Essential Actions for Academic Writing: A Genre-Based Approach

Essential Actions for Academic Writers is a writing textbook for novice academic students to help them understand how to write effectively throughout their academic and professional careers. It combines genre research, pedagogical practices, and short readings to develop rhetorical flexibility and explore and practice the key actions that will appear in academic assignments.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 09 March 2022
Publisher: The University of Michigan Press

Essential Actions for Academic Writers is a comprehensive writing textbook designed to assist novice academic students, whether they are undergraduates or graduate students, in developing effective writing skills that will be valuable throughout their academic and professional careers. While these novice writers may use English as a second or additional language, this book is also intended for students who have limited writing experience in their previous education or who may feel uncertain about their academic writing abilities.

The book combines genre research, proven pedagogical practices, and engaging short readings to help students enhance their rhetorical flexibility by exploring and practicing the key actions that are commonly required in academic assignments, such as explaining, summarizing, synthesizing, and arguing.

Part I of the book provides an introduction to rhetorical situations, genres, registers, source use, and a framework for understanding how to approach any new writing task. The genre approach recognizes that all writing is shaped by a context that encompasses the writer's identity, the reader's expectations, the purpose of the text, and the conventions that govern it.

Part II delves into each essential action, providing examples of the genres and language that support them. Students are encouraged to apply these actions to different genres and contexts, culminating in the project of writing a personal statement for a university or scholarship application.

By incorporating these essential actions into their writing practice, students will develop the skills and confidence needed to communicate their ideas effectively and succeed in their academic and professional endeavors. Whether they are pursuing a degree in a humanities or sciences discipline, or are embarking on a career in business or law, Essential Actions for Academic Writers will serve as a valuable resource for improving their writing abilities and achieving their writing goals.

Weight: 840g
Dimension: 204 x 254 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780472037964