7 Academic Conventions of Structure, Style, and Format

One reason we ask students to take composition classes is to introduce them to academic conventions. In this context, “conventions” just means “normal ways of doing things.” Knowing and practicing these conventions will help you be successful in writing across many of your classes.

I find it useful to make a distinction between “conventions” and “rules.” There are actually very few hard rules about academic writing, with the exception of avoiding plagiarism. Otherwise, you can find exceptions to every rule you’ve likely been taught about what is “allowed” in your academic writing. As you progress in your academic career, you’ll start to develop a feel for the norms within your chosen discipline, and those may vary somewhat from what this chapter describes. However, the aim of this chapter is to equip you with a basic understanding of the most common expectations. Think of them as your “safe bet” guidelines; even when other approaches may be allowed, adhering to these conventions is often the path of least risk. Of course, if another professor explicitly asks you to do something different for their assignments, do that instead!

Later chapters will get into some of these conventions in much more detail; this chapter is intended to serve as a basic overview that you can use any time you have to write a paper for any class. If you follow the basic conventions outlined here, you can expect to more or less meet your instructor’s expectations.

Expectation #1: Explicitness

Most of the conventions for academic writing can be traced back to a demand for explicitness. In this context, “explicit” just means that everything is spelled out and explained really clearly. A few key elements of explicitness might be helpful to keep in mind:

• State your main idea up front, and then provide the evidence and rationale for it.
• Be clear and direct in your wording.
• Explain your logic and thought processes, particularly when you are presenting evidence to support a point.

Examples of Non-Explicit and Explicit Writing

Non-Explicit: There are many factors to consider when examining the causes of the French Revolution; the economic situation of the time played a role, as did social tensions and political instability.

Explicit: The French Revolution was primarily caused by a combination of economic crisis, social inequality, and political mismanagement; these three factors interacted to create the conditions for revolution.

Notice how the second example starts by clearly listing the three causes that will be addressed. The concept that these three causes interacted is also clearly stated in the second example, while it is only implied in the first example.

Non-Explicit: The data seems to suggest that there might be a potential correlation between the variables under examination.

Explicit: The data shows a strong positive correlation between increased exercise and improved cardiovascular health.

Notice that the second example specifies the strength and type of correlation, as well as the exact variables being considered.

Non-Explicit: Shakespeare’s use of imagery in Macbeth is significant. The play contains many references to blood, which is important to the overall themes.

Explicit: Shakespeare’s frequent use of blood imagery in Macbeth reinforces the play’s themes of guilt and moral corruption. For instance, when Macbeth sees a dagger covered in blood before killing Duncan, it foreshadows the bloodshed to come and symbolizes the guilt that will haunt him. This imagery recurs throughout the play, becoming more intense as Macbeth’s crimes multiply, thus visually representing his deepening moral degradation.

Notice that the second example provides specific details from the play as support, and it fully explains how the references to blood relate to the play’s themes.

Expectation #2: Closed-Form Structure

Most academic writing follows a standard organizational pattern that consists of introduction, body, and conclusion. These sections consist of at least one paragraph each, though the body of the essay almost always should have multiple paragraphs. Depending on the specific genre, the body of the essay may also be further subdivided into sections.

Keep in mind that the length of each section (introduction, body, conclusion) will vary depending on the overall length of the work. There is no set rule for how long any given section or how long a paragraph must be; however, in academic writing, paragraphs are often longer than they are in popular writing. If you notice your writing has many short paragraphs, that can be a sign that you need to either consolidate ideas or that you are under-explaining your ideas!

Paragraphs, by the way, are both visual and conceptual divisions. In a typed essay, a new paragraph is traditionally indicated by the text starting on a new indented line. That visual indicator is a cue to the reader that the topic is also shifting. Academic readers rely on that visual cue and will be confused if it’s missing, but they will also be confused if the visual cue is there but doesn’t line up with a shift in topic. No matter how formal the assignment, it’s a great idea to follow paragraph conventions, even if your professor hasn’t explicitly asked for them. They’re so expected in academic writing that many people wouldn’t even think to ask; they just assume you know to do it.

Here is an outline showing the most conventional closed-form structure:

Introduction – introduces the question or issue that the essay will address; provides relevant background information; closes with thesis statement. May be a single paragraph for a short essay, but often consists of multiple paragraphs for longer works.
Body – develops, in multiple paragraphs, support for and explanation of the thesis statement
Conclusion – discusses the broader significance or application of the thesis statement. May be a single paragraph for a short essay, but often consists of multiple paragraphs for longer works.

