Demystifying Academic Writing

The second edition of Demystifying Academic Writing describes major genres of academic writing, typical rhetorical moves associated with each genre, essential skills required to write the genres, and linguistic resources and strategies for performing these moves and skills.

The book frames writing as a strategic process of making meaning through deliberate language choices. It demonstrates how language can be used to present information, develop argument, organize discourse, embed perspective, integrate sources, sharpen focus, improve clarity, engineer flow, and engage audience in ways that serve the author’s purposes, follow genre expectations, and reflect disciplinary standards. Covering reading responses, book reviews, literature reviews, argumentative essays, empirical research articles, grant proposals, and more, this text is an all-in-one resource for academic writing and scholarly publishing.

The revised edition features a new chapter on key grammatical resources for academic writing. It also offers guidance on how to navigate the impact of AI in academic writing. All chapters have been updated with new topics, expanded examples, and enriched discussions.

Accessible to both native and non-native English speakers, this textbook equips students and scholars with the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind to excel in academic writing, enabling them to craft powerful, compelling, and effective texts.

Author Biography

Zhihui Fang is Professor of Education at the University of Florida, USA. He has published widely in the areas of language and literacy education, English teacher education, and functional linguistics in education.