Academic audience

By Agnes Simataa

Most of us struggle to put our opinions on paper when writing academic articles. This can be attributed to many factors as we go through different writing projects. Amongst others it could be inexperience, not knowing exactly what is expected from us, maybe the complexity of the writing task at hand and probably the target audience.

My focus in this article is the later, audience. In academic setups our audiences are usually our lecturers. They grade our papers and we are under immense pressure to satisfy them so as to get a good grade. Subsequently we are just not sure as to how we should begin to write. We are also aware of the fact that our opening line (s) should lure their attention if they are to read our papers with zest. Thus we tend to use complex expressions.

We have written academic papers since our basic education but as we embark on tertiary studies we realise that we have to touch up our levels of academic discourse. In most institutions the freshmen or first year students (as we call them on this side of the world), go through semester or year courses that are tailor-made for academic literacy. Some of us through hard work we excel in these courses, however some of us repeat the courses and eventually pass them.

In spite of this, when we exit from the courses we still labour as much as we did when we were freshman. Putting ideas to a blank page can be tedious. In order to start a writing project, remember that you don’t need to use complex words and sentences that you have little or no understanding of. Your lecturers need you to be clear and concise in order to follow your arguments easily.

Therefore write in clear simple terms. When you are done with your paper, proofread it. You can make use tools that are readily available to you on your computer. When you have revised your document at least twice call for reinforcement. Back-up is essential because we easily fail to spot some of our own inaccuracies. Ask someone to read it and provide you with constructive criticism. This could be a student that is your senior, parents or siblings depending on the level of their education or if there is a writing unit or centre in your community don’t hesitate to visit it you will be well advised. Thereafter, you can re-tailor your paper if need be and hand it in on time.