Part 2 – Four types of academic texts

Academic writing styles are often grouped into descriptive and critical writing, with the latter breaking down into analytical and persuasive writing types.

Figure 1 – Descriptive writing usually answers the questions: Who, What, When, Where?

Source: University of Hull, accessed on Nov 4, 2021 at https://libguides.hull.ac.uk/criticalwriting/descriptive-critical

Critical writing usually answers the questions: why it is relevant and significant, how this theory can be used in practice, why is it persuading or misleading, how it leads to a conclusion.

Source: University of Hull, accessed on Nov 4, 2021 at https://libguides.hull.ac.uk/criticalwriting/descriptive-critical

The Eastern Institute of Technology in New Zealand presents the four writing types as follows:

Source: EIT, New Zealand http://www2.eit.ac.nz/library/ls_guides_descriptivewriting.html accessed on Nov 4, 2021

You are welcome to use the following questions to help you think and then write in the appropriate style, or move your writing from one style to another.

Figure 4 –  How to generate critical thinking and move through writing styles

Source: Adapted from Critical Thinking, by Learning Development with Plymouth University, 2010 (https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/studentlife/services/student-services/learning-development). Copyright 2006 by Learning Development, University of Plymouth accessed Nov 4, 2021.