LibGuides: The writing process: How can you determine your audience's expectations?

What are your audience's expectations?

It can be daunting to write for a new audience, especially when that audience is an instructor who will be grading the work. Instructors have a clear idea of what content they want from students' writing, but students may find it challenging to determine what approach, style and formatting an instructor prefers. In particular, students may find it difficult to identify differences in expectations between instructors. The list below presents questions students often ask the Writing Centre when they are writing for someone new, and students are welcome to use the questions as a starting point for conversations with instructors about writing expectations. The categories listed in these sections aren't intended to be exhaustive, so please use and/or adapt any information that is relevant to your writing process.

APA Style rules

Should you align your formatting with the APA Style rules, or does the instructor prefer exceptions? Instructor preference takes precedence. For example:

Present the title of the work in title case at the top of the first page of body text; if an author is following the APA Style (7th ed.) rules, the title is bolded; see #3 in the APA Style (7th ed.) Formatting Checklist.
Omit an “Introduction” heading; see #4 in the APA Style (7th ed.) Formatting Checklist.
Double space the entire text, including block quotations and references (see #5 in the APA Style (7th ed.) Formatting Checklist).
Use the past tense verb to describe an author’s action in signal phrases that introduce quotations or paraphrases (e.g., Author (2020) argued; see Should I Use Present or Past Tense When Introducing Quotations or Paraphrases in My Text?).
Authors may provide page or paragraph numbers in citations to paraphrases, as long as the approach is applied consistently throughout a work; see #3 in the APA Style (7th ed.) Formatting Checklist.
Use serial commas in lists with more than two items (see What is the Serial Comma in APA Style?).
Bulleted lists are acceptable when an author needs to create a list that doesn't suggest an order of importance due to numbering (American Psychological Association, 2020, p. 190). See Are Bulleted Lists Allowed in APA Style? How Do I Format a Bulleted or Numbered List?
Per the APA Style (7th ed.) rules, the "References" section label should be centred and bolded; see #2 in the APA Style (7th ed.) References Checklist.

Audience and tone

Audience: Should you write specifically with the instructor in mind and therefore you do not need to explain course content in detail, or should you write so that a broader academic audience could understand the discussion (see Who is Your Audience?)?

Tone: What are the expectations regarding the formality of language in different types of assignments?

E.g., Should a personal, reflective essay be written using a formal tone, or is a more informal tone appropriate (e.g., using idiomatic language, metaphors, contractions)?

Grammar and style choices

There are many varieties of spoken and written English (sometimes called World Englishes), and all forms of English are valid. Even though you are already able to communicate effectively in your own English, you may notice that your writing style is different from your instructors', and if so, it may be helpful for you to understand what these differences are. Kelly et al. (2020) observe that “grammar is a situated practice,” meaning that writers choose “certain words and sentence structures and tenses (and so on) in certain communication and rhetorical situations and not in others” (para. 1). Thinking about the intended audience for your writing can help you choose the grammatical and structural conventions that will let you share your ideas most clearly with your audience.

Academic audiences generally expect that writers will follow the grammatical conventions of academic English, such as agreed-upon practices for punctuation and spelling, and keeping verb tenses consistent and appropriate to the action being described. At RRU, it's common for people to write using the conventions of North American Academic English; however, no one form of English can be considered “standard” or “correct,” and writers may apply the conventions of academic English differently depending on the form(s) of English they use. Some common variations include word choice, such as prepositions and articles.

If you're unsure how the conventions of your written English will mesh with your instructor’s expectations, please talk with your instructor before submitting your assignment. Once you've had that conversation, please feel welcome to schedule an appointment with the Writing Centre if you're a RRU student and you have questions about writing in North American Academic English as we'd be happy to speak with you!

Reference

Kelly, E., Humphreys, S., Boldt, N., & Ami, N. (2020). Grammar as a situated practice. In S. Humphreys and E. Kelly (Eds.), Why write? A guide for students in Canada. Academic Writing Program, University of Victoria. https://doi.org/10.18357/9781550587005

Paragraph structure

Structure: Should each body paragraph provide one main argument and follow the typical analytical structure of an academic paragraph (e.g., topic sentence with a claim, evidence, analysis, conclusion, and transition), or should paragraphs have more of a report style with shorter, descriptive paragraphs that do not need transitions?

Counterarguments: Should paragraphs include counterarguments?

Personal experience and voice

Personal experience: Are descriptions of personal experiences appropriate in the assignment, or should the focus exclusively be on information gathered from research literature?

First person voice: Can you use the first-person voice when describing your own experiences (see Can I Use the First Person Voice in My Academic Writing?)?

Title page and overall format

Title page:

Should assignments include a title page?
What information should students include on title pages?
- Should page numbering start at “1” on the title page (APA Style) or on page two at “2” (academic convention)?
- What information, other than the title of the work, should be provided on the title page? E.g., student’s name, date of submission, course name, program name, author note?
- Does the instructor have a sample title page that shows the desired formatting?

Table of contents: Should essays include a table of contents? If it depends on the number of pages, what is the minimum number of pages that qualifies for a table of contents?

Section headings: Should you use section headings? If so, should the headings be formatted per the APA Style rules (see What are the APA Rules for Section Headings?)?

Word count

How closely should assignments adhere to word count limits? E.g., exactly the word count, +/- 10%? What is included in the word count?