Content introduction chapter I. The importance of academic writing

Research skills, because you learn a lot

Finally, writing teaches students how to do research. The fact is, students don’t know the answer to most of the questions they are asked to answer in writing assignments. This means they need to go find out. The fancy name for “going to find out” is “research”.

By doing research, students come to understand their writing topics on a deeper level than most people ever consider. Whether they are writing about a scientific, cultural, or literary topic, by doing the research they learn not only what they need to get a good grade, but they also come to understand that there is a tremendous amount to learn about pretty much every topic.

Why should students learn academic writing? Because writing is thinking.
Learning how to write strong essays is important not just for getting good grades or getting into a good college so you can get a good job or whatever. It is important because, at its most fundamental level, it is about taking your own thoughts and then arranging them so they are logical and make sense, first to yourself, and then to your readers.
This happens because you are pulling these thoughts from your mind and crystalizing them on paper or a screen. They are in a place where not only do you have to see them for what they are, but so can other people. If your ideas are convincing and powerful, these thoughts can become the thoughts of others. This is the crux of communication.
In other words, good thoughts equal good writing. If your thoughts are unclear or not solid or lack structure, they will be poor writing and others will not understand nor agree.
Most writers start at a place where their writing isn’t particularly good, but by practicing writing skills, they learn how to become better writers, which means they become better thinkers.
Practicing writing is like sharpening your thinking process – the more you do it and the better you become at it, the more others will listen to you.
The other important thing about academic writing is, of course, students do in fact need it for college! It is a highly practical and foundational educational skill, and if anyone is going to be a competent student, they need to be at least a decent writer and communicator.

Skills academic writing develops
Academic writing is useful, but what skills specifically does it instill in students? They are:

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