Recognising and understanding text types

What are text types?

A type of text is defined by the category of written text that it falls under. Different types of texts will have specific characteristics such as a particular type of content, structure and purpose. The text type is also something to consider when writing a text of your own.

You’ll encounter a variety of text types depending on what you are writing or studying. Scientific studies mean engaging with a lot of secondary source texts which cite, analyse and interpret different sources. On the other hand, you may also deal with primary sources directly – primary sources are the ‘original’ source. This means it might be a historical document or diary.

Even outside of research and academia, you’ll encounter different types of writing, such as letters and official documents.

Text types exist in English, German, French and every other language. When deciding on what type of text you’re reading, the language is less important – rather analyse the text’s format, style and purpose.

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What’s the difference between text type and text genre?

They’re the same right? Not quite. There are a few important differences to note.

The text type defines the purpose of communication – that means you can differentiate text types depending on the kind of information they convey. Let’s look at some examples:

• Informative texts: Reports, news, non-fiction texts
• Argumentative texts: Essays, commentaries, critiques
• Narrative texts: Narrations of events, novels and stories
• Descriptive texts: Describes a person, place or thing, such as a travel guide
• Persuasive/appellative texts: Speeches, advertisements, instructions

On the other hand, text genres specify the structure of the text within each text type. The genre is less about the text purpose, but rather the structure, style and context. To put it simply, a genre is a detailed sub-group within the different text types.

Here are some examples:

• Academic texts: Monographs, journals, critiques
• Communicative texts: Letters, emails, applications and editorial letters
• Literary texts: Poems, short stories, novels
• Journalistic texts: News reports, news stories and running commentaries
• Informational texts: Instructions/directions of use, specialist articles, encyclopaedic entries
• Legal texts: Legislation, court verdicts, contracts

What are the different types of text in academic writing?

Texts are published in a variety of forms and categorisations that fit a certain purpose. This section will talk you through three different text genres – fictional, academic or non-fictional, and journalistic texts.

1. Fictional texts.

Fictional texts can explore a variety of themes, capturing worlds and characters that deviate from reality. Fictional texts are often categorised based on structure and literary devices.

Here are some examples:

Ballads

• Mixed form of lyric and epic poetry
• Dramatic, often tragic story
• Structured in stanzas
• Frequent use of refrains

Drama

• Divided into acts and scenes
• Direct speech (dialogues, monologues)
• Stage directions
• Depiction of conflicts

Epic

• Lengthy, narrative poem
• Often in verse form
• Describes epic battles and heroic deeds
• Mythological background

Fable

• Animals with human/anthropomorphic characteristics
• Moral at the end
• Simple plot
• Instructive narrative

Poem

• In verse form
• Use of rhymes and rhythm
• Use of metaphors and imagery
• Concise language

Short Story

• Short, self-contained narrative
• Few characters
• Concise depiction
• Surprising or open ending

Novel

• Extensive
• Divided into chapters
• Complex plot and characters
• Often multiple themes and perspectives

Sonnet

• Consists of exactly 14 lines
• Follows a fixed rhyme scheme
• Written in iambic pentameter with five feet per line
• Often turns to a thematic or intellectual theme after the octave or the third quatrain (Volta)

2. Non-fictional texts.

The main goal of non-fictional texts is to inform or explore a specific topic – this might be professional, academic or more personal.

Depending on the text type, a non-fiction work will follow a certain structure. Let’s look at a few types of academic, non-fiction texts:

Abstract

• Summarises a scholarly text
• Summary of the most important results and statements
• Provides concise information about the content of a text
• Often found at the beginning of a scholarly article
• Length of around 150-300 words

Academic article

• Academic contribution to a specific topic
• Mostly published in specialist journals or edited volumes
• Independent arguments, contributions and analysis
• Clear structure: introduction, main body, conclusion
• Includes references and bibliography
• Length varies depending on the question and publication

Essay

• Shorter, argumentative text
• Subjective opinion with scholarly foundation
• Focus on a clearly defined topic
• Freer structure than other scholarly texts
• Often provocative or controversial
• Length approx. 2-5 pages

Exposé

• Planning document for a scholarly project
• Presentation that provides an overview of a research project
• Justification of the relevance and the question
• Method proposal and literature overview
• Timetable and work steps
• Length approx. 5-10 pages

Excerpt

• Summary of a longer text
• Highlighting the most important arguments and theses
• Serves as preparation for discussions or exams
• Objective reproduction without own interpretation
• Can be written in bullet points or continuous text
• Length short, often 1-3 pages

Research Report

• Presentation of research results
• Clear structure: introduction, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion
• Focus on objectivity and verifiability
• Detailed description of the applied methods
• Frequently in natural and social sciences
• Length varies greatly

