Generic and Specialized Writing: StudySpark Guides

As we point out on the website, many students who have a general background in writing may not have the specialized skills they need to develop their writing at a higher academic level. Moving up into the realm of academic writing, your writing strategy and method go through a number of changes. We'll talk about that a little more…

Starting with Expository Writing

Most students are familiar with expository writing in secondary education. Expository writing is the act of explaining something with rhetoric. You may remember those speaking assignments that featured a ‘how to’ presentation – if you were a student in yesterday's classroom, you were probably allowed to pick a topic to expound on: how to use a lawnmower, for example, or how to make melon balls. But that expository writing is just a basic foundation for more sophisticated types of rhetoric that are valuable as you progress in your writing career. These skills are necessary for today’s workplace – not to mention tomorrow’s!

Synthesis

One example of a higher level of writing is synthesis, which can take extensive work and resources. The idea with synthesis is that you are taking your own ideas, and adding others’ ideas to create new ideas or combinations that are powerful for your academic writing. That requires creating your own thesis and finding the resources to support it. It's different than just writing an essay. It requires some “mixing” of resources, and knowing how to accomplish key tasks that may be new to many students.

Citations and Technical Writing

There are different formats and requirements, too, in many types of high-level academic writing. Citations are one example – being able to cite sources in a particular format is often a desired skill for students who are working toward a higher level degree. Then there is all of the formatting and style inherent in tech writing, which is quickly becoming a bigger component of academic instruction. Technical writing contemplates the use of the written word to advance corporate goals. It may rely some on rhetoric, but perhaps less than certain kinds of persuasive writing used in the past. Technical writing requires doing research on the corporation or entity that's commissioning the writing, and also involves its own kinds of synthesis. With this in mind, you can use StudySpark writing guides as a handy resource to guide you on the way to more advanced writing projects. Take a look at our web site for more, and hone your skills for the future.