How can you use academic writing to effectively persuade others?

1 Define your purpose

Before you start writing, you need to define your purpose and your audience. What is the main goal of your writing? What do you want your readers to learn, think, or do after reading your work? Who are your readers and what are their expectations, backgrounds, and interests? By answering these questions, you can tailor your writing to suit your purpose and your audience.

2 Develop your thesis

Your thesis is the central claim or argument of your writing. It should be clear, concise, and specific. Your thesis should also be debatable, meaning that it is not a fact or a personal opinion, but a position that can be supported by evidence and challenged by counterarguments. Your thesis should guide your writing and inform your readers about what you are going to persuade them about.

4 Use credible sources

Your sources are the evidence that you use to support your arguments and to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of your topic. Your sources should be credible, meaning that they are reliable, relevant, and authoritative. You should use a variety of sources, such as books, journals, reports, websites, and interviews, and evaluate them critically. You should also cite your sources properly, using the appropriate referencing style and format.

5 Adopt an academic tone

Your tone is the way you express your attitude and personality in your writing. Your tone should be academic, meaning that it is formal, objective, and respectful. You should avoid using slang, colloquialisms, contractions, and emotional language. You should also avoid using personal pronouns, such as I, we, you, or us, unless they are required by the genre or the discipline. You should use impersonal constructions, such as passive voice, nominalizations, and hedging, to show your distance and caution.

6 Revise and proofread

Your revision and proofreading are the final steps of your writing process. They help you to improve the quality and effectiveness of your writing. You should revise your writing for content, structure, and style, and check if your writing meets the requirements of the assignment, the genre, and the discipline. You should proofread your writing for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting, and eliminate any errors or inconsistencies.

By following these six steps, you can use academic writing to effectively persuade others and to achieve your academic goals.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?