Reading: Rothman, Joshua. “Why is Academic Writing so Academic?”
People benefit from various forms of literature, but primarily specialists in an academic field of study are the ones who benefit most from academic literature. The wording used in academic literature is not intended for the ordinary/public audience so it may use jargon particular to the specific filed and void of layman understanding. The context may even be written in less rhetoric and provocative words that the layman may find boring and uninteresting. Academic writing is not usually meant to strike an emotional response or connection to the general public that the vast majority of written materials are known for. I agree with the article that the subject matter in academic writing is supposed to be directed towards the most serious of readers, professors. They are not interested in “sidebar” conversations, and they are only interested in pure facts and details, not rhetoric or connections. Their is little time for distractions (everyone is busy these days), and focus and concentration is necessary for pure scientific and unbiased interpretation of the data, the academic writing.
Reading: Annotated Bibliography
Is an annotated bibliography another for of academic writing? I strongly believe it is, because it is supposed to be concise and to the point. There is only a brief description and analysis of the referenced material (sources) and that means that there is no room for “fun and play” in your writing. Again, this writing is meant for your professor. No matter how funny and charismatic they may seem, if they are given something outside the norm of their expectations for a final paper (academic writing), you will lose points. Think – would you write jokes or a story about your research topic in your annotated bibliography?
