Academic writing and cultural expectations

As you challenge yourself to grow as an academic writer, pay particular attention to your readers’ expectations. Some researchers have called English a “writer-responsible” language: The writer (particularly in academic and business settings) is responsible for taking a stand on an issue, stating a clear thesis, and making his or her ideas obvious to readers. Many other languages are “reader-responsible”: Writers show many sides to an issue but leave the interpretation entirely to readers.

If you are accustomed to a “reader-responsible” culture, you might find English writing too direct and assertive. Keep in mind, however, that academic readers in the United States will expect you to make a clear point and to convince them with evidence and examples that your ideas are valuable and worthy of their consideration.

Keep the following in mind as you develop good academic writing skills:

The sample student essay shows a student’s rough draft with an instructor’s comments followed by the student’s revised draft.

Related topic:

Writing arguments