Writing Genres

Writing is a given in college; however, I am sure we are all amazed at some point at the number of differences writing can have. These differences can be classified as writing genres. Writing a lab report is different than writing a literary analysis, but why? Both have main ideas, paragraphs, and scholarly word choice, yet they are formatted different in structure and style and require attention to different details. In short, this is what is known as genre. Most writing has a basic transferable foundation, but, at some point, the similarities diverge, and you are left with several different types of writing called genres. Here are some tips and examples to help you navigate some of the various types of genres you might find in a classroom, both reading and writing assignments.

Academic Writing

Most of the writing you encounter in an academic setting requires a certain type of thought process and word choice. For example, an analysis and reflection both require the writer to look deeply at a certain topic, but reflections are typically seen as informal in nature while analysis is considered a very formal style of writing. As you are reading about some of the different writing genres you’ll find in academia, take time to note of the similarities and differences that connect each genre.

Analysis

One of the different types of reading that you will come across is analysis. An analysis is a type of paper that makes an argument, and then proves its point by providing a detailed study of the topic. There are many different types of analyses (such as literary, rhetorical, process etc.), and your choice of major will likely determine which ones you encounter most often. However, like in any argument, the author of an analysis is trying to get the reader to understand and agree with their point of view. They accomplish this by using something called the ‘Rhetorical Triangle.’ This ‘triangle’ consists of three separate parts, the logos, the ethos, and the pathos. An effective argument uses all three to try and convince the reader.

Logos

The ‘logos’ part of the triangle is made up of the actual text that you’re reading. Essentially, it involves how well the author argued their point. If their conclusion makes sense and is supported by their evidence, then their analysis will be more persuasive. However, if their argument is full of logical leaps, and they don’t have facts that support them, it’s easy to disregard their analysis.

Ethos

The ‘ethos’ part of the triangle involves the author. It mainly consists of their credibility: how much do they know about the topic that they’re writing about? Someone who’s a professional, or has studied the subject extensively, is going to be more credible than someone who is relatively new to the topic. It also involves the sources that the author chose to use for their paper. Are they credible as well? Regardless of how accomplished an author is, if the sources they are using fail to pass the CRAAP test, then that affects how reliable their argument is. If you need a quick refresher on what exactly the CRAAP test is, click here.

While you’re reading an analysis, it’s important to keep an eye out for the parts of the ‘Rhetorical Triangle’, so that you can figure out how credible a source is. This triangle is also something that you should keep in mind whenever you’re writing a persuasive paper of any kind. If you want to convince your readers to believe your point, then you should try and incorporate all three parts into your argument.

Informative

The goal of an informative paper is simply, to inform. An informative text can be any one of several genres, ranging from books, to scholarly journals, to newspaper articles. They can also cover just about any topic imaginable. As they are written to educate their reader about a particular subject, they can tend to be both fact and detail heavy. You should be prepared to take notes while you read, to help you keep track of all the information that will be covered.

Here is the link to several sample informative texts, on a variety of topics.

Reflection

Reflection is usually a piece of writing that shows the writer looking back over a past experience or experiment. The author uses critical thinking and analysis to determine what happened during the experience or experiment and why.

Reflections usually have three main parts: description (this is what happened), interpretation (this is why I think it happened and what it means), and outcome (this is what I think will happen now).

Essentially, in reflection reading, the writer is saying “This happened during ___, and this is why it happened or why I think it happened, and this what I think will happened now because of it.”

Sometimes a whole piece can be devoted to reflection, such as memoirs that are books reflecting on someone’s life. However, writers typically use the conclusion or discussion paragraph(s) or section(s) of a text to reflect on their outcomes, results, or final thoughts on a matter. Cause and effect, hypothesis, and critique are also elements that might be present in reflective reading.

You’ve done some of your own reflective writing before too! Whether it was explaining why you think an experiment went wrong in chemistry for a lab report or journaling about what was exciting today and why in your spare time, you most likely are familiar with reflection. Understanding what you write that’s reflective can also help you understand where the big take ways in other people’s reflections are. Be sure to look for the what, why, and will when reading reflective pieces.

Science Writing

While I’m sure you know what scientific, or technical, writing is in comparison to a literary text since you’ve probably encountered both in your science and literature classes, there are differences to take note of when reading.

You will usually read technical writing in the sciences, such as your biology class or your phycology class. This reading typically entails research of some kind, such as an experiment that a researcher writes about following the IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Result, and Discussion) method.

Sometimes technical reading can become difficult, so a helpful method to use in getting started is the AID method.

Start with the Abstract which will give you an overview or hint of what is going to happen in the piece and why.
Then read the Introduction to find out the background of the topic and what the writer or researcher hopes to accomplish in their experiment or study.
Then skip to the Discussion to see what happened, if it confirmed or denied the writer’s thoughts on the matter, and what the writer thinks should happen in further research on the subject.
Then go back and read the Methods and Results portion for a full understanding of the topic.

Knowing the what and why of a piece may help you better understand what is going on before you read the methods and results since you have a foundation to connect them to.

Literary Writing

Literary Reading is the typical reading you find in literature classes. It includes poetry, prose, short stories, plays, books, and so on. As stated in the “How to Read” section at the top of this page, looking for those elements, such as background, audience, purpose, style, and genre, will help you understand what the writer is trying to convey through their work.

Professional Workplace Writing

Professional workplace writing varies from discipline to discipline. Examples of these may be a scribe writing patient notes in a hospital, a press release for an advertising firm, or a science report in a laboratory. Your discipline-specific writing classes will teach you the specific criteria by which you will write in your professional discipline.

References

Doyle, A. (2019, August 5). Tips on How to Write a One-Page Resume. The Balance Careers. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-write-a-one-page-resume-2063117.