Introduction
Scholarly writing is also known as academic writing. It is the genre of writing used in all
academic fields. Scholarly writing is not better than journalism, fiction, or poetry; it is just a
different category. Because most of us are not used to scholarly writing, it can feel unfamiliar
and intimidating, but it is a skill that can be learned by immersing yourself in scholarly literature.
During your studies at the University, you will be reading, discussing, and producing scholarly
writing in everything from discussion posts to dissertations, there are plenty of opportunities to
practice this skill in a writing intensive environment.
Scholarly writing can differ depending on style guide. Our writing follows the general
guidelines of the APA format.
Read on to learn about a few characteristics of scholarly writing!
Writing at the Graduate Level
Writing at the graduate level can appear to be confusing and intimidating. It can be difficult to
determine exactly what the scholarly voice is and how to transition to graduate-level writing.
There are some elements of writing to consider when writing to a scholarly audience: word
choice, tone, and effective use of evidence. If you understand and employ scholarly voice rules,
you will master writing at the doctoral level.
Before you write something, ask yourself the following:
Is this objective?
Am I speaking as a social scientist? Am I using the literature to support my assertions?
Could this be offensive to someone?
Could this limit my readership?
Employing these rules when writing, will help ensure that you are speaking as a social scientist.
Your writing will be clear and concise, and this approach will allow your content to shine
through.
Specialized Vocabulary
Scholarly authors assume that their audience is familiar with fundamental ideas and terms in
their field, and they do not typically define them for the reader. Thus, the wording in scholarly
writing is specialized, requiring previous knowledge on the part of the reader. You might not be
able to pick up a scholarly journal in another field and easily understand its contents (although
you should be able to follow the writing itself).
Take for example, the terms "EMRs" and "end-stage renal disease" in the medical field or the
keywords scaffolding and differentiation in teaching. Perhaps readers outside of these fields may
not be familiar with these terms. However, a reader of an article that contains these terms should
still be able to understand the general flow of the writing itself
Original Thought
Scholarly writing communicates original thought, whether through primary research or synthesis,
that presents a unique perspective on previous research. In a scholarly work, the author is
expected to have insights on the issue at hand, but those insights must be grounded in
research, critical reading, and analysis rather than personal experience or opinion. Take a look at
some examples below:
Needs Improvement: I think that childhood obesity needs to be prevented because it is bad and it
causes health problems.
Better: I believe that childhood obesity must be prevented because it is linked to health problems
and deaths in adults (McMillan, 2010).
Good: Georges (2002) explained that there "has never been a disease so devastating and yet so
preventable as obesity" (p. 35). In fact, the number of deaths that can be linked to obesity are
astounding. According to McMillan (2010), there is a direct correlation between childhood
obesity and heart attacks later in their adult lives, and the American Heart Association's 2010
statistic sheet shows similar statistics: 49% of all heart attacks are preventable (AHA, 2010).
Because of this correlation, childhood obesity is an issue that must be addressed and prevented to
ensure the health of both children and adults.
Notice that the first example gives a personal opinion but cites no sources or research. The
second example gives a bit of research but still emphasizes the personal opinion. The third
example, however, still gives the writer's opinion (that childhood obesity must be addressed), but
it does so by synthesizing the information from multiple sources to help persuade the reader.
Careful Citation
Scholarly writing includes careful citation of sources and the presence of a bibliography or
reference list. The writing is informed by and shows engagement with the larger body of
literature on the topic at hand, and all assertions are supported by relevant sources.
Scholarly Writing
Scholarly writing involves use of appropriate use of First Person and Avoiding Bias, Beginnings
and Endings: Introduce and Conclude Your Writing, Building and Organizing Academic
Arguments, Cohesion and Flow: Bringing Your Paper Together, Demonstrating Critical
Thinking in Writing Assignments, Developing a Paper: From Discussion Post to Course Paper,
Life Cycle of a Paper, Prewriting Techniques: Taking the First Steps, Revising: Reflecting on
and Perfecting Your Writing, Synthesis and Thesis Development, Writing and Responding to
Discussion Posts, Writing Effective Academic Paragraphs.