What do you learn in an academic writing course?
An academic writing course prepares you for the texts you write in a foreign language during your studies and research. These include essays, term papers, lab reports, abstracts, dissertations and journal articles. Many courses also cover presentations and conference talks, because they follow the same rules for structure and evidence.
The course builds three skills that every subject needs.
- Structure: how to state a thesis, build an argument and organise a paragraph.
- Academic style: which words and sentence patterns are usual in academic texts and how to phrase claims cautiously.
- Working with sources: how to quote, paraphrase and reference according to a citation style.
The audience is broad. Students on English-taught degrees need the course for coursework. Doctoral candidates and researchers write articles for international journals, most of which publish in English. Applicants write personal statements for master's and doctoral programmes.
Academic writing is more than a language question. Native speakers also have to learn it at university, so a course helps even when your general language level is high.
6 academic text types and how they are structured
Each academic text type has a typical structure. Knowing it helps you write faster and meet your lecturers' expectations.
| Text type | Typical length | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | a few pages | thesis, arguments with evidence, conclusion |
| Term paper | 10 to 20 pages, depending on subject | introduction, literature review, analysis, conclusion |
| Lab report | depends on the experiment | introduction, method, results, discussion |
| Abstract | often 150 to 300 words | aim, method, result, significance |
| Literature review | depends on the brief | themes, comparison, research gap |
| Dissertation or thesis | set by the regulations | as a term paper, plus methods chapter and appendices |
In the sciences and medicine, structure often follows the IMRaD pattern, short for Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. Most journals in these fields require it.
Length depends heavily on the subject and the university. The regulations or the lecturer's brief always decide.
Writing a dissertation in English
Agree early with your supervisor which language you will write in and which referencing style the department expects. A dissertation in a foreign language needs extra time for revision, and that time belongs in your schedule.
Writing journal articles in English
Journals publish author guidelines that fix structure, length and referencing style. A course on academic publishing also explains peer review, the assessment of a manuscript by experts before publication. It trains the cover letter to the editor and the response to reviewers.
A table works well for responding to reviewers. It lists each comment, your response and the place in the revised text. A polite, factual tone matters more than perfect English.
From topic to finished paper in 6 steps
An academic paper takes shape in stages. If you write in a foreign language, you gain a lot by handling content and language in separate rounds.
- Define the research question: choose a question that can be answered within the word limit. A question that is too broad is the most common reason for superficial work.
- Find and read sources: search subject databases and the library catalogue. Note the full reference and page number as you read.
- Build an outline: order your arguments before you write sentences. Each part of the outline answers part of the research question.
- Write a rough draft: write quickly without polishing every word. Mark missing terms and look them up later.
- Revise: check content and structure first, then style and word choice, and finally references and bibliography.
- Proofread and format: read the text aloud or have it read to you, which exposes awkward sentences and missing words.
Plan at least as much time for revision as for the draft. In a foreign language, this step improves the grade most, because it raises style and clarity.
Academic style in English, German and Spanish
Academic style follows its own habits in each language. Switching from another language into English therefore means changing more than the words.
| Feature | English | German | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sentence length | rather short, one idea per sentence | longer, often noun-heavy | long sentences with clauses are common |
| I or we | accepted in many fields | usually avoided, passive or man | usually avoided, impersonal se |
| Paragraph | topic sentence first | lead-in before the point | lead-in, then the point |
| Signposting | explicit signal words | more sparing | frequent linking phrases |
The table describes tendencies, not fixed rules. Disciplines and journals set their own norms.
Claims only as strong as the evidence
In academic texts you make claims only as strong as your evidence allows. This technique is called hedging. Instead of this proves, you write this suggests, and instead of always, usually.
570 word families in the Academic Word List
The Academic Word List by Averil Coxhead (2000) contains 570 word families that appear frequently in academic texts across disciplines. It deliberately leaves out the 2,000 most frequent English words and is divided into ten sublists by frequency. The University of Manchester's Academic Phrasebank offers a free collection of typical phrases for each part of a paper.
6 referencing styles and their current editions
A referencing style, also called a citation style, sets out how you cite sources in the text and list them in the bibliography. Your subject, university or journal decides which style applies.
| Style | Typical subjects | In-text citation | Current version |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA | psychology, social sciences, education | author and year | 7th edition |
| MLA | literature and languages | author and page | 9th edition, 2021 |
| Chicago | history, art, humanities | footnote or author and year | 18th edition, 2024 |
| Harvard | many UK universities, many subjects | author and year | no single official version |
| IEEE | engineering, computer science | numbered references | IEEE guide |
| German footnote style | law, history in Germany | footnotes | set by the department |
Harvard is a family of similar author-date styles rather than one fixed standard. Each university publishes its own version, and you should use exactly that one.
Reference managers such as Zotero or Mendeley format citations automatically in the chosen style. They save typing but do not check whether the stored details are correct, so check author names, years and page numbers yourself.
Plagiarism, paraphrasing and AI tools at university
Plagiarism means using someone else's ideas or wording without acknowledgement. In a foreign language it often happens by accident, because learners change sentences from a source only slightly. This is called patchwriting. A proper paraphrase restates the idea in your own sentence structure and words and still cites the source.
