Book

Academic Writing: A Course for Graduate Students

📖 Overview

Academic Writing: A Course for Graduate Students serves as a practical guide for graduate students seeking to develop their academic writing skills. The book provides targeted instruction on writing research papers, theses, dissertations, and other scholarly works. Through structured units and exercises, Hewings presents strategies for creating effective arguments, organizing complex ideas, and crafting clear academic prose. The text covers citation practices, literature reviews, methodology sections, and other essential components of academic writing. This manual focuses on the specific challenges faced by non-native English speakers while remaining relevant to all graduate students. Emphasis is placed on meeting the expectations of academic audiences and participating in scholarly discourse communities. The work reflects broader themes about the role of writing in knowledge creation and the development of scholarly identity within academic disciplines.

👀 Reviews

Graduate students and researchers rate this textbook favorably for its practical examples and step-by-step approach to academic writing. Readers note its clear explanations of citation practices, paragraph structure, and argument development. Readers appreciate: - Practice exercises with answer keys - Focus on common grammar issues in academic writing - Examples from multiple academic disciplines - Section on avoiding plagiarism Main criticisms: - Limited coverage of thesis/dissertation writing - Some exercises repeat similar concepts - Price is high for a paperback - More examples needed for humanities fields Ratings averages: Amazon: 4.5/5 (127 reviews) Goodreads: 4.2/5 (89 ratings) Reader quote: "The exercises helped me identify patterns in my writing that needed improvement. However, I needed additional resources for large-scale document organization." - Amazon reviewer The text sees frequent use in graduate writing courses and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs.

📚 Similar books

They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein This text presents templates and frameworks for constructing effective academic arguments and engaging with scholarly sources.

Academic Writing for Graduate Students by John M. Swales & Christine B. Feak The book provides task-based instruction for graduate-level writing assignments with focus on research papers and professional publications.

Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks by Wendy Laura Belcher This workbook guides writers through the process of converting research into publishable journal articles using structured weekly goals and exercises.

Stylish Academic Writing by Helen Sword The text examines writing practices of successful academics and presents techniques for creating clear, engaging scholarly prose.

How to Write a Lot by Paul J. Silvia This guide presents practical strategies for academic writing productivity and establishing consistent writing routines.

🤔 Interesting facts

📚 This textbook has been widely used at universities for over 20 years, first published in 1999 and regularly updated to reflect evolving academic writing conventions. ✍️ Martin Hewings has authored over 30 books on English language teaching and academic writing, drawing from his extensive experience at the University of Birmingham. 🎓 The book addresses specific challenges faced by non-native English speakers in academic writing, based on research analyzing thousands of actual student papers. 🌏 It has been translated into multiple languages, including Chinese and Arabic, making it accessible to students worldwide who are preparing for English-language academic programs. 📖 The exercises in the book were developed using a corpus of real academic texts from various disciplines, ensuring students practice with authentic academic language patterns.