What Are Academic Communications?
Academic communication involves presenting ideas effectively and formally in a scholastic environment. If you attend an institution of higher education, you can use these skills to contribute to the academic conversation with your teachers and peers.
Academic Communication Defined
Many people intuitively know the proper way to communicate in different settings; for instance, the way you speak to your friends is usually different than the way you speak to your parents. Academic communication, also called scholarly communication, refers to methods of communication that are highly structured and generally only used in pedagogical settings. Academic communication can include the words and structures used to express ideas, as well as the methods by which ideas are disseminated.
Important Facts About Academic Communications
| Programs | Workshops, seminars, courses in academic communications |
| Online Availability | Some classes fully online |
| Common Topics | Grant proposals, science and technology reports, reviewing academic manuscripts |
| Prerequisites | Research methodologies coursework, conference presentation experience, some courses have no prerequisites |
| Median Salary (2021) | $59,400 (for media and communication workers, all other) |
| Job Outlook (2021-2031) | 7% growth (for media and communication workers, all other) |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Basic Skills
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.