Writing in these forms or styles is usually serious, intended for a critical and informed audience, based on closely-investigated knowledge, and posits ideas or arguments. It usually circulates within the academic world ('the academy'), but the academic writer may also find an audience outside via journalism, speeches, pamphlets, etc.
- Essay ; usually short, between 1,500 and 6,000 words in length.
- Dissertation ; usually between 6,000 and 20,000 words in length.
- Thesis ; completed over a number of years, often in excess of 20,000 words in length.
- Book , in many types and varieties.
- Explication ; usually a short factual note explaining some obscure part of a particular work; e.g. its terminology, dialect, allusions or coded references.
- Magazine Article (e.g. ''History Today''); usually presenting a digest of recent research.
- Creating a Timeline or Chronological plan. There will often be a 'key' or written work incorporated with the final work.
- Creating a simplified graphical representation of knowledge; e.g. a Map , or refining a display generated from a Database . There will often be a 'key' or written work incorporated with the final work.
- Literature Review ; a summary and careful comparison of previous academic work published on a specific topic.
- Anthology ; collection, collation, ordering and editing of the work of others.
- Catalogue Raisonne ; the definitive collection of the work of a single artist, in book form.
- Collected Works ; often referred to as the 'critical edition'. The definitive collection of the work of a single writer or poet, in book form, carefully purged of publishers errors and later forgeries, etc.
- Monograph or Exhibition Catalog ; usually containing exemplary works, and a scholarly essay. Sometime contains new work by a creative writer, responding to the work.
- Review of a book, film, exhibition, event, etc.
- Opinion ; an academic may sometimes be asked to give an expert written opinion, for use in a Legal case before a Court Of Law .
- White Paper ; detailed technical specifications and/or performance report.
''These are acceptable to some academic disciplines, e.g. Cultural Studies , Fine Art , Feminist Studies , Queer Theory , Literary Studies .''
- Memoire ; usually a short work, giving one's own memories of a famous person or event.
- Belle-lettres ; stylish or aesthetic writing on serious subjects, often with reference to one's personal experience.
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