that has been documented and analyzed. It also considers the views that are generated towards development of concepts in the discovery of advanced solutions to the issues at hand. The format of an academic essay thus stems from different factors that come into play in the writing process.

  • Focus on the style of the essay

    • There are different essays that can be written and they revolve around descriptive, comparison, analyses, argumentative, contrast and definition. All these styles take different formats as a descriptive essay cannot take the same format as an argumentative essay. Focusing on the style of writing that the essay is tuned to take can thus manifest as a good guide to determining the format that should be taken in the writing process.

  • Audience

    • The audience determines the format that a research paper is to take. In this setting, a research paper tuned for the scrutiny of lecturers and learning purposes take a different format to the research paper designed for the discovery and awareness setting of study. A research paper for reference also takes a different approach in terms of the format since the use of the document takes a different structure and mode of presentation.

  • Presentation of Factual information and research resources available

    • Factual information always drives the content structure which determines the writing process. The factual information in this case determines the points available and how they can be presented in the essay. The Chicago style of writing for example initiates the use of footnotes and italics in quoting which then clearly shows all factors and points. The research resources normally determine how the points can be manifested and laid out and this is directly proportional to the format that is to be used in the writing process. Academic writing normally takes a particular orientation and this points to the fact that there is normally very little margin to deviate from the scheduled task.

    Essay formats are the key that determines how the academic writing project will span out which is sure to lead to greater poise in the knowledge set up. Being conscious as to the purpose, audience and the mode of presentation of the facts stands as the guideline that can enable a writer adequately choose a writing format. This will ensure that all the facts are handled in a wholesome nature and with the right attention.

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