Student writing

Most texts you produce in your studies or professional life need to be effortlessly understood by a reader. Each type of text also has a specific purpose, such as informing, reporting, or instructing. The structure and clarity of your text play a key role—that is why your writing needs to be clear, intentional, and communicative!

Write with the reader in mind

If you are writing a private diary, it is fine to leave gaps in the text or use a language only you understand. However, any other text you write should be clear and comprehensible to the reader. Whether you are texting a friend, communicating at work, or writing your degree thesis, your goal is for the reader to understand your message.

A common misconception is that a text becomes more academic and credible when we use complicated words. In reality, overly complex language can hinder readability and prevent the reader from understanding the message. While the subject you are writing about may be complex, abstract, or unfamiliar to the reader, your language should remain simple and clear, serving as a tool to clarify and explain intricate concepts. Therefore, the key principles of effective writing are: write simply, clearly, and with the reader in mind.

Academic language

During your studies, you will write various reports, essays and degree theses where you are expected to follow a standard structure for an academic text and use academic language. Academic language is formal language that follows English grammar rules. Formal language is factual, correct and stripped of embellishments and unnecessary intensifiers, such as very, incredible and really.

Academic language is characterised by clarity and precision, leaving no room for the reader to interpret the text or to read between the lines. Academic language is concise, which means expressing yourself in a tight and fairly concise manner. Therefore, you should revise your text several times to find the right phrasing and delete unnecessary explanations or descriptions.

In academic writing, you primarily remain neutral towards the subject. In the introduction and the final discussion of the text, you may express more subjective thoughts and reasoning.

The tone and language of a scientific text should therefore be objective and neutral. This leads some to confuse it with the concept of being impersonal and to believe that a personal voice has no place in the text. This is a misconception, as every writer has their own voice and unique way of expressing themselves. You can describe a phenomenon or theory in a neutral way without providing your own opinion on the matter, while still being present in the text through your narrative voice and the metatext you use.

To become a skilled writer and feel comfortable writing your own texts, you need to read academic texts within your field to get a sense of the language used. You also need to write frequently and revise your texts. The more you read and write, the better you will become!

Cohesion

Every text needs a logical structure. In academic texts, there is a given structure for which chapters and headings should be included. In addition, the text needs to be logically structured and have a common thread running through the whole text. You can create this connection by working with cohesion between sentences, paragraphs and chapters.

Metatext

A text is always part of a communication situation, where you as the writer are the sender. Your task is to guide the reader through the text and act as a signpost. Metalanguage, which can also be called reading guides, helps the reader navigate the text. Metatext highlights key facts and shows how everything is connected, while also providing a preview of what the text is about. By using metatext, you create a clear thread that makes it easier for the reader to follow your reasoning.

Examples of how you give the reader directions by using metatext:

  • The focus of this thesis is …
  • The physical properties are presented and analysed in Chapter 5.
  • The rest of this chapter examines ...
  • In the previous section, it was demonstrated that ...
  • The following case study illuminates ...

Metatext is a way to tie your text together. If there is no metatext, your text will look unfinished and it will seem as though you have just written bullet points without considering the reader.

Further reading:
Write like a pro

Cohesion within sentences

Use connectives to create cohesion in your text. Connectives are also called linking words, acting as the glue between different parts within and between sentences. They are ordinary words, but if they are missing, the text will look choppy and unfinished.

Examples of connectives:

  • Words that signal complements: and, also, in addition
  • Words that signal cause and effect: because, thus, therefore
  • Words that signal contradiction or comparison: on the other hand, but, nevertheless, instead
  • Words that develop or specify: for example, that is, among other things, in particular

Further reading:
Connecting ideas in writing

Text linking between paragraphs

Make clear paragraph divisions. The rule of thumb is that each paragraph deals with one idea and contains a core meaning. Mark paragraph breaks with an empty line, with a flush left margin. Long paragraphs make the text difficult to read, whereas short paragraphs make it choppy. Avoid writing more than ten lines in a paragraph, and if you have single lines, you should combine them with the previous or following paragraph.

Each new main idea constitutes a new paragraph. A paragraph therefore contains a main idea which you develop, justify and exemplify. The main idea is also called the core sentence. The main idea does not have to come first. You can end the paragraph with it, using words like hence, in conclusion, thus.

Remember that the reader cannot read your thoughts! Each paragraph should be readable and understandable without having read the title or the previous paragraph. This means that you need to repeat the key words to make it clear what you are referring to.

Every time you write information that is taken from elsewhere, there should be a source reference after that sentence or paragraph. If a paragraph consists solely of your own reasoning, you don't need a source reference.

Language correctness

You want to give a credible and professional impression when writing. If there are many language mistakes or carelessness in a text, credibility suffers. Everyone makes language mistakes, typographical errors, and other mistakes in their text. A good writer is characterized by taking this into account in their schedule and setting aside time to revise and proofread the text. A good way to review your own text is to read it aloud. This way, you read what is on the paper, not what you think you’ve written. Everyone becomes blind to their own text. Therefore, ask someone else to read your text as well. You are also welcome to visit the Writing Workshop for language support.