Principles of Good Academic Writing

This is a list of principles of good academic writing.

The List

 * Request evidence of facts cited.
 * Synthesise divergent points of view.
 * Pay attention to language and register. Try to avoid jargon and rather concentrate on explaining techincal terms.
 * Accuracy of written work compared to intention; i t is important to ensure that the message you want to convey is the message you are conveying.  The spelling may be correct, but the logic of your sentence may point to something else entirely.
 * Efficiency; d o not give answers that are of no value.   Also, do not over-elaborate to show-off; be as concise as possible.
 * Avoid clichès and vague modifiers ("very", "slightly", "mostly"), as these words make it difficult to convey the true scope and meaning of the text.
 * Be professional when writing an academic article; make sure to check punctuation and spelling, keep sentences short, and ensure that the target reader will be able to relate to situations within the text. Also cite all sources that have been consulted in order to write the article.
 * Avoid malapropisms, tautology and being mellifluous when writing academic articles; structure ideas beforehand and keep to factual writing - unless the guidelines of the piece demand otherwise.
 * "Keep in mind that the reader doesn't have much time" (Roman, K. and Raphale, J. 1978); keep sentences short and to the point, with a clearly visible conclusion.

Referencing
Here are some useful tips for referencing.

Journal Articles

Template: [Author surname], [Initial]. [Year of publication]. [Article title]. [Journal title] , <span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[Volume] (<span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[Issue number] ), p.<span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[Pages used]. In-text template: (<span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[Author surname], <span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[Year of publication] ) Websites

Template: <span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[Author surname], <span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[Initial]. <span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[Year of publication]. <span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[Title of page] . [online] Retrieved from: <span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[URL] [Accessed: <span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[Date accessed] ]. <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;line-height:1.5em;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:HelveticaNeue,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"><span style="color:rgb(213,212,212);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:21px;">In-text template: (<span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[Author surname], <span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(221,17,68);">[Year of publication] )

Quotes
There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it's like drillin rock and then blasting it out with charges." [Ernest Hemingway]

Refutation of a counter argument
<span style="font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;line-height:15.75pt;">Have a look at this page for a clear and structured overview of how to refute a counter argument:

<p style="margin:22.5pt0cm2.4pt;line-height:15.75pt;border-style:none;padding:0cm;">Refutation of a counter argument