In this section, you’ll find resources focused on helping you when assignments ask to develop your paper using Business Writing guidelines.
| Characteristic | Academic Writing | Business Writing |
| Purpose | The purpose of academic writing is to demonstrate your understanding of the subject. It may also contribute to a particular discipline by presenting original research. | The purpose of business writing is to communicate information clearly, concisely, and effectively in a professional setting. |
| Audience | Typically, your professor or instructor is the audience. Also, other experts in that field may be the audience for published, original academic research. | Depending on the circumstances or assignment requirement, will the document be read by fellow stakeholders, a client, or perhaps a Chief Financial Officer? Once that is determined, be sure to write effectively to help the reader(s) understand your objective. |
| Appearance | CSU Global has adopted the APA Style 7th ed. for papers and essays which includes a title, references, and appendix pages. | Again, depending on the assignment requirements, a business writing document may be single spaced. A standard professional font and size should be adopted. It may also include titles, headings, and subheadings along with bulleted & numbered lists, graphs, and charts. |
| Longevity | A paper or essay life is usually very short-lived. There may be multiple iterations throughout the course for the document but typically it may be kept for a reference until the end of the term. | A document written in a professional environment may be a starting point that can transition into other forms of communication. There may be a need to make an oral presentation from the original document. This document may live on in the organization's repository or knowledge base for posterity or legal reasons. |
| Tone | In academic writing, a student would normally adopt a formal tone in their language, structure, and vocabulary appropriate to the discipline. Usually, a document is written in third-person perspective, and evidence based. | Again, depending on the circumstances of the assignment and the interests and needs of the specific stakeholders, the tone may be friendly, positive, confident, authoritative, persuasive, or may even be argumentative. |
| Voice | In most academic writing assignments, students are encouraged to use active vs passive voice. | Similarly, business writing always uses an active voice. Also, a student should adopt a professional tone, clear, concise, and courteous. |
| Citations | CSU Global adopted the APA Style 7th ed. for citing resources in-text and in the references. | Sources used in developing the business report should be cited according to the needs of the audience, client, or assignment requirement. |
If you have questions about the type of essay or specifics about your assignment, please consult your instructor.