While general principles specific to academic writings exist, there are also some structural and functional differences specific to the genre of text. Therefore, it is very important to consider the language and expression characteristics specific to the text genre in academic writing courses. In this context, one of the text genre that should be emphasized is the letter to the editor. A letter to the editor, which generally criticizes an article, responds to such criticism, or clarifies controversial issues in the field, has some differences from other text types in terms of both content and style. The aim of the current study is to determine the content, language and expression characteristics of letters to the editor published in peer-reviewed journals. In the qualitative case model, the document analysis method was used. 100 letters to the editor included in the TR Index database and published in Turkish were chosen as the research object of the research. The data were analyzed by qualitative content analysis and discourse analysis techniques. It has been determined that current scientific developments are mentioned, controversial issues are clarified and new research topics are suggested in the letters to the editor. In the study, it was concluded that letters to the editor are important in the context of academic discussion culture and academic writing socialization. It is expected that this study will contribute to genre-oriented academic writing education.
Academic writing, writing education, academic discussion culture, academic writing socialization, letter to the editor.