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Guilherme Mazui

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What is the Difference Between Academic and Technical Writing?

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The main difference between academic and technical writing lies in their purpose, content, and target audience. Here are the key differences between the two:

  1. Purpose:
  • Academic writing aims to present a point of view on a particular subject, proving a theory or viewpoint, and demonstrating the writer's knowledge.
  • Technical writing focuses on providing detailed and lucid information about a product or service, explaining how to use it, and instructing the reader on specific tasks.
  1. Content:
  • Academic writing contains research-based, objective, and structured content, often requiring the use of evidence to support arguments.
  • Technical writing contains factual and straightforward content, focusing on the practical application of a product or service.
  1. Target Audience:
  • Academic writing is usually intended for fellow scholars, researchers, or a broad audience depending on the journal or publication.
  • Technical writing is aimed at people who use a product or service, providing them with clear instructions and information.

Both types of writing may contain jargon, but academic writing is more focused on presenting a point of view and proving a theory, while technical writing is more focused on explaining and instructing the reader on specific tasks or products.

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  • What is the Difference Between Academic and Technical Writing?
  • Comparative Table: Academic vs Technical Writing

    • Comparative Table: Academic vs Technical Writing

    Here is a table comparing the differences between academic and technical writing:

    Feature Academic Writing Technical Writing
    Purpose To demonstrate what a person knows, prove a theory or viewpoint, and contribute to a specific field of study. To provide detailed and clear information about a product or service, explaining how it works and how to use it.
    Audience Targeted towards professors, scholars, and experts in a specific field. Targeted towards users or specialists of a particular product or service.
    Tone Formal and objective. Factual and straightforward.
    Content Contains complex concepts, theories, and opinions, often using personal experience or storytelling. Contains clear, concise, and logical information, focusing on facts and hard data.
    Structure May use lists and tables to organize information, but depends more on coherent paragraphs and arguments. Emphasizes lists, tables, and bullet points to present information in a clear and organized manner.
    Jargon Uses terminology specific to the field of study, which may be difficult for a general audience to understand. Uses terminology specific to the product or service, which may be understandable to both experts and users.

    Remember that academic and technical writing serve different purposes and audiences, and their structures and tones reflect these differences.

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    Guilherme Mazui

    Guilherme Mazui is graduated in journalism from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition, he has experience in advertising writing and has worked as a content editor in several companies.