I have previously worked on both academic and non-academic texts. In the case of academic texts, I produced content solely for the consumption of people and organizations within academia. These texts included writing literature reviews and synthesizing existing empirical findings with the aim of revealing similarities and commonalities among the findings. I have also produced technical reports in the form of whitepapers and case studies to provide a better understanding of grey areas in academia and industry.
On the other hand, non-academic texts encompass writing popular articles in the form of thought leadership pieces and social media posts, as well as micro-texts for promoting products, services, and brands. Since the nature of these texts is quite different, the writing style also varies. Writing academic texts requires following specific principles associated with producing knowledge in academia. For instance, literature reviews demand strict adherence to certain referencing styles, such as the Modern Language Association (MLA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and Russian GOST standards for documenting sources when producing theses or term papers.
While there are strict rules to follow when producing academic texts, I have had the opportunity to establish certain personal rules and procedures for developing non-academic texts. For example, creating social media posts and thought leadership articles requires using a funnel approach to capture the readers’ attention as quickly as possible. To produce both types of texts, I always leverage a combination of digital and non-digital tools. The digital toolkit includes Internet-enabled tools like Quill Bot, Canva, Zotero, headline analyzers, Gantt charts for scheduling writing tasks, and Grammarly. In contrast, the non-digital toolkit involves using a dictionary and double-checking by employing second and third draft approaches.
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Are you diving into the world of academic thesis writing? Understanding the art of proper thesis design, especially according to Russia’s GOS standards, is a crucial step! Let’s explore key pointers for internal and external referencing to make your thesis shine:
In the realm of Internal Referencing, you’ll want to:
a. Master the art of direct and indirect quotes to support your arguments. Use author-year format (e.g., Ivanov, 2022) to acknowledge your sources.
b. Employ footnotes strategically for supplementary information, explanations, or asides. Keep them clear and concise.
c. Organize your evidence logically, making it easy for readers to follow your train of thought.
d. Use visual aids like tables, figures, diagrams, graphs, and formulas judiciously to enhance comprehension. Ensure they are well-labeled and integrated into your text seamlessly.
When it comes to External Referencing, remember to:
a. Compile a comprehensive list of references at the end of your thesis, following GOS guidelines for formatting.
b. Arrange your references in alphabetical order based on the author’s last name.
Include author names with initials (e.g., D. Petrov).
c. Mention the publication year of the cited works.
d. Accurately list the titles of books, printed periodicals, and electronic sources.
e. Proper referencing not only adds credibility to your thesis but also demonstrates your commitment to academic integrity. Make use of various sources, including books, printed periodicals, and both local and remote electronic sources, to strengthen your arguments.
Remember, the devil is in the details, so pay careful attention to citation and referencing throughout your thesis.