What is Academics?

Academic is used to describe things that relate to the work done in schools, colleges, and

universities, especially work that involves studying and reasoning rather than practical or

technical skills. An academic is a member of a university or college who teaches

or does research. However, in communication context academics refers to the methods in which

ideas are distributed among scholars or students. You can find academic information

disseminated in such places as scientific journals, newsgroups, online course management

systems and research libraries.

 Basic Skills of Academics

Because the ways in which academics communicate must often be learned, schools sometimes

offer courses designed to teach or improve these communication skills. As a student in one of

these courses, you will be taught advanced vocabulary, proper grammar, reading comprehension

and verbal expression. You'll learn how to write in a formal tone and politely address your

reader, whether it is a professor or peer.

In addition to developing high-level communication skills, you might also learn about academia-

specific topics, such as how to format a paper to Modern Language Association standards. You

also might learn how to write book reviews, research papers and laboratory reports. One element

of academic communication that you'll usually learn in college is how to formulate a thesis or

academic argument.

Special Circumstances

English as a Second Language (ESL) learners and students with unique learning, speech or

hearing needs might require intensive instruction in academic communication. In these cases,

special learning techniques are often used to ensure that students learn to communicate

academically in the easiest way possible. For example, in the case of ESL learners, this might

mean extra practice with pronunciation or complex words used in academic argumentation.
Transmission of Academic Information

When a scholar needs to publish a new discovery, or your teacher needs to inform you of the

resources that you can use for a homework assignment, they must use a particular channel of

communication. In these cases, academic communication refers to the methods in which ideas

are distributed among scholars or students. You can find academic information disseminated in

such places as scientific journals, newsgroups, online course management systems and research

libraries.

Internet Communication

The widespread use of the Internet has greatly affected academic communication and has caused

both advances and complications in academic discourse. While academicians now have the

ability to share information with all corners of the globe, they must also face an increased risk of

plagiarism. For this reason, correctly citing sources through annotations or bibliographies is vital

to academic communication.

Academic institutions must also keep up with changing technology and might alter their policies

to ensure fair access to academic resources. They furthermore might need to adapt to new forms

of academic communication, such as the use of e-mail to communicate with instructors or the

need to cite online articles.