Writing for academic purposes demands extreme finesse. It is not just the language that should be exemplary. Even the diction, the tone, and the context of the text should be on point. However, the path to achieving this finesse is a troublesome one. Many scholars, while treading this path, come across a myriad of academic writing problems that they find it too cumbersome to overcome. These problems can concern their language skills, research capabilities, or lack of awareness regarding their field of study. The purpose of this article is to address some of these recurring academic writing problems and suggest ways to deal with them.
Writing for academic purposes demands extreme finesse. It is not just the language that should be exemplary. Even the diction, the tone, and the context of the text should be on point. However, the path to achieving this finesse is a troublesome one. Many scholars, while treading this path, come across a myriad of academic writing problems that they find too cumbersome to overcome.
These problems can concern their language skills, research capabilities, or lack of awareness regarding their field of study. The purpose of this article is to address some of these recurring academic writing problems and suggest ways to deal with them.
The following list of writing problems expounds upon the reasons behind their occurrence and steps to neutralize them. Readers should examine the details mentioned here to identify and combat these problems with ease.
A lack of extensive research is one of the foremost reasons individuals find academic writing burdensome. Whether it is writing an essay or a dissertation, every academic document demands adequate research. This is so that the readers can assess the arguments and facts mentioned in the text in a fulfilling manner. But, when scholars refer to a limited number of resources, their understanding of the subject also remains limited.
This results in them struggling to transmute their arguments on paper soundly. To counter this problem, scholars should indulge themselves in a good amount of reading relevant and credible literature. Referring to a healthy number of sources broadens the horizon of an individual. It also allows them to comprehend the concepts they are pursuing better.
A thesis statement delineates the entirety of an academic document and entices the readers to traverse the text further. One can say that a thesis statement provides a countenance to a text.
As such, developing and including a convincing and highly argumentative thesis statement becomes a must. However, developing a concise and alluring thesis statement is a process that many academic writers find difficult to execute.
A time-tested method for drafting an appropriate thesis statement is to not focus on accuracy. One should start with a rough thesis statement and steadily revise it as the manuscript takes shape. Doing so will ensure that the thesis statement stays in line with the context of the text.
Uneven transitions are one of the most overlooked flaws in any academic text, especially among amateur writers. However, they are also an element that highlights a writer's linguistic proficiency.
Thus, to ensure the readers can traverse smoothly between paragraphs and sections, one should assume a holistic view of their manuscript. Then, they should zoom in to the individual sections and peruse their beginning and end. Finally, they should alter these two extremities (if needed) to form a bridge between them.
Academic writing adorns itself with several attributes. Some of these include objectivity, complexity, formal tone, and straightforwardness. And it is these (and a few more) attributes that hinder scholars from shifting to the academic way of writing.
Many times, scholars don't realize that the terms and phrases they are using are not suitable for formal writing. They use cliches, superlatives, idioms, and other taboo words only to get reprimanded later for doing so.
Changing writing styles on cues is challenging, but one can do it with enough practice. To further fortify their writing efforts, scholars can also document all the words and phrases either on paper or in memory.
The final academic writing problem in this list is one that prominently plagues budding academic writers. Academic writing myths refer to a set of bogus rules that have no logical grounds but enjoy a following nonetheless. A classic example of this would be the notion of enriching a text with hefty usage of complicated words. Writers believe that the more the number of obscure words they use in their works, the better grades they will obtain. But they fail to understand that doing so will drastically decrease the readability of their works and trouble the readers.
Writing myths are widespread, and it is up to scholars to avoid them. Properly informing oneself about the writing statutes is a foolproof method for staying away from any such myths.
Academic writing is tough to master. It is, thus, no wonder why a significant number of scholars live in dread of it. However, academic writing is a necessary element of an academic's life, one that helps them represent their knowledge in a polished manner.
Hence, one should adopt a tenacious attitude to deal with all academic writing problems coming their way. Once done, academic writing will become a valuable asset for them.
Best Edit & Proof expert editors and proofreaders focus on offering manuscripts with proper tone, content, and style of academic writing, and also provide an upscale editing and proofreading service for you. If you consider our pieces of advice, you will witness a notable increase in the chance for your research manuscript to be accepted by the publishers. We work together as an academic writing style guide by bestowing subject-area editing and proofreading around several categorized writing styles. With the group of our expert editors, you will always find us all set to help you identify the tone and style that your manuscript needs to get a nod from the publishers.
