Style Manuals and Writing Guides - Essay Example

When all these tasks are demanded to be done within a close and strict deadline, the complexity mounts to the peak. The extensive source of knowledge through acute reference to databases would be the only solution for information mining. Once the information is gathered it is vital in the case of an academic paper to analyze the information so as to form scientifically justifiable observations and conclusions. A successful piece of academic writing however demands much in terms of style of writing and the research involved. The important characteristics of a quality academic paper are as follows

Adherence with the academic specifications

            An academic paper will have to adhere to many benchmarks as set by the concerned academic authority. Compliance with academic standards, working in accordance with the objectives and properly formatted documentation would be vital in determining the quality of an academic paper.  Considering the importance of an academic paper as a key document in particular research and taking into account the way this can affect the branch of science dealing with, much emphasis has to be paid to the quality of academic papers. However, the difficulty level in the stipulations can differ among different academic authorities.  The time management process so as to be able to finish the work within the stipulated deadline is also important.

Writing styles

            Different academic authorities demand the academic paper to be written in a specified style of writing. This requirement however depends on the kind of paper to be written. The nature of science involved with the paper would determine the academic style in which the paper is to be written. The most common academic writing styles include Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), Chicago Manual of Style (CMA), Council of Science Editors (CSE), Turabian, American Sociological Association (ASA), American Anthropological Association (AAA) and Havard style (CSU, 2006). These styles have been standardized by various organizations so that the papers written by experts across the globe will have a globally acceptable standard. This also determines the uniformity of procedures involved in the writing.

Originality

            A very important criterion for an academic paper to be of a good standard is that it must be original in nature. It must be free from plagiarism. To explain it further, an academic paper should be written in the words of the writer and no text must be copied from any literature written by other authors. The originality of the academic papers can be thoroughly checked using customized plagiarism scanners eliminating minute possibilities of copied material. There are tailor-made plagiarism-scanning products available in the market which can be used to cross-check the document for any level of plagiarism. However, the quotes from different authors can be used but they should be properly cited as written by the concerned author. Such quotations must be included within quotation marks and must include both in-text citations and must be included in the reference list as well. However, most academic writing styles have imposed regulations on the maximum quantum of direct quotation which can be used in a particular academic paper. Similar to this, the ideas from different authors can be used in an academic paper but this also will have to be properly cited. There are specific formats in accordance with each academic writing style. This has to be followed while doing the in-text referencing and also while preparing the reference list. The general rule of all academic writing styles is that all the citations which are included within the text must be included in the list of references as well. This rule is applicable the vice versa as well. Many of the academic authorities would give specific instructions on the number of references to be included. On the other side, the number of references is a clear indication of the depth of research involved with the academic paper.

Scientific backing

            Any academic paper to be recognized of scientific relevance has to have solid support through evidence in the past literature. It is important to substantially give evidence for the relevance of each area of the subject discussed in the paper. The scientific way of providing this support is to include statements from previous research works which has suggested assumptions as done by your academic paper. It is also important to analyze the limitations and the scope of the scientific context referred to in the paper by referring to the suggestions made by researchers in the past. The standardization of the methodology used in cases of researches also demands evidence from previous literature. A review of literature is the scientific tool that can be included in the academic writing task so as to ensure scientific backing. The literature review also has to check the contradictory assumptions made by other researchers in the past. The basic aim of doing such cross-references is to ensure the importance of the subject dealt with by the academic paper in relation to the available evidence. However, this process won’t be an easy task as this would involve a high amount of research with huge depth and careful analysis and interpretation of each of these referred pieces of literature. As academic writing tasks works will demand literature reviews involving a huge number of references, the search process itself can consume a lot of time. Documenting them in proper order also needs acute care.