6.2: Academic Purpose and Tone

Identifying Common Academic Purposes  

The purpose for a piece of writing identifies the reason you write it by, basically, answering the question:  

WHY write a play?         To entertain a packed theater.  

WHY write instructions to the babysitter?  To inform the person of your schedule and rules.  

WHY write a letter to your congressperson?   To persuade them to address your community's needs.  

In academic settings, the reasons for writing typically fulfill four main purposes: to summarize, to analyze, to synthesize, to evaluate.   

1. A summary shrinks a large amount of information into only the essentials, using your own words; although shorter than the original piece of writing, a summary should still communicate all the key points and key support of the original document. When you summarize, you give an overview of “what” the author says or does.   

2. An analysis, on the other hand, separates complex materials into their different parts and studies how the parts relate to one another. In the sciences, for example, the analysis of simple table salt would require a deconstruction of its parts, the elements sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl). Then, scientists would study how the two elements interact to create the compound NaCl, or sodium chloride: simple table salt. An academic analysis takes apart a source (an essay, a book, an article, etc.) point by point. It communicates the main points of the document by examining individual points and identifying how the points relate to one another. It focuses on “how’ an author is saying or doing something. With non-fiction, this analysis is rhetorical--you're analyzing how an author makes an argument. With literature, you employ literary analysis, trying to explain how an author created this art.   

3. A synthesis combines two or more items to create an entirely new item. Take, for example, the electronic musical instrument aptly named the synthesizer. It looks like a simple keyboard but displays a dashboard of switches, buttons, and levers. With the flip of a few switches, a musician may combine the distinct sounds of a piano, a flute, or a guitar, or any other combination of instruments to create a new sound. The purpose of an academic synthesis is to blend individual documents into a new document by considering the main points from one or more pieces of writing and linking the main points together to create a new point, one not replicated in either document.  

4. An evaluation judges the value of something and determines its worth. Evaluations in everyday life are often not only dictated by set standards but also influenced by opinion and prior knowledge such as a supervisor's evaluation of an employee in a particular job. Academic evaluations, likewise, communicate your opinion and its justifications about a particular document or a topic of discussion. They are influenced by your reading of the document as well as your prior knowledge and experience with the topic or issue.  

Evaluations typically require more critical thinking and a combination of summary, analysis, and synthesis skills.   

You will encounter these four purposes not only as you read for your classes, but also as you read for work or pleasure, and because reading and writing work together, and your writing skills will improve as you read.  

Academic Tone  

In writing, the term tone refers to the mood created by your words. When you write, it is crucial that your language matches the type of writing you are doing. Because most of the writing you do in college is academic in nature, you need to make sure that you do the following:   

• Select and maintain proper tone  

• Avoid clichés  

• Avoid slang, vulgar language, and colloquialisms  

• Avoid contractions and nonstandard spelling  

Observe the difference in tone (as well as in spelling) of the two messages that follow, one a text to a friend and the other an e-mail to a professor:  

Hey bud, we r going 2 c bands at commons 2nite. come with if u want. Jake  

Dr. Rentfro,  

I apologize, but I will be unable to attend class on Wednesday as my aunt’s funeral is at 10:00. I will contact Susan to get notes, and I will e-mail my homework to you. Please let me know what I need to do to be prepared for Friday’s class.  

Sincerely, Kyle Meadows  

Obviously, your tone as well as your language would be very different if you were talking to your best friend rather than your chemistry teacher. That same formality is appropriate in academic papers. While the writing you do for your classes should reflect your individuality, it should not “sound” like your casual speaking.  

In academic writing, there is no place for slang, vulgar language, or colloquialisms. Slang refers to anything that is not considered proper, or standard, English, such as telling someone that “it ain’t nothing” or asking, “What you be doing?” Also, you should avoid vulgar language, which involves both profanity, such as saying someone was “running like hell,” and references to crude terms, such as referring to buttocks as “butt” or “ass”.   

Eliminate any colloquialisms from your writing. Colloquialisms are words and phrases that are common in various areas of the country but are not considered proper English and may not be understood by all of your readers. For example, in some parts of the United States, it is common to hear people say “He like to of never” or “I am fixing to do that.” Even the Southern “y’all” and the Northern “you guys” are colloquialisms. While we may be able to get away with speaking in colloquialisms, it is not proper to write using colloquialisms—especially at the college level.  

There is nothing wrong with talking like this in everyday life.  However, academic writing (and speaking) is held to a higher standard.  

Another writing weakness that should be avoided in academic papers is the use of clichés. A cliché́ is a saying, such as “the third time is the charm" or “the grass is always greener on the other side." While there is at least a grain of truth in every cliché́, you should strive for a fresh and engaging way to present your ideas; doing so demonstrates to your reader your originality and creativity. There is no place for clichés in academic writing.  

Because academic writing is generally formal in tone, you should avoid using contractions. Your professors look for scholarliness in your written work, and one of the best—and easiest—ways to create a scholarly tone is by replacing all contractions in a piece of writing with their twoword counterparts.  For example: “do not” instead of “don’t”, “cannot” instead of “can’t”, “is not” instead of “isn’t.”  

Finally, avoid “textspeak” in your college writing. Most people are used to abbreviating when they text or e-mail their friends; however, you must be careful not to let any nonstandard spelling creep into your academic papers. In other words, remember that “you” is not spelled “u”, and “are” is not spelled “r”. Nonstandard spelling in formal college writing is unacceptable.