A university like Dalhousie is comprised of a hundred or
more academic communities, usually referred to as disciplines or
sub-disciplines. Each discipline is different in the topics they find
interesting, the way they go about studying that interest, and the kinds
of knowledge that they see as important. The writing done in the disciplines
reflects these different interests and world views. An academic English paper
isn’t written as a biologist would write a paper, nor is a history paper
acceptable in a business discipline such as organizational behaviour. Each
discipline, then, establishes the way “the academic paper” (essay, research
paper, discussion paper, etc.) will present the material. These pages will provide advice and examples to help you figure out what is appropriate for each of your courses.