Handout

• Summary of the most important points of a lecture or presentation
• Supports the understanding of what is heard
• Mostly in bullet points
• Contains important data, quotations and literature references
• Distributed at the end of a presentation
• Length is usually around 1-2 pages

Commentary

• Statement or assessment on a current topic or a specific situation
• Subjective perspective, often presenting an argument
• Length varies depending on the publication

Literary Review

• Overview of the current state of research on a topic
• Summary and critical evaluation of academic literature
• Focuses on identifying any research gaps
• Systematic structure
• References secondary literature rather than own research
• Length varies based on requirements

Monograph

• Usually one author
• Detailed investigation of a specialised single topic or research area
• Based on extensive research and data
• Presentation of own research results or comprehensive literature evaluation
• Length varies depending on the field, usually from 100 pages upwards

Minutes

• Documentation of meetings, experiments or events
• Objective and precise record of the events
• No interpretation or analysis
• Chronological structure
• Often in bullet points or tabular form
• Length short, 1-3 pages

Review

• Critical evaluation of a scholarly work (book, article etc.)
• Summary of the content
• Analysis of the argumentation and methodology
• Personal statement of the reviewer
• Concise and precise language
• Length approx. 2-10 pages

Journal Article

• Scholarly article in a specialist journal
• Includes original research results, reviews or theoretical discussions
• Peer-review process for quality control
• Detailed literature references and methodology
• Broad readership within a specialist area
• Length varies

3. Journalistic texts.

Journalistic texts such as magazine articles aim to inform, comment on and analyse current topics and themes. It’s good to know how to recognise the following journalistic text types:

News item

• Short, factual account
• Fact-oriented, without the opinion of the authors
• Answers the W-questions: Who, what, when, where, why, how?
• Direct, neutral style

Report

• More detailed account than a news item
• Objective and fact-based
• Background information and contexts are explained
• Often written in the past tense

Interview

• Dialogue form
• Reproduction of questions and answers
• Direct quotes from the person interviewed
• Can be factual or personal, depending on the goal of the interview

Commentary

• Subjective opinion of the authors
• Argumentatively structured
• Usually provides an opinion or statement on a current topic
• Often critical or polemical tone

Polemic commentary

• Short, pointed expression of opinion
• Originally a method to debate philosophical matters
• Humorous or satirical
• Subjective and exaggerated representation of belief or opinion
• Refers to current events or topics

Editorial

• Statement of the editorial board on a current topic
• Usually on the front page of a newspaper
• Argumentative and opinionated
• Often offers a spin, tailored to the target readership

Feature Article

• Creative and in-depth reporting
• Mixture of journalistic and literary techniques
• Often a specific topic or event is treated in detail
• Use of figurative and stylistic devices

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Recognising text types – what to look for.

Analysing and recognising different types of writing requires you to pay attention to two things – internal and external criteria.

With a little practice, it’ll get easier to tell the different text types apart. Pay close attention to the following characteristics:

• How is the text structured? Does the text have a clear introduction, main body and conclusion like an academic work or is it sectioned off into chapters and paragraphs like a book?
• What’s the focus of the text? For example, is it an analysis of a literary work in the form of a critique or is it a presentation of research in the form of a report.
• What’s the text’s style? Is it factual and precise like an academic text or is it creative and loaded with emotion like a novel?
• What’s the purpose of the text? Decide whether the text should inform, debate, entertain or stimulate thought.

Text types exist in English, German, French and every other language. When deciding on what type of text you’re reading, the language is less important – rather analyse the text’s format, style and purpose.

Internal text criteria.

As the criteria name suggests, these characteristics are found within the text itself. By looking at the text, you’ll get clues as to how it’s structured and which linguistic and content-specific elements have been used. For internal text criteria, consider the:

• Structure. What are the building blocks of the text? For example, a novel could have a defined introduction, main body, conclusion or contents page in a novel.
• Content. What themes are explored in the text? Topics could be purely academic or outline a life story.
• Linguistic style. What kind of language is used? Is it conversational, factual or creative?
• Stylistic devices. Check if any stylistic devices have been used such as metaphors, technical terms or ironic language.

External text criteria.

On the other hand, external text criteria may not be so obvious, as they are not found directly in the text. It’s all about context – how was the text created or how is it supposed to be consumed?

External text criteria can be determined by analysing the following:

• Text purpose and function. Why was the text written? What goal does it have? For example, does it aim to inform, entertain or persuade?
• Target audience. Who is the text written for? For professionals and experts, the general public or children?
• Format. What medium is used to distribute the text? It could be print media, digital media or spoken word.

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