Writing quality: a literature review for a theoretically grounded proposal for a complex, dynamic, multidimensional and contextualized definition

Abstract

This research aims to explore the concept of ‘quality of writing’ through a theoretical review and, subsequently, propose a de-finition for this notion. Adopting a constructivist paradigm, we developed an exhaustive literature review. The analysis sample consisted of 69 scientific research articles about writing quali-ty. Among the main results, we highlight that the reviewed stu-dies have been mainly focused on the evaluation of teaching interventions and the association of variables related to writing. Furthermore, we found, on the one hand, that writing quality and its evaluation are primarily associated with observable and normative aspects of written production; on the other hand, that the essay is the most analyzed genre. We have noted that few studies have provided a definition for ‘quality of writing’. As a central conclusion, we proposed our own definition of ‘wri-ting quality’.