Descriptive Analysis of Shared Policies in Academic Writing

Academic Writing: Shared Policies of a Discourse Community

Academic writing in a discourse community is a gradual and collaborative process of creating and sharing knowledge. According to Kuhn (1970), “the members of a discourse community function as scientists because they share language, beliefs, practices, education goals, professional initiations, and professional judgments” (as cited in Flowerdey, 2000, p. 130). Consequently, writers involved in a discourse community should follow a policy of the importance of inclusion of citations to avoid plagiarism and consider the possibility of publishing.

Academic writing tends to resort to primary and secondary sources to support and extend the ideas of the author. Therefore, it seems necessary for writers to learn how to include citations appropriately and effectively. Reference to the authors should always be presented so as to avoid plagiarism since as Swales and Feak (1994) establish, there is close relationship between plagiarism and property. Articles, theories, images, tables are produced by particular authors and should be acknowledged in such a way that they remain as their creators.    

There are several manuals to cater for the conventions and guidelines of academic writing according to the field of study. For instance, the American Psychological Association (APA) manual is applied in Psychology and Social Science, while the Modern Language Association (MLA) focuses on Literature and compositions. The conventions for the inclusion of direct and indirect sources, the use of paraphrasing as well as reference lists may be highly useful for writers attempting to produce academic texts. 

If one analyzes Swales (1990) criteria for a discourse community to be recognized, participatory mechanisms and information exchange are central aspects to be considered, since they involve the constant intercommunication of information and feedback. Consequently, participants may meet these requirements by publishing and sharing their work, as well as reacting to other members` written productions expressing further opinions, agreement, disagreement or subsequent feelings.

Writing in a discourse community tends to be an enlightening process that has to be gradually developed. Aspects such as the correct use of the language, the shared practices and the policy of applying conventions when citing sources appear to be of upmost importance for participants to develop as academic writers. Besides, being part of a community implies that individual work should lead to collaborative and group learning. “Knowledge is thus a process, not a product. It is only valid when activated within the discourse community” (Flowerdey, 2000, p.129).

References

Flowedey, J (2000). Discourse community, legitimate peripheral participation, and the

nonnative- English-speaking scholar. TESOL Quarterly, 34, 1. City University of Hong Kong.

Swales, J.M. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: UK: Cambridge University Press.

Swales, J.M., & Feak, C.B.(1994). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills. Ann Harbor, MI: The University of Michigan.