Like any other Industry, Academic Writing has its own lingo/ terms.
Understanding the Meaning of these words will allow you to communicate effectively with customers, editors, the support team, and fellow Academic writers.
Below are the common academic writing Terms listed in alphabetical order.
1. Academic Writer
An individual who helps students write essays/ answer questions in exchange for money.
2. Accepted Order
A task (essay/ question) that the client has paid for and hence the writer can start working on it.
3. Annotated Bibliography
A type of writing/ assignment primarily focused on explaining the reference material on a particular topic. The source/ citation is highlighted and explained in a few sentences.
4. APA (American Psychological Association)
A popular Academic Paper Formatting style. The style is defined and updated by the American Psychological Association hence APA. It is primarily used in Social science papers.
5. Bid Account
An Academic writing account where writers compete for clients. Each writer is free to set his/her price. Writers Communicate Directly with clients.
6. Book Summary Essay
An essay where the writer is required to read and understand a book and consequently write an essay based on the book.
7. Canceled Order
A task that has been rejected by the client due to quality issues. The writer is usually not paid when an order is canceled.
8. Capital Case
A formatting style in which the first letter of each word is capitalized.
9. Chegg
A site with prewritten essays and study materials. Used by writers to research client’s tasks [Chegg.com].
10. Chegg Unlocks
Code allowing you to access locked material on Chegg.
11. Chicago
Another paper formatting and citation style. Mainly used in history and history-related fields [Chicago Formatting Style Official Guide].
12. Citation
A notation at the end of the paper highlighting the source of information used in the paper. The formatting of a citation is determined by the formatting style used in the paper.
13. Course hero
Similar to Chegg. A website with study material for students. Used by Academic Writers to research tasks. Writers can also get work from course hero.
14. CPP (Cost Per Page)
This refers to the amount of money a writing company will pay you for one page of written work. One page of writing is usually anywhere between 275 words – 300 words.
On average, most good accounts will pay a CPP of $4-$15. If you are writing for a writer who owns an account then the CPP is usually between 2.5$ and $3.
More on how much you should expect to get paid as an academic writer.
15. Customer
An individual who has assigned you a task (essay/ question) and is ready to pay you once you complete the assignment.
16. Customer Reviews
Feedback from the customer on the quality of your work. Good customer reviews lead to more work and pay.
17. Deadline
The date and time by which an order has to be submitted to the client. The shorter the deadline the higher the pay.
18. Essay
A discussion on a particular subject written in prose form. The most popular type of work you will complete.
19. Footer
A section at the bottom of a word document. Page numbers in a book are usually placed at the footer.
20. Google Docs
Free web-based word processing software from google. Typed text is saved immediately and can be accessed from any computer.
21. Google Scholar
A tool used by Academic writers to find a citation on a given subject. Contains peer-reviewed journals.
22. Grammarly
A must-have editing and proofreading tools. Highlights problems overlooked by the spelling & grammar checker tool in word [].
23. Heading
The title of an essay section summarizing what the section is about.
24. Header
The top most part of a word document. The Page number/ title/ student’s last name is placed here depending on the formatting style.
25. Lower Case
A formatting style in which all the letters in a word/ sentence/ paragraph are small letters.
26. Microsoft Excel
Spreadsheet program is used by writers when handling tasks with calculations. Such tasks include statistics papers and lab reports.
27. Microsoft Word
Word processing software is used by the majority of writers. Microsoft word and google docs have their advantages and disadvantages.
28. MLA (Modern Language Association)
Another popular essay formatting style. Mainly used when writing literature papers.
29. Netteller
An online payment company. Some writers receive their payment through Neteller.
30. Once a Month Payout
The term used to refer to accounts that pay their writers once a month.
31. Order
Refers to a task (Essay/Question) that a client wants to be done.
32. Order Under Review
A task that a writer has completed but the client has rejected and the writing company is determining whether the writer or the client is at fault.
33. Oscolar
A niche referencing and formatting style is only used for law papers.
34. Payoneer
An American online payment system. Writers can choose to receive their payments via Payoneer.
35. Payout
This refers to the amount to be paid to the writer in the next payment period.
36. PayPal
An American online payment system. Writers no longer receive payments via PayPal. PayPal banned essay writing services.
37. Penalty
A fine given to a writer for failure to follow specific guidelines. Common reasons for receiving a fine are plagiarism and poor grammar.
38. Plagiarism Checker
A software tool that scans the web determining the level of plagiarism in a written essay.
39. Scribbd
Similar to Chegg and CourseHero. A website with learning resources intended for students. Writers use the resources to research essays [Link to Scribbd].
40. Scribd Unlocks
Codes/ unlocked Scribd accounts sold Online or in Writers Communities. Allows a writer to access a specific number of resources from Scribd.
41. Skrill
The best online Payment System. The majority of writers receive payments via Skrill.
42. SPSS
A statistics analysis tool. Harder to use compared to Microsoft Excel. Writers who deal with statistical work must know how to use SPSS.
43. Support
The team in charge of mediating any conflict between you and the client.
44. Take Account
An academic writing account where the writer does not negotiate directly with the client. The support handles all the communication with clients. Writers love such accounts since all a writer does is pick an order and complete it. Saves a lot of time.
45. Turabian
Another name for the Chicago formatting style.
46. Turnitin
The most popular plagiarism checking software. Used by large schools and institutions. Writers don’t have to use it [Turnitin Website].
47. Twice a Month Payout
A term referring to companies that pay writers every two weeks.
48. Upper Case
Formatting style in which all the letters in a word/ sentence are capitalized.
49. WorldCat
An alternative to Google Scholar. WorldCat is an online catalog of Journals, Books, and Films. Writers use it to find citations on a given topic [Check out Worldcat].
You don’t have to memorize the above definitions. They will become familiar as you navigate the academic writing industry.
Use this list for reference any time you come across a term you don’t understand.
Did I leave out any common term? Tell me about it in the comment section below.
Now that you can talk like an academic writer;
Welcome to the community.