Your Guide to Academic Writing
From Context to Text
- Riccardo Galgani - University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
Series:
Student Success
Student Success
November 2026 | 328 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
Your complete guide to essay writing!
Academic writing doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. With 22 practical units covering everything from deciphering the assignment to polishing your final draft, this book takes you through every stage of the essay process, giving you the tools to succeed with confidence.
What you’ll find inside:
- Context sections that explain the bigger picture behind each stage, connecting your writing to academic life and your discipline.
- Step-by-step development of a full example essay, so you can see guidance in action.
- Practice tasks to explore techniques, followed by Output tasks to help you create your own assignments as you go.
- A Transferable Skills section, showing how academic writing strengthens critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving—skills employers value.
Student Success is a series of essential guides for students at every level. From thinking critically and writing great essays to boosting employability and managing wellbeing, these books help you study smarter and get the most from your time at university.
Introduction
Part I: Joining the Conversation: Writing in Disciplinary Contexts
Unit 1: Situating the Essay Task
Unit 2: Brainstorming the Essay Task
Unit 3: Analysing the Essay Task
Unit 4: Academic Vocabulary
Part II: Reading with Purpose: Preparing to Write
Unit 5: Locating and Identifying Source Material
Unit 6: Identifying Relevant Content in Source Material
Unit 7: Citation Systems, Noting Source Information & Academic Integrity
Unit 8: Talking About Reading and Your Essay
Part III: Shaping Meaning: Building Structure and Argument
Unit 9: Essay Introductions
Unit 10: Essay Structures and Planning
Unit 11: Basic Paragraph Organisation
Unit 12: Coherence and Drafting
Part IV: Positioning Your Voice: Integrating Sources in Academic Writing
Unit 13: Technical & Linguistic Aspects of Integration
Unit 14: Integration & Intention
Unit 15: Paragraph Organisation in Detail
Unit 16: Rhetorical Aspects of Integration
Unit 17: Essay Conclusions
Part V: Refining Your Voice: Style, Stance, and Academic Integrity
Unit 18: Academic Style
Unit 19: Stance
Unit 20: Sentence Level Choices
Unit 21: Cohesion
Unit 22: Proofreading, Final Checks & Submission
Part VI: Transferable Skills: Beyond the Essay