Bailey.Academic_Writing

2. Elements of Writing
Student Introduction
The Elements of Writing are the various skills that are
needed for most types of academic writing, whether it is
a short report, a long essay or a dissertation. Many essays,
for instance, begin by defining a term in the title (unit 2.5
Definitions), then make some generalisations about the
subject (unit 2.8 Generalisations) before going on to give
examples of the main areas the writer wishes to examine
(unit 2.7 Examples). Throughout the essay the writer needs
to provide references to sources used (unit 2.11 References
and Quotations) and to employ an appropriate academic
style (unit 2.13 Style). Many academic subjects also require
discussion of statistics (unit 2.9 Numbers), and graphs and
charts (unit 2.16 Visual Information).
In the case of unit 2.4 Comparison and unit 2.6 Discussion,
students should note that the comparison or discussion
might apply to the overall pattern of the essay or to just
one section. It is common, for instance, for longer essays to
have a discussion section before the conclusion.
There is no fixed order for working on the units in Elements
of Writing. They are organised alphabetically for easy
access, and most students will have their own priorities. As
in Part 1, the cross-reference boxes provide links to other
relevant units.