For students

The DNA of academic writing 

Academic writing is a critical skill at University.  You may come across a number of different writing genres during your study and they take practice to learn. All of your assignments will involve organising your ideas and articulating them clearly, but we distinguish between analytical and reflective writing. 

Analytical writing focuses on ideas and arguments, and is generally formulated in a formal academic or professional style (such as a journal paper, or business analysis).

AcaWriter is like having a tutor check and give constructive feedback on your work.

In contrast, reflective writing focuses on your response to challenging experiences (e.g. from an internship), and is more personal, written in the first-person (using “I” or “my”) like a diary entry. Reflective writing may also include analytical elements (e.g. contrasting your experience with a theory, or a case study in the literature).

What type of assignment are you writing?
Analytical >
Reflective >

AcaWriter has broadened my perspective because I was forced to identify ways of arguing, along with the types of words to do so. This has made me more aware of the way I am writing.

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.