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Part of your transition into higher education involves being aware that each discipline is a distinct discourse community with specific vocabularies, styles, and modes of communication that are used by professionals in the field. The following formal aspects of articles vary according to the discipline they are written for:
- Title format
- Introduction
- Overall organization
- Tone (especially level of formality)
- Person (first, second, or third person)
- Voice (active or passive)
- Sections and subheads
- Use of images (photos, tables, graphics, graphs, etc.)
- Discipline-specific vocabulary
- Types of sources cited
- Use of source information
- Conclusion
- Documentation style
- Intended audience
- Published format (print or online)
Different disciplines also tend to recommend collecting different types of evidence from research sources.
Articulating Multiple Sides of an Issue
For a model of how to read and think through the disciplines, let’s draw on Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Activity: Different disciplines emphasize different parts of a text.
Legend:
Military Historian |
Social Psychologist |
Political Scientist
[Political] Fourscore and seven years ago
our [Psych] fathers brought forth
[Military] on this continent
a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are [Military] engaged in a great civil war,
[Political] testing whether that nation can long endure.
We are [Military] met on a great battlefield of that war.
We have come to [Psych] dedicate a portion of that field
as a final resting place for those who [Military] here gave their lives.
But, in a larger sense,
[Psych] we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.
The [Military] brave men, living and dead have consecrated it.
[Political] The world will little note nor long remember what we say here,
but it can never forget [Military] what they did here.
[Psych] Unfinished work…
[Military] great task remaining.
[Political] new birth of freedom…
government of the people…
[Political] shall not perish.
- Military historian: focuses on war and sacrifice.
- Social psychologist: focuses on shared identity and meaning.
- Political scientist: focuses on democracy and national purpose.
Writing as a College Student
Writing in college is different from high school.
“I thought I was a good writer until college.”
“I didn’t know I needed my own ideas.”
“It felt completely different.”
Avoiding Sexist and Offensive Language
Use inclusive, respectful language.
- Use gender-neutral terms
- Avoid stereotypes
- Use people-first language
- Be aware of audience