You can also avail of our assistance if you are looking for editors who can format your manuscript, or just check on the particular styles for the formatting task as per the guidelines provided to you, e.g., APA, MLA, or Chicago/Turabian styles. Best Edit & Proof editors and proofreaders provide all sorts of academic writing help, including editing and proofreading services, using our user-friendly website, and a streamlined ordering process.
Visit our order page if you want our subject-area editors or language experts to work on your manuscript to improve its tone and style and give it a perfect academic tone and style through proper editing and proofreading. The process of submitting a paper is very easy and quick. Click here to find out how it works.
Our pricing is based on the type of service you avail of here, be it editing or proofreading. We charge on the basis of the word count of your manuscript that you submit for editing and proofreading and the turnaround time it takes to get it done. If you want to get an instant price quote for your project, copy and paste your document or enter your word count into our pricing calculator.
Contact us to get support with academic editing and proofreading. We have a 24/7 active live chat mode to offer you direct support along with qualified editors to refine and furbish your manuscript.
Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Medium.
For more posts, click here.
This article discusses the main academic writing problems and gives some helpful tips on how to deal with them. To give you an opportunity to practice proofreading, we have left a few spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in the text. See if you can spot them! If you spot the errors correctly, you will be entitled to a 10% discount.
How to Determine Variability in a Dataset
14.10.2023
How to Determine Central Tendency
19.02.2023
How to Specify Study Variables in Research Papers?
14.01.2023
Population vs Sample | Sampling Methods for a Dissertation
14.01.2023
How to Ensure the Quality of Academic Writing in a Thesis and Dissertation?
04.12.2022
How to Avoid Anthropomorphism in Your Dissertation?
04.11.2022
How to Write a Research Methodology Section for a Dissertation and Thesis
07.08.2022
How to Write a Theoretical Framework for a Dissertation and Thesis?
05.08.2022
How to Write Literature Review for a Dissertation and Thesis
02.08.2022
How to Write a Dissertation and Thesis Introduction
31.07.2022
Embarking on an academic work is obligatory for every college student who wants to graduate one day. Such an academic work is considered one of the final and most fundamental practices in the curriculum for college students. Some students who embark on their academic writing projects may not actually be aware of the mistakes (whether trivial or vital) that may delay their graduation or cause them to lose marks, or points in their assignments. So, college students should pay attention to these tips to avoid making the errors herein discussed.
Continue Reading
Writing and publishing a scientific research paper require more than just bookish knowledge. Every year, thousands of scientists and researchers strive to publish their research papers in suitable journals, but many of them fail without following proper guidelines. In this quick guide, intended for graduate students and other young scholars, we identify 7 common pitfalls and offer helpful solutions to prepare more impactful papers.
Continue Reading
Being a proofreading and editing service provider, we often find researchers making common citation mistakes in their research papers. Well, making mistakes is normal, but repeating the same mistakes is not accepted. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, we here bring the list of common errors students and researchers make while citing sources.
Continue Reading
Whether you are new to academics or have been around for a while, you must understand that research is a critical segment of the academic field. Therefore, it is essential to know the WHATs, WHYs, and HOWs of it. Pertaining to that, this article discusses different types of research methods that you will come across. Namely, they are — quantitative research and qualitative research. Here, we will learn what these types of research are, how they are different, and when they are used. This will be especially helpful for researchers and students who are just starting with their research.
Continue Reading
Writing assignments is not like any other homework you’ve ever done or will do in your academic life. Writing assignments demands unrestrained dedication and plenty of willpower. You cannot just open a book and copy-paste its contents with some rephrasing. To write a better assignment, you need to work hard, you need to research, plan, draft, and edit carefully. Writing an assignment paper is one thing and writing an impactful assignment paper that instills a positive impression of you in your professor’s books and elicits good grades out of him/her is another one. The following tips will help you write a perfect assignment paper.
Continue Reading
As a college student in the USA, the UK, Canada, or anywhere else, you may have a wealth of opportunities for freelance work due to your connections. Freelancing can be an excellent way to create an income stream and expand your writing portfolio. Take early advantage of your education while you're still in school and start a freelancing career. This handout provides an easy guide for freelance opportunities for college students.
Continue Reading
Writing articles for journals requires scholars to possess exceptional writing skills and awareness of their subject matter. They need to write such that their manuscript relays its central idea explicitly to the readers. In addition, they need to abide by strict writing conventions and best practices to befit the parameters of journal articles. It is not uncommon for research initiates and, at times, even experts to struggle with the article writing process. This article aims to mitigate some apprehension associated with writing journal articles by enlisting and expounding upon some essential writing tips.
Continue Reading