Those who read your college writing—your teachers and peers—will hold some expectations about the features of the texts you produce. Many writers learn these expectations through practice. But if you have had limited exposure to various types, or genres, of academic writing in English, it may be helpful to think about these conventions explicitly.

Genres of texts

At some point in your writing process, you should consider the genre or kind of text the instructor expects you to write. In many cases, the assignment will not be explicit about what the text should look like or accomplish. If you are not sure what kind of text you are supposed to write, ask your instructor for clarification. (Examples may also be available at your school’s writing center.) You may want to find multiple examples so that you can develop a sense of how different writers approach the same writing task.