'The balance struck in this volume between discussion of theory and reports on and suggestions for practice make it an invaluable collection for all those engaged in researching and teaching academic writing. Most of the contributions present work influenced by systemic functional linguistics, but the collection will also be of interest to those adopting alternative approaches.' Martin Hewings, Senior Lecturer, English Department, University of Birmingham and Co-Editor, English for Specific Purposes. This book presents international research by renowned linguists and second language experts across different languages on issues surrounding academic writing. Academic writing is an essential resource for students entering tertiary education. Each discipline has its standards of acceptable academic and pedagogic discourse, and the essays collected in this volume analyse how these vary according to relations between academic writing and the social, cultural and educational context in which