All writing is not created equal. In fact, consider just the differences among novels, magazine and newspaper articles, written content on websites and blogs, business reports. All of these types are offered by various online content services, as they serve their customers and clients.
Most online companies distinguish between academic and business writing if they happen to offer both. And customers need to know the difference between business writing and academic writing before they start placing orders.
Looking at the Differences
So, just what is the difference between academic and business writing?
Actually, there are many. And you need to know these differences so that you do not make the mistake of ordering the wrong type of content.
For example, it is not unusual for a business owner to think he can use an academic writing service for content for a website, for blog and social media posts, and even for marketing campaigns. He will be truly disappointed with those finished products. And consequently, with the results they will bring in terms of customer engagement.
So, let’s take a look at the differences to learn why they are so important.
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Language Used
If you want to know what is the difference between business and academic writing, this is probably the biggest. Academic writing is highly formal, while business writing is far less so.
Here are a few simple examples:
- Using contractions (it’s, here’s, isn’t, etc.) is not allowable in formal academic text. All of these must be spelled out. Contractions are common and fully acceptable in business texts.
- Academic text is usually full of longer, more complex sentence structures, while business writing is far simpler.
- Vocabulary usage in academic writing is far more sophisticated than that used for business content. People who read website content, blog posts, and social media posts do not want to struggle to understand “high-end” vocabulary, while instructors and professors expect it.
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Reading Levels
Reading level is a combination of many things – sentence structures, vocabulary, and flow of content.
Academic writing must conform to the reading level of the student for which it is written. There are differences, obviously, among a high school, undergraduate, or graduate-level essay.
Business texts, on the other hand, especially copywriting for websites, blogs, emails, and advertising should be written at about the 7th-grade reading level. This allows the “average” person to understand the content quickly and easily without having to struggle with long sentences, hard words, etc.
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Organizational Structure
Academic writing is written in paragraph form. There are transition sentences between those paragraphs so that the flow is logical. Longer, more complex pieces may have sections with titles. Academic text is meant to be read in total from beginning to end.
Business writing, especially copywriting, is not usually in paragraph form. It will have short sentences, sub-titles, lists, bullet points, and in general, content that is broken up quite a bit, often by visuals. The goal is to let readers “snack” on the content and skim down for what they might find interesting.
Know What You Want and Then Come to Top Writers Review
At Top Writers Review, we evaluate all types of online content companies – those that offer only academic writing; those that offer only business writing; and those that offer both. We use very clear criteria in our reviews, including the quality of products and services, satisfaction of actual customers, pricing, additional features, and customer support, among other factors. We can point you in the right direction to find the best academic paper writers or the best business copywriters.
Posted by Chris M.