How to Write Like a Graduate Student

For many graduate students, writing academic papers is one of the most anxiety-producing parts of the grad school experience. Even people who enjoyed writing as an undergrad – even professional writers – may struggle with the unique demands of a thesis or dissertation. That’s because academic writing is not merely a matter of knowing the relative merits of active vs. passive voice or understanding where to put that comma – although it is that. But it’s also figuring out things like how to write a problem statement, how to synthesize the work of other scholars to situate your unique argument, and how to create – and refer to – tables and figures in the style appropriate to your field of study.

Writing Is Hard, but Not Impossible

That’s a lot. And in many grad programs, students are expected to kind of just figure it out, or pick it up, or inhale it, or something. If you find yourself in this situation, this post (along with the next few) is for you. After you read these, academic writing may still feel a bit like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see where it sticks – but at least let’s see if we can help you aim the spaghetti at the most likely part of the wall.

Two Ways to Learn

Whenever you learn something, there are at least two ways to go about it. Since we’re talking grad school here, I’ll call these the inductive and deductive approaches. The inductive approach is to go from specific instances to build a theory. For learning how to write academically, that means looking at examples of academic writing and trying to figure out the patterns. The deductive approach, on the other hand, starts with the theory and applies it to your problem. In the case of writing, this means finding someone who will tell you how the thing works, then using those guidelines and rules as you write.

When I was writing my dissertation, I mostly used the inductive approach. I found some journal articles written by people who had done research similar to what I was interested in, and I tried to figure out how they had set up their studies. A very helpful committee member recommended a dissertation from a former student, which I studied diligently, compared with other dissertations, and then used as a guide as I wrote my chapters.

As a teacher, I use the inductive approach as much as possible with students. It requires more active engagement with the material, which leads to deeper learning. If you are supposed to look at three examples of rhetorical analysis and then explain what it is, you’re going to have to delve deeply into the material. Contrast that with a teacher drawing the rhetorical triangle on the board and explaining each element.

The disadvantage of induction is that it takes longer than just having someone tell you what to do. Writing an entire dissertation on the trial-and-error plan may get you there (and you will undoubtedly learn valuable lessons), but the process may be longer and more painful than you want – or can sustain.

That’s when a little deductive and didactic help can come in handy. I remember how elated I was to find an article that described for me – step by step – a process for thematic analysis. Additionally, the fact that my program supplied a template with a handy, five-chapter table of contents was an invaluable starting point (although my capstone ended up being six chapters, which is another story, and possibly a lesson in the limits of both deduction and induction).

Inductive Learning Tips

In the rest of this post, I’m going to share a few tips for learning academic writing inductively. Then in the next post, I’ll share some resources for deductive learning.

As a graduate student, you will be reading journal articles in your field. Don’t waste this opportunity to learn how academic writing works. Pay attention to the structure of the articles, the content of each section, the tenses used, the kind of sources employed, and the way arguments are contrasted. Do this especially with articles that you like or that are written on topics you think you might want to research. Save your favorite articles in an easily accessible folder and spend some time thinking about – and writing down — what makes them particularly good.

Another smart tactic is to read articles by your advisor or dissertation chair (or the person you would like to have in that role). In the best-case scenario, that person will also be writing articles you enjoy and find relevant to your interests. In the very best case, you can ask that person questions about writing based on their work to see how well your inductive processes are operating.

As you get to the thesis, capstone, or dissertation phase, find about five studies written by students at your level doing something similar to what you want to do. Take notes on their structure, content, and the details of word choice and style. This will help you as you write your own project.

It’s Worth the Effort

Using these inductive approaches to academic writing is time-consuming. But immersing yourself in the literature of your field will help make writing a more natural process for you – and that’s worth the time investment. Also, no one told you a graduate degree would be a quick and easy process. At least, I hope they didn’t.