The key difference between academic writing and non academic writing is that academic writing is a formal and rather impersonal mode of writing that is intended for a scholarly audience whereas non academic writing is any writing that aims the mass public.
There is a distinct difference between academic writing and non academic writing in their format, audience, purpose, and tone. While academic writing is formal and objective in tone, non academic writing is personal and subjective in nature.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Academic Writing Writing
3. What is Non Academic Writing
4. Side by Side Comparison – Academic Writing vs Non Academic Writing in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Academic Writing?
Academic writing is a formal and rather impersonal mode of writing that is intended for a scholarly audience. It tends to depend heavily on research, factual evidence, opinions of educated researchers and scholars. Scholarly essays, research papers, dissertations, etc. are some examples of academic writing. All these types of writings have a rigid structure and layout, which includes an introduction, thesis, an overview of topics discussed, as well as a well-written conclusion. The main aim of academic writing is to inform the audience while providing non-biased information and backing up the writer’s claims with solid evidence.
Moreover, academic writing heavily contains vocabulary typical to a specific field. Citations and a list of references or sources another important feature in academic writing. Moreover, the tone in academic writing should always be objective and formal.
Some Tips for Academic Writing
- Always use formal language. Avoid using colloquialism or slang.
- Don’t use contractions (shortened verb forms).
- Use the third-person point of view and avoid the first-person point of view.
- Don’t pose questions; convert the questions into statements.
- Avoid exaggerations or hyperbole.
- Don’t make sweeping generalizations
- Be clear and concise and avoid repeating.
What is Non Academic Writing?
Non academic writing is writing that is not intended for an academic audience. They are written for a lay audience or the mass public. This type of writing may be personal, impressionistic, emotional, or subjective in nature.
The language in non academic writing is informal or casual. Some types of non-academic writing may even contain slang. Newspaper articles, memoirs, magazine articles, personal or business letters, novels, websites, text messages, etc. are some examples of non academic writing. The content of these writings is often a general topic, unlike academic writing, which mainly focuses on a specific field. Furthermore, the main aim of a piece of non academic writing is to inform, entertain or persuade the readers.
Most non academic writings do not include references, citations or a list of sources. Nor are they extensively well-researched as academic writing. Moreover, non academic writing often does not have a rigid structure as academic writing. It is often free-flowing and reflects the style and personality of the writer.
What is the Difference Between Academic Writing and Non Academic Writing?
Academic writing is a formal and impersonal style of writing that is intended for a scholarly or academic audience while non academic writing is an informal and often subjective style of writing that aims the mass public. The difference between academic writing and non academic writing stems from various factors such as their audience, purpose, language, format, and tone. Academic writing aims academia while non academic writing aims the mass public. Moreover, the main purpose of academic writing is to inform the readers, with non-biased facts and solid evidence. However, the purpose of academic writing can be to inform, entertain, or persuade the audience. This is a major difference between academic writing and non academic writing.
Another difference between academic writing and non academic writing is their style. Academic writing is formal and impersonal while non academic writing is personal, impressionistic, emotional, or subjective in nature. We can consider this as the key difference between academic writing and non academic writing. Moreover, the former uses formal language while avoiding colloquialism and slang whereas the latter uses informal and casual language. Citations and sources is also a major difference between academic writing and non academic writing. Academic writing contains citations and references while non academic writing does not usually contain citations and references. Some examples of academic writing include research papers, dissertations, scholarly articles while newspaper and magazine articles, memoirs, letters, digital media, etc. are examples of non academic writing.
Below infographic on the difference between academic writing and non academic writing summarizes the differences comparatively.
Summary – Academic vs Non Academic Writing
Academic writing is a formal and impersonal style of writing that is intended for a scholarly or academic audience while non academic writing is an informal and often subjective style of writing that aims the mass public. The difference between academic writing and non academic writing stems from various factors such as their audience, purpose, language, format, and tone.
Reference:
1. “How Is Academic Writing Different?” News | The University of Sydney. Available here
2. “DOs & DON’Ts.” Academic Writing in English, Lund University, 2011. Available here
3. “The Do’s and Don’ts of Writing in an Academic Tone.” Cite This For Me, 26 Jan. 2018. Available here
Image Courtesy:
1.” Academic” by Nick Youngson (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Alpha Stock Images – The Blue Diamond Gallery
2.”Girl reading a newspaper” by Kaboompics .com.com (CC0) via Pexels