Academic English is the type of English that's used by researchers and educational institutions, and it's more complex and more formal than everyday English. It's commonly used in written text at the university level, including textbooks, papers written by students, and in verbal form when used in presentations by both professors and students. Academic English can feel like a new language when you see it for the first time, even if English is your native language. It tends to contain heavy use of industry-specific terminology, and it includes a lot of citations when it's used in the written form.
It's important for you to learn academic English to improve the quality of your written academic papers and to increase your scores. It can also help increase your confidence, knowing your written work is prepared at a college level and that everything you claim in your papers has a source that's properly cited. If you have to give a presentation in class or in a professional setting, using academic English increases your credibility, adds an air of authority to your presentation, and enhances your professionalism. Learning academic English is also necessary for writing compelling research papers that you will submit for acceptance in peer-reviewed journals.
Some career opportunities that can arise from learning academic English include teaching, working as a writer creating white papers and other types of business copy, and essay and research paper writing for various fields. Due to the fact that studying this type of formal English may help you improve your written and spoken grammar, it can help you advance in any field of study and in almost any career you choose to pursue.
Online courses on Coursera can help you learn academic English through the basics of written English, such as how to effectively use punctuation, and more advanced topics, such as writing and publishing a scientific paper. You can also learn academic English for specific fields, including technology, science, mathematics, and engineering.