"Hyland's spotlighting of the differences between academic and everyday writing and of the disciplinary differences in academic writing provide invaluable information to those concerned with improving students' writing and, indeed, their own writing."--Barbara Townsend, Professor & Director, Center for Community College Research, University of Missouri-Columbia Ken Hyland explores the importance of writing in higher education, for both students and academics, by focusing on three elements: reputation, education and knowledge. In taking a social view of literacy, he presents some aspects of his research to argue that writing is at the heart of academic practice and that academic literacy cannot be understood simply as textual and psychological.