Academic Writing in Higher Education: A PRISMA-Guided Systematic Literature Review of Pedagogical Approaches, Challenges, Genre Practices, and Emerging Trends
Abstract
Academic writing is a cornerstone of higher education, serving as a medium for knowledge construction, disciplinary communication, and scholarly dissemination. Despite extensive research, existing studies remain fragmented across pedagogical approaches, writing challenges, genre practices, and emerging technological developments. This study addresses this gap through a PRISMA-guided Systematic Literature Review (SLR) that synthesizes contemporary evidence on academic writing in higher education. Guided by four research questions, the review systematically identified, screened, and evaluated studies retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases using the PRISMA framework. Following rigorous screening, eligibility assessment, and quality appraisal, 18 high-quality empirical studies published between 2021 and 2026 were included in the final analysis. The findings were organized into four major themes: (1) academic writing pedagogy, (2) challenges and perceptions, (3) academic writing genres and rhetorical features, and (4) emerging trends and collaborative practices. The review reveals that pedagogical innovation—including discipline-specific writing instruction, curriculum integration, peer-assisted learning, and writing support programmes—remains the dominant research focus. Persistent challenges such as writing anxiety, plagiarism, language proficiency, and academic conventions continue to influence students' writing performance, while genre awareness enhances disciplinary communication. Furthermore, artificial intelligence (AI), collaborative writing, and scholarly writing communities are transforming academic writing practices and expanding opportunities for teaching and learning. Overall, this review demonstrates that academic writing is a multidimensional construct shaped by pedagogical, psychological, rhetorical, and technological factors. The study contributes a comprehensive synthesis of current scholarship and offers evidence-based implications for educators, researchers, policymakers, and higher education institutions seeking to strengthen academic writing instruction and inform future research directions.