In several academic texts you will have to use one or more type. For instance, in an thesis that is empirical
- you will definitely use critical writing in the literature review to exhibit where there is a gap or opportunity in the research that is existing
- The methods section shall be mostly descriptive to summarise the strategy used to collect and analyse information
- the results section may be mostly descriptive and analytical as you report on the data you collected
- the discussion section is much more analytical, while you propose your interpretations of the findings as you relate your findings back to your research questions, and also persuasive.
Descriptive
The simplest type of academic writing is descriptive. Its purpose is to provide facts or information. A good example will be a listing of an article or a report for the outcomes of an experiment. Continue reading “The four main kinds of academic writing are descriptive, analytical, critical and persuasive.”