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Academic writing is generally intended to be persuasive. The writer \u2013 let\u2019s say that\u2019s us \u2013 wants to put a proposition to the reader, and convince them that what we have presented is credible. Our writing is worth taking seriously because it has something serious, or interesting, or important to say.<\/p>\n
Most academic writers don\u2019t want to humour the reader, or to act as a minor distraction in a busy day. We aren\u2019t writing to entertain \u2013 we want readers to entertain our ideas and our argument. If there\u2019s a bit of humour, a memorable phrase, a noteworthy term that\u2019s only because these complement the point we want the reader to remember.<\/p>\n
So, as one of the very many strategies for revision that you might choose, here are some reader-ish questions you can ask of your text. Put yourself in the reader\u2019s position and see if you can get a grip on how they might respond to your writing. Imagine yourself as your target reader. Now think about how they are going to react when reading your text.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s helpful to have a few pre-prepared strategic questions at hand to help get you in the right readerly frame of mind. Here\u2019s a few to start you off:<\/p>\n
Definitions<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 do you provide enough explanation and justification for the key terms that you are using?<\/p>\n Assumptions<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 do you spell out the things you have taken from others in order to build your own case? Will the reader take your word for something you have assumed as a \u201cfact\u201d? Are any of your assumptions things that you might need to explain or argue, that is, why this version of x and not y? Are there any unsubstantiated assertions that need some qualification?<\/p>\n Presumptions<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 check your citations \u2013 what\/whose literatures and scholarship have you chosen to foreground as the place for your contribution? What presumptions underpin these choices?<\/p>\n Credibility<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 have you explained how you arrived at the \u201cstuff\u201d (aka data) you are working with? Are the steps in your argument (moves proceeding one after another through a linear text) reasonable\/logical, given the genre of writing you are working in? Will the reader recognise what you\u2019ve written as a well-grounded and clearly presented argument?<\/p>\n Interpretations<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 does the reader have enough to go on to understand the way you have interpreted your \u201cstuff\u201d? Are there any big leaps of logic \u2013 say from detailed description to a big idea \u2013 where you might need to put in a few more steps along the way? Will your interpretation hold up to the sceptical reader \u2013 have you anticipated their objections and dealt with them? Does the reader need more help to figure out what your version of events might mean, help them to understand how things connect with one another, see what they all add up to?<\/p>\n Significance<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 will the reader understand why they should take on board what you are saying? Have you told them explicitly why your point is important, is it connected to what they are already likely to know and understand?<\/p>\n Quality\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 how well can the reader engage with your text? Have you structured the writing so that the reader can follow? Is the text written in a style that they are likely to find acceptable? A text can be challenging, but not so much that the reader gives up \u2013 are there any points where the writing is very complex or dense and might need to be allowed to breathe a little more? ( e.g. check for sentence length and variation, number of complex terms in one sentence, \u201cclever\u201d terms that are clear to you that may not be to a reader.) Be self-critical and evaluative \u2013 do you think this text is actually well -written \u2013 if only maybe, how could it be improved?<\/p>\n