Is academic writing professional or formal?

Need help with academic writing? Not sure if it should be professional or formal? Our guide will help you figure out the best approach for your paper.

Is academic writing professional or formal?

Academic writing uses a formal style and usually uses the perspective of the third person. The focus of writing is on facts and questions rather than on the writer's opinion. The language uses precise words and does not include jargon, jargon or abbreviations.

Academic writing

will be formal in the third person, while professional writing will be less formal and can use any point of view.

One of the biggest differences is that academic writing is mainly done to show your research and experience in a specific area or topic of interest, whereas professional writing is often done to influence or convince someone of something. Business (or professional) writing is about to try to communicate a message that will influence actions or opinions on a particular topic. Academic writing is usually a research or knowledge work in which the author uses analysis to try to increase the understanding of a particular subject area. Academic writing and professional writing are extremely different, and you're likely to encounter both styles at different points in your life.

But from a professional point of view, the audience is likely to be made up of several parties with different levels of knowledge, viewpoints and attention span. In general, you would write a professional document in a business environment to project an idea to your colleagues or propose a project. However, from a professional point of view, it is very likely that the public is working with time constraints and has other articles to read. But from a professional point of view, the audience is likely to be made up of several parties with different levels of knowledge, viewpoints and attention span. In general, you would write a professional document in a business environment to project an idea to your colleagues or propose a project. However, from a professional point of view, it is very likely that the public is working with time constraints and has other articles to read.

Dr. Isla Merrick
Dr. Isla Merrick

The Cognitive Writing ScholarA guide who frames writing not simply as a skill, but as a cognitive process, a lens for understanding the world, and a discipline that teaches precision of thought.Background:Dr. Isla Merrick is a lecturer in Academic Literacy and Applied Linguistics, with a research focus on the cognitive and rhetorical foundations of writing. She has spent over a decade helping undergraduate and postgraduate students understand the why behind academic conventions—objectivity, clarity, argumentation, third-person stance, formality, and structured reasoning.Her work draws from:• rhetoric and composition theory• cognitive science and writing psychology• applied linguistics• research writing + epistemic literacy• academic integrity and ethical authorship• dissertation and thesis pedagogyIsla’s writing style blends analytical calm, conceptual clarity, and supportive instruction, helping students move from confusion to control. She specialises in explaining complex academic principles in simple, structured language.