Although academic writing is usually characterized by elements such as clarity, concision, and an appropriate level of detail and accuracy, an appropriate writing style also depends on the type and subject matter of an academic document as well as the intended audience and instructions for the assignment.
Please check with your instructor to determine their specific expectations, such as their preferences regarding the use of first person voice or contractions. The Writing Centre’s resources on more general stylistic elements of academic writing, such as sentence structure, word choice, audience awareness, and APA Style expectations, are relevant to many academic assignments, and the Writing Centre’s web page on academic style resources includes a list of these topics.
Please also see Where Can I Find Information or Strategies on Avoiding Bias in Academic Writing? and Where Can I Find Information on Using Appropriate Vocabulary in APA Style Papers? for information regarding word choice in APA Style papers.
Finally, see the Academic Integrity Checklist to help you learn more about how you can demonstrate academic integrity in your writing and assess the academic integrity of your work before submitting it for grading.
If you would like improve in any of the above areas you've identified as needing attention, but would like more specific direction, please contact the Writing Centre as we'd be happy to help!
