# Welcome to SMIRK Unit
2 - Knowing your
audience

- What does knowing your audience mean?
- Writing styles
- What are the characteristics of the academic audience?
- What will the person reading your essay or report expect?
- Back to main index

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SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

# What does knowing
your audience mean?

Knowing your audience is simply knowing who will read your written work etc Johnson, Roy. (1995) Improve your writing skills. Manchester Murray and Co

#### Who is my audience when I am at university?

At university, you know that the person who will assess your work will be an academic who writes research papers. Sometimes your peers will also be given the opportunity to review your work.

The person who reads your work at university is someone who regards academic writing and library research as an essential skill that every university student must develop.

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SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

# Writing styles

We all use different writing styles instictively depending on who we are writing to. For example, you use 'text speak' when texting your friends but would use more formal language if applying for a job. You adjust your writing style to accomodate the needs of your audience.

There are rules that you can learn in order to meet the needs of your university audience. These are the same rules that your audience (usually your lecturer) use when they write their own research papers. The rules are not complicated and this unit explains them to you.

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SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

# The academic audience

Here are some characteristics of the academic audience:

- Experts in their field, able to comprehend in depth
- Published and experienced authors who know the rules
- Publishing in competition with other researchers
- As academic writers, they show their knowledge of the literature by referencing the work of others
- Use evidence (usually drawn from the literature) and form objective arguments, with both sides considered
- Methodology matters to them: you can be awarded marks for using the right research process even if they don't agree with your conclusion

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SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

# What will your reader
expect?

There are basic rules that all academics tend to apply when they are assessing the quality of written work. Things they look for are likely to include:

- Structure
- Style
- Arguments
- Awareness of the literature on the topic
- References and citations
- Captioning

These are the basic issues to think about when writing at university. The unit on communication skills will help you develop your writing skills and understand how to present your written work.

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SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/