Common Mistakes in Academic Writing & How to Avoid Them

Academic writing, while demanding, can be mastered with a good grasp of language rules and careful attention to common pitfalls. Mistakes ranging from structuring, style, to grammatical errors can distract from your argument and undermine the credibility of your work. Most of these common mistakes are avoidable, so it’s important to know which mistakes you’re likely to make. Explore our guide to transform these challenges into opportunities for improvement in your academic writing.

Definition: Common mistakes

Common mistakes are errors in academic writing that most students fail to notice in their research. There are different common mistakes ranging from inappropriate punctuation to improper sentence structure and more. Proofreading and editing your work is essential to correct language mistakes and other errors, as they can give you a lower score even if your research is well-structured.

Common mistakes: British vs. American English

British English and American English are the main languages used in academic writing by students and researchers. However, some words are spelt differently, and students should use the instructed language in their work to avoid common mistakes in language use.

Common mistakes: Citation terms

Terms used in a citation, including et al. are commonly miswritten as Et al or Et all. For example:

✘ The spread of the bubonic plague was largely influenced by trade and immigration (Gretel et all., 1976)

✘ The spread of the bubonic plague was largely influenced by trade and immigration (Gretel et. al., 1976)

✓ The spread of the bubonic plague was largely influenced by trade and immigration (Gretel et al., 1976)

Common mistakes: Quantifiers

Common mistakes: Nouns & plurals

Some common mistakes in noun plurals include:

Common mistakes: Punctuating numbers and dates

Using commas correctly ensures proper punctuation of numbers, as follows:

Common mistakes: Adjectives

Students also make some common mistakes when using adjectives correctly. For instance:

Common mistakes: Verbs/phrasal verbs

Some common mistakes include:

Common mistakes: Words that are mixed up

It is common for students to mix up certain words, especially those that have similar pronunciations, such as:

• Effect – noun
• Affect – verb

• Personnel – noun
• Personal – adjective

• Principal – adjective
• Principle – noun

• Were – verb
• Where – adjective

• Bear – verb
• Bare – adjective

Common mistakes: Conjunctions and prepositions

Conjunctions and prepositions are used frequently in academic writing. Some common mistakes include the following: