Academic Writing: Tasks

This section of the hub is titled Academic Tasks, but what does 'tasks' in this case refer to? Academic tasks are the assignments, exercises or projects that scholars are expected to complete. These may include things like essays, reports, dissertations or journal publications. However, if we dig deeper, we would find that these broad  'tasks' are actually compilations of smaller writing tasks, such as: introductions, literature reviews/scholarly critiques, discussion sections etc.

Purpose, audience and genre

When completing an academic task, we should first consider the purpose for writing and the target audience: why are we writing and for whom? Subsequently, we will need to focus on the 'genre' of the text we are required to write.

Different academic texts, or sections of texts, often follow a similar pattern. For example, the methods section of a dissertation will often be organised in a similar way by many different authors across a range of dissertations. Although these patterns are not fixed, and will vary by subject area, academic texts are generally organised in a conventional way. As developing academic writers, recognising these recurring patterns will help you to write in a way other members of your disciplinary community expect and understand. 

What are "Moves" and "Steps"?

In common with many universities, the Language Centre uses the "Move" analysis method proposed by Swales. One common way of thinking about these patterns is through academic 'moves'. Each academic move communicates to the reader a particular communicative purpose (i.e. the reason for writing) for that section of the text. For instance, this diagram represents common moves in academic introductions.

Within a move, one may also find "Steps".  Steps are smaller text fragments that “together, or in some combination, realise the move” (Biber et al.,2007: 24).

In this section, we consider how various texts are organised; for example, essays, lab reports, research articles, posters, research proposals, introductions, literature reviews and so on. We also consider how the different academic 'moves' are enacted through language often in the form of repeating academic phrases. For instance, this diagram shows examples of the language commonly used in introductions. The academic phrasebank developed by John Morley of the University of Manchester is a useful resource for identifying common academic moves in major sections of texts, as well as the language which is used to express them.

For examples of how this discourse analysis model, based on moves and steps, may help you to organise the different parts of your writing, please consider the following topics in this section:

 

 

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Organisation Patterns

Organisation Patterns

Before embarking on writing a thesis or dissertation, you should be aware of the major conventions in your discipline in terms of organisation patterns typically used.

Writing Introductions

Writing Introductions

There is no one way to write introductions. However, there are common conventions that are often followed.

Writing Literature Reviews

Writing Literature Reviews

A literature review is a section of an academic project (e.g. a chapter, or part of a chapter) that traces the development of a research area to provide a foundation for the writer's own research.

Reporting Methods

Reporting Methods

In a methods (or methodology) section, writers give an account of how they carried out their research, what was done to answer the research question (if they included one), and how the results were analysed.

Presenting Results

Presenting Results

Natural and social scientists present present their findings in a thorough and structured manner. Generally speaking, writers of all disciplines order their results according to theme and chronology.

Writing Discussion Sections

Writing Discussion Sections

You may, or may not, have a particular section of your dissertation or thesis entitled 'Discussion'. The term 'discussion' encompasses various meanings.

Writing Conclusions

Writing Abstracts

Writing Abstracts

In recent years, abstracts have become a progressively important part of written submissions within the academic world.