Intellectual Challenges in American Academic Writing
There are some intellectual challenges that all students are faced with when writing. Sometimes these challenges can almost seem like contradictions, particularly when addressing them within a single paper. For example, American teachers often instruct students to:
Develop a topic based on
what has already been said and written
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BUT
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Write something
new and original
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Rely on experts' and authorities' opinions
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BUT
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Improve upon and/or disagree with those same opinions
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Give credit to previous researchers
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BUT
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Make your own significant contribution
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Improve your English to fit into a
discourse community by building upon what you hear and read
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BUT
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Use your own words and your own voice
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Taken from Purdue OWL