Academic Writing: A Book Critique

         It is certain that most students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) find academic writing challenging and require special training in order to meet the demands of the discourse community. Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students (Bailey, 2006) aims to prepare student to face such challenges in a broad spectrum of circumstances. The author highlights the importance of students’ needs “to adopt new conventions of style, referencing and layout” (Bailey, 2006, p. vii) and states that all of these objectives may be attained by means of hands-on practice. 

        The book has been organized in four sections. The first one is “The Writing Process” which deals with the essential contents of writing academically. The second section, “Elements of Writing”, provides students with the necessary skills that are common for writing assignments. “Accuracy in Writing” is the third section and refers to areas that are usually considered problematic for students. The fourth section, “Writing Models”, exemplifies the different texts students are asked to write in most courses. Each of these main sections is subdivided into smaller units which lead students to develop specific skills and contents. Additionally, a “Writing Tests” section can be found at the end of the handbook; it provides self-assessment so that students may check their progress. 

       Not only Bailey’s handbook is well-organized but it also presents a number of positive aspects. Students are efficiently guided and introduced to the world of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). It is clearly organized and covers the areas might be problematic for students who are not accustomed to the requirements of EAP. All of the units comprise of practice on a particular topic. Students are always given the chance to produce a text where a specific writing aspect is practiced. 

      However, certain aspects of Bailey’s work (2006) could be improved. For example, the book deals with a wide range of topics which diminishes the quality of their treatment. Moreover, Bailey’s book would have been more comprehensive if he had included more text variety. Students using this book could have been highly benefited of concrete examples of the types of texts they may be asked to write. More importantly, the book would have been more useful to students if it had featured documentation styles. In section 2.11 Avoiding Plagiarism, it would seem as if the author dealt with the American Psychological Association (APA) style, but no explicit reference to the style was made. Additionally, Bailey’s handbook could have been more beneficial if he had encouraged students to research further on areas of their interest by recommending primary sources. 

      To conclude, Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students (Bailey, 2006) is a very good option for students of EFL who need to learn the basic aspects of the writing process required in academic settings. It is a well-organized book that presents numerous advantages like hands-on practice activities. Although certain aspects need improvement, Bailey’s book has an undeniable value to EFL learners.

References

Bailey, S. (2006). Academic Writing: A handbook for international students (2nd ed). Retrieved from http://npu.edu.ua/!e-book/book/djvu/A/iif_kgpm_t27.pdf