2. Basic elements of writing
2.3. Audience
Since you are writing for college courses, you already know that professors do not all
have the same requirements for their assignments. A biology professor may want a different style of writing than a history professor does.
There is an old saying from the military that “terrain determines tactics,” and this adage proves true with writing. If you think of each person or group of people you are writing
to (your audience) as having certain characteristics—values, attitudes, intelligence, and biases—this will take you a long way toward using the right “tactics” to get a good grade,
earn a promotion at your job, or influence your community about a certain issue.