Stuart Greene And April Lidinsky's From Inquiry To Academic Writing

Academic writing is a very discouraging topic that most young writers do not even want to begin to think about or imagine doing. Throughout college everyone will be asked to write multiple academic essays regardless of their major. We have read two sources in class that have helped clear up some common myths and also helped make academic writing not seem so foreign. The two sources we read were “What is Academic Writing?” and the first chapter of the book “From Inquiry to Academic Writing”. Many young students seeking a college degree are fearful about the amount of work needed to be done in order to survive their college courses. Academic writing is a challenging topic that many young people struggle to get a grasp on. Once the skill of

Greene and Lidinsky declared that “by habits of mind, we mean the patterns of thought that lead you to question assumptions and opinions, explore alternative opinions, anticipate opposing arguments, compare one type of experience to another and identify the causes and consequences of ideas and events”(2012). Academic writing is making an argument in order to persuade an audience, or to change someone’s mind. Greene and Lidinsky mention analysis and how academic writers do more than just dissect sources. Writers have to continually ask questions and search for answers for these questions. Academic writing is a way to compare your sources with your beliefs and tie those two together. In the chapter Greene and Lidinsky discuss the four key habits of mind which are; inquiring, seeking and valuing complexity, understanding that academic writing is a conversation, and finally understanding that writing is a process. Inquiry means to seek or request for the truth, information, or knowledge. Inquiry in your writing means you have to observe, ask questions, and examine how there could be other options. In order to seek and value complexity you can’t just look at two perspectives, you have to consider numerous points of view. Writing in many ways is similar to having a conversation with another individual. You have to be able to concentrate carefully on the words of others and also respect what they are trying to say. Academic writing is a long and difficult process. In order to write an appealing academic essay, you have to pick a topic that interests you and you also have to devote long hours for your writing and ideas to flourish. Academic writing involves looking at multiple perspectives and taking all of them into consideration which results in your ideas becoming better. The writing process involves three main