Note: You can find more about how to write introductions and conclusions in the chapter on Introductions & Conclusions, and more about how to write body paragraphs in the chapter on Thesis Statements, Topic Sentences, and Body Paragraphs.

Thesis Statements & Topic Sentences

The thesis statement is possibly the most important element of closed-form writing. This statement sums up the main idea of your essay; it’s your answer to the question you presented in the introduction of the essay. You can even think of the thesis as the “elevator pitch” for your essay. For shorter essays, the thesis statement is typically a single sentence, and although longer works occasionally have multiple-sentences or even full paragraphs, it is good practice for you to aim for a single sentence. You can find more on thesis statements here: Thesis Statements, Topic Sentences, and Body Paragraphs.

Just like the thesis statement sums up the main idea of your essay, each paragraph will have a topic sentence that sums up the point of the paragraph. The topic sentence is almost always the first sentence of the paragraph, and they’re handy because readers can easily get a sense of the paper’s ideas just by reading the first sentence of each paragraph. You can find out more about topic sentences in the chapter on Thesis Statements, Topic Sentences, and Body Paragraphs.

Expectation #3: Academic Writing Style

Academic writing also has conventions for style. It’s important to be aware that these conventions can vary quite a bit across different disciplines and genres, just as structure does. However, there are some basic expectations that it’s useful to know. You can find much more detailed recommendations about writing style in the Academic Style chapter, including examples demonstrating each of the characteristics listed below.

• Conciseness – You might think of academic writing as “wordy,” but actually, academic writing tends to be more direct and more concise. Good academic writing is very carefully edited to avoid wasted words.
• Complexity – Although academic writing is edited to be concise, it also tends to use more complex sentence structures and transitions. These stylistic choices relate back to the idea of academic writing being explicit; that is, how ideas relate to each other must be expressed clearly and thoroughly. In academic writing, we’re careful not to assume that readers will know what we mean.
• Precision – Academic writing avoids generalities; it aims to be as precise as possible, especially when referring to dates, times, and measurements.
• Point of View – Academic writing typically uses third person, with first person used in limited circumstances. Second person (“you”) is never considered appropriate for academic writing outside of technical writing (and quoted material).
• Formality – Academic writing avoids wording that might be considered “slangy” or “casual,” aiming instead for more sophisticated language.

I feel compelled here to add a note that much published academic writing is not actually very good, at least when we’re considering the quality of the writing style. Most academics haven’t been taught any more about writing than they received in their own first-year composition classes, if even that, and they are almost as likely to fall prey to the same myths about academic writing that many students do, leading them to some bad habits.

Myths That Lead to Bad Habits of Style:

• You sound smarter if you use more words or write longer sentences.
• You sound smarter if you use bigger words.
• You sound smarter if you make grandiose statements.
• Some things are never allowed in academic writing. (What these are can vary, but commonly, these include first person, contractions, passive voice, starting a sentence with a conjunction, ending a sentence with a preposition, and/or splitting an infinitive.)

The persistence of these habits is part of why AI-generated and AI-edited writing is often so immediately identifiable and so atrocious to read; it’s been fed a lot of bad writing as training for what “academic writing” sounds like. Instead of perpetuating these tendencies, I advise following George Orwell’s “Rules of Writing”:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. [Note from me: As long as they actually mean precisely the same thing!]
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Following Orwell’s rules is unlikely to get you into any trouble, even with a professor who does believe the myths, and it will make your writing better overall. Nonetheless, because these myths are fairly common, don’t be surprised if you someday have a professor who actively encourages some of them!

Expectation #4: Manuscript Formatting

In almost every circumstance, you will be expected to type your papers for college classes. Although some formatting guidelines (such as preferred fonts or placement of page numbers) will vary across different disciplines or classes, you can anticipate that your essays should:

• Be typed in a conventional, easily readable typeface
• Be double-spaced
• Use indentions to indicate where new paragraphs begin
• Include a title that is specific to the paper’s content (not just “Essay 1” or “Final Draft”)

You can find detailed formatting guidelines in whatever style guide your instructor recommends (MLA or APA), or online. Those guidelines will dictate all kinds of details, such as:

• The size of your margins
• The acceptable typefaces and sizes you may use
• How to format your title and heading information
• How to format your page numbers
• How to correctly incorporate and label images, charts, graphs, and tables

Following these conventions is a way of telling your readers that you know the ropes and should be taken seriously in this academic context, so it’s important to learn what they are.

Work Cited

Orwell, George. “Politics and the English Language.” Essays, Penguin, 1946.