Universities set out their rules in academic integrity policies. These define plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating, and they state the penalties.
University rules for AI tools
Generative AI, meaning software such as chatbots that produces text, is now widespread at universities. Each university sets its own rules for its use, and often each lecturer does so for a course. Many require you to declare the use and describe what you used the AI for.
- References generated by AI can be invented, so check every source in the original.
- A text reworded by AI is still plagiarism if the source is missing.
- Undeclared AI use can lead to a fail or a misconduct case, depending on the regulations.
What the lecturer explicitly permits is usually allowed, such as spell checking or feedback on an outline. If in doubt, ask before you submit.
Talks and presentations in a foreign language
Seminar presentations, conference talks and a thesis defence follow the same principles as written texts but need stronger signposting, because listeners cannot go back a page.
1 Signposting the structure
State your outline at the start and mark each transition, with phrases such as first, I will outline or this brings me to.
2 Slides with little text
Slides show key points, graphics and evidence. You speak freely, and the sources appear on the slide or at the end.
3 Questions after the talk
Practise phrases that buy time, clarify a question or name a limitation of your work. This part is hard in a foreign language, because it cannot be scripted.
- Online courses record practice talks, so you can check your pronunciation and pace.
- The teacher comments on slides and script in writing.
- Small groups ask questions like a real audience.
6 features of a good online writing course
You learn academic writing through your own texts. A good online course therefore combines explanation with individual feedback.
- The teacher comments on your own drafts as well as on practice texts.
- The course works with text types from your subject, such as lab reports or law essays.
- Small groups of about twelve people at most allow peer feedback.
- The course covers sources and referencing in depth.
- The course explains your university's rules on AI tools.
- Writing tasks with deadlines connect the sessions.
Many universities run a writing centre that advises enrolled students free of charge, sometimes online. Check this option before you book a paid course.
With proofreading and editing services, watch the line between permitted help and misconduct. Many universities allow corrections of language and spelling but forbid changes to content by third parties.
Writing support costs between nothing and about 90 an hour
Prices range from free support to expensive one-to-one coaching. The figures are rounded guide values for 2026 in euros or US dollars.
| Format | Price (approx., 2026) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| University writing centre | free for students | advice on individual assignments |
| Open online courses from universities | free, or up to about 100 for a certificate | basics, self-study |
| Online group course | about 150 to 600 | structured progress over several weeks |
| One-to-one coaching | about 40 to 90 per hour | dissertation, journal article |
A group course usually has six to twelve sessions with writing tasks in between. Graduate schools often run their own courses on writing in English for doctoral candidates, free for members.
7 common mistakes in academic writing in a foreign language
Many mistakes come from carrying habits over from your first language.
- Translating word for word: sentence patterns from other languages often sound heavy and unclear in English.
- Overlong sentences: in English, one sentence usually carries one idea.
- Informal words: expressions such as a lot of or get do not belong in an essay.
- Overclaiming: without cautious phrasing, claims look unsupported.
- Inconsistent referencing: mixing styles costs marks.
- Patchwriting: slightly rearranged source sentences count as plagiarism.
- Unchecked AI text: invented sources and smooth but empty paragraphs stand out to markers.
The most effective step against these mistakes is a fixed routine. Write an outline first, then a rough draft, and then revise content, style and references in separate rounds.
Frequently asked questions about academic writing
What language level does an academic writing course require?
An academic writing course usually requires CEFR level B2, the fourth of the six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference. At B2 your grammar is secure enough to focus on structure, style and sources. Some courses for applicants start at B1 with short texts.
Which referencing style do universities require for essays?
The referencing style for essays is set by each subject or university. APA is common in psychology and the social sciences, MLA in literature, Chicago in history, and German law uses footnotes. UK universities often use their own version of Harvard.
Can I use AI tools when writing a university essay?
Whether you can use AI tools when writing a university essay depends on your university's rules and often on the individual lecturer. Many require you to declare any use. References produced by AI must be checked in the original, because they can be invented.
What is the Academic Word List?
The Academic Word List is a list of 570 English word families that occur frequently in academic texts across disciplines. Averil Coxhead published it in 2000 at Victoria University of Wellington. It leaves out the 2,000 most frequent English words and is divided into ten sublists by frequency.
Is professional proofreading of a dissertation allowed?
Professional proofreading of a dissertation is allowed at many universities as long as it is limited to language and spelling. Changes to content by third parties usually count as misconduct. Your programme regulations decide, so read them before you hire anyone.
How does an English essay differ from a German term paper?
An English essay usually states its thesis in the introduction and builds each paragraph around a topic sentence. A German term paper (Hausarbeit) is often longer, starts with a broader lead-in and reviews the literature in more detail. Both require references in a fixed style.
Can academic writing be learned in an online course?
Academic writing can be learned well in an online course, because feedback on texts is written anyway. What matters is that the teacher comments on your own drafts. Live sessions in small groups add discussion and peer review.
Sources
The information is based on these sources. Check fees and dates with the provider before you register.