1. Academic writing shouldn’t reflect the author’s personality therefore your personal style as a writer shouldn’t shine through. It’s an objective and formal type of writing. An easy and simplified way of defining the style in academic writing is that you shouldn’t write in the same way as you speak. There are established rules for academic writing and what it should look like. These rules make the difference in between writing a research paper or a mail to a friend. There are many aspects of academic writing one should have in consideration when writing. A few of them are dealt with below.

Be formal. That applies to use of vocabulary and grammar. Avoid colloquial words and expressions. The use of correct grammar is essential, that is avoiding abbreviations and contractions. Write “that is” rather than “that’s”. Use third-person perspective rather than first-person perspective and so forth.

Be clear and concise. It’s important to know what one wants to convey and try to do it in a clearly and structured manner. After all, academic writing is not a way to show how many difficult words you know. It is to convey a message or an idea in a good way.

2. Here follows an example of formal writing. It is from Royal Bank of Scotland’s webpage. It consists of many examples of formal writing. The text is very concise and clear. Words are well-chosen and suitable for its context. The writer has chosen to use the personal pronoun “we”, probably deliberately in order to refer to the bank as a group who are trying to win back the customers trust. The goal and what they are trying to accomplish is clear and it’s well structured within the text.

“Throughout the restructuring process we will remain firmly focused on the needs of our customers. We know that providing these individuals and businesses with the highest standards of service and a commitment to do what it takes to make it happen for them is the best way to retain their trust and loyalty.”

Here follows an example of informal writing. It is taken from a blog. It consists of slang, colloquial words and abbreviations. The word “bloke” is an example of a slang word and so is “Aussie” and “mateship”. Starting the sentence with a word like “yet” sets a very colloquial tone to the text. The language that is used is very informal and the writer’s personality shines through in the text.

“Yet, while it seems many Aussie blokes adhere to the Bro Code, (after all, we are home of the origin of "mateship"), blokes in other parts of the globe just don't seem to be as diligent.”

3. “Jeez! That must’ve been the yummiest meal I’ve ever had, seriously good! I’m sooo full, oh my god! But the rest of the night was wicked, the restaurant was really cosy. And all my mates were there, so glad everyone could make it. We had a gasbag! Nice wine, food and cool company, could life get any better than this?!”

“Last nights gathering was certainly delightful. The dinner was indeed very pleasant and so was the splendid company. The set menu and its accompanied wine were satisfactory and the restaurants décor was marvellous. Moreover, conversation was intense and continued throughout the evening. It was a conventional opinion among the group’s members that this is indeed one of life’s highlights.”