“Academic discourse” is the general name for the five elements that make up most university writing:

Purpose: The general purpose of most popular argument is to persuade people to do something, such as to vote for a specific candidate, buy a particular brand or quit smoking. The general purpose of academic argument, on the other hand, is to make new knowledge.

Audience: The audience for popular argument is usually citizens or consumers, while the audience for academic discourse is usually scholars and university researchers.

Argument: Popular argument often draws on what is widely accepted or already known. Academic argument often creates new knowledge by questioning widely accepted beliefs and revising our understanding of the world.

Style: The style of popular argument is often familiar and personal, where academic style often includes elements that are technical, specialized or impersonal. Academic style does not require you to omit all signs of your own voice, but it does require you to consider more consciously where and how your particular voice fits in when you write an academic argument.