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A Scholarly Writing Lesson to rely on: What is Scholarly Writing?
Scholarly writing, also known as academic writing, seeks to identify and resolve complex problems using open-ended discussion among scholars based on independently-vetted evidence. This guide includes a scholarly writing lesson meant to assist learners understand what the practice entails.
As a learner, your goal in scholarly writing is to shed light on a given problem by analyzing sources and relating the problem to similar ones that other scholars have worked on. The ultimate goal is to better understand the whole field of inquiry.
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Virtues of Scholarly Writing
The primary aim of scholarship is to develop new knowledge. Scholarly writing tackles questions that are not easy to answer or explain that which people usually take for granted. The complexity of the problem requires academic writing to be as simple and clear to effectively convey ideas. Situating ideas to a wider public discussion and basing claims on evidence requires outside sources to be integral to the writing.
Features of Scholarly Works
Academic writing follows a specific order and should include certain features. You are likely to know these but we opt to repeat in this scholarly writing lesson. The following features characterize most scholarly writing:
- Thesis statement: This resolves the main problem or question motivating the text.
- Original claims by the author
- Reference to evidence supporting the author’s claim. The evidence includes objects or documents produced during the studied period and agreed-upon facts.
- Reference to other scholars’ arguments. Writing should situate the study problem and claim within a discussion of wider issues and may support some claims.
- Definition of specialized term. Defining terms helps other researchers to reliably use them, apply or adapt them as necessary in other contexts.
- Attention to rules of evidence, logic, citation, and intellectual property.
- Analysis of sources. This helps to explain how each source support claims or connect claims to past research.
- Style and structure should suit the intended audience.
You should always be mindful that your readers (your lecturers) are looking for evidence and interpretation that enriches or develops own research and teaching. They are not looking for summarized or simplified of what they already know or for aesthetic or entertainment gratification. They do not want conclusions without evidence or reasoning justifying them.
Academic Styles
Structure is central to scholarly writing. Readers seek to quickly read your work. As a result, predictability is necessary to focus on ideas. Structure helps ease navigation through the text rather than keep the reader in suspense about the contribution of the text to broader discussions. The structure includes:
Introduction: This provides context, problem, and proposed solution
Body: This presents the claims, evidence, reasoning, background information, definition of terms, and discussion of counterarguments.
Conclusion: The section provides a fully-articulated resolution and explores the impact and future implications of the writing tasks.
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Frequent Questions in Writing Scholarly essays
We cannot ignore central considerations in this scholarly writing lesson. What to use or not use matters significantly. Some of the frequently asked questions about academic styles include:
“Can I use “I”?”
No, academic writing should not use the first-person singular “I.” Scholarly writing is not about personal opinions and feelings. It seeks to ask and answer questions using evidence and reasoning. “I” suggests subjectivity while academic writing is understood as aiming for objectivity.
Why can’t I be creative in scholarly writing?
There is a reason academic writing is formulaic. Most readers see to find what they need quickly and reliably. Scholarship is not creative. Creativity lies in ideas or the imaginative ways of approaching problems and using sources.
The Writing Process in Scholarly Writing
The writing process consists of a series of separate but equally important steps. The steps resemble an order but writing is hardly a straight line. It is a process of discovery involving many twists, cuts, and fresh starts.
It never ends, and there is no ideal text. Instead, you hack away at an issue, tackling it from different angles until you have something that addresses your purpose. This scholarly writing lesson aims to guide how to can maneuver. Let’s go.
The following steps are usually necessary in scholarly writing:
- Planning
As soon as you receive any writing assignment, you should begin with planning. You should think through the instructions. If necessary, ask for more information from your instructor. Identify the materials you will apply in your assignment. In addition, you should allocate time to work on the assignment.
- Brainstorming
This is the first phase of putting your thoughts on paper. You should throw out ideas that may or may not be relevant to the assignment. Different people brainstorm differently. Some use mind maps, other list ideas, and others do some steps in their heads. It is upon you to know what works best for you. Ensure you have as much ideas as possible. The more you have, the more you can discover and the more likely you can settle on the strongest.
- Drafting
This is the first step of crafting whole sentence. It should start as a creative and relaxed process. Do not hesitate to write badly and incoherently. After writing, go back and read the draft and identify phrases with potential. However, if your instructor requests you to turn in a “draft,” you should provide a late revised draft that is clean enough for readers to understand and offer feedback.
- Revising
It is in this step that you should sharpen focus on your goals. This step requires you see your work in a completely new way. Rearrange ideas into an easily-understandable form and ensure you include everything necessary and remove what may be repetitive or tangential. You should have clear goal for the finished piece every time you revise. See your work from the reader’s perspective when revising.
- Proofreading
Conduct a final check for grammatical or spelling errors, formatting problems, typos, and any other superficial mistakes.
For more insights, feel free to check out our scholarly writing tips.
In Wrapping up
This scholarly writing lesson shows that scholarly writing is a rigorous process demands commitment to uncovering new knowledge. Scholars engage complex questions, meticulously analyze evidence, and situate arguments within a broader academic conversation. Adherence to core principles of clarity, accuracy, and objectivity, and mastery of the structured approach to argumentation helps contribute meaningfully to scholarly fields. The iterative writing process, from initial planning and brainstorming to the final stages of revision and proofreading, is essential for producing high-quality scholarly work. Ultimately, the goal of scholarly writing is not merely to present information, but to advance understanding, stimulate discussion, and contribute to the ongoing pursuit of knowledge.
References
University of Southern California. (2025). Organizing your social sciences research paper. https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/academicwriting
University of York. (2025). Academic writing: A practical guide. https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/academic-writing