Managing cultural differences in academic writing

Anglophone research values clear, concise and direct writing. Jargon is to be avoided and technical terms and concepts should only be used when they are strictly necessary. Such writing not only makes it easier for the reader to understand the points you want to make, but also shows an examiner that you clearly comprehend the concepts and ideas you are engaging with. Here are some tips to excel in Western-learning environments:

1.  Making your main argument clear

In many academic cultures, paragraphs and essays often build up their argument over the course of the essay. The beginning of the essay, as it were, warms the reader up for what is to follow before making its argument known. Anglophone writing is the opposite; the argument should be clearly stated as soon as possible. That means that at the end of your introduction, the main argument of the essay should be clearly summarised in a sentence or two. Similarly, you should begin each paragraph with a topic sentence which makes the contribution of that paragraph to the wider essay very clear.

2.  Critical analysis over description

In high school or at your undergraduate university, you may have been asked to correctly summarize the work of other scholars. However, at British universities, what you are required to do is to critically analyse and evaluate the work of others. Two main ways in which that goal is achieved is by explaining the links between scholars (how work A led to work B and how work B expands on work A) and evaluating articles (while scholar A addresses x effectively, they neglect y in their analysis). Adjusting to this shift as soon as you can will immediately boost your grades.

3.  Writing with authority

At British universities, one of the most crucial things is to write essays with confidence. Instead of using the humble, passive voice, students should start each paragraph with active voice sentences. You should also cut the use of hedging language like “maybe”, “perhaps”, “it could be argued that”. Staking out your argument clearly and directly, if you make sure you provide plenty of evidence of course, will be noticed and rewarded by your examiners.