The introduction of the course Academic Writing and Presentation Skills (APPZ) into teacher training curricula has aimed to improve students’ academic writing in both Slovak and English. This paper presents an analysis of the Slovak final theses abstracts of graduates of Slovak language and literature in combination with English language and literature at the Faculty of Education of Trnava University, and submitted in 2023. The aim of the research is to examine selected linguistic and stylistic features of these abstracts in order to assess the impact of the curricular innovation on academic discourse. The analysis focuses on the use of passive constructions and authorial plural, nominalisation, syntactic condensation, lexical formality, and the use of specific terminology. In addition, the study explores the types of Slovak verbs (perfective vs. imperfective) and the use of hedging and boosting as linguistic strategies for expressing caution or emphasis. These features are examined both quantitatively and qualitatively, with attention paid to their frequency, function, and appropriateness in the academic context. The results of the research suggest that problematic aspects in abstracts include inconsistent use of passive voice and authorial plural. In addition, many abstracts contain anthropomorphised constructions, which are stylistically inappropriate in Slovak academic writing. Informal or subjective expressions, as well as vague or non-standard phrasing, can be characterised as other significant aspects that require further instruction. The findings of the research could influence the design of coursebooks and manuals aimed at academic discourse. At the Faculty of Education of Trnava University, all findings will contribute to the development of supporting materials for pre-service teachers.

Keywords: Academic style, teacher training, Slovak abstracts, academic discourse, linguistic analysis.