Tips on Academic Voice

When using the academic voice you won’t usually use first personal pronouns.

EXAMPLE

Instead of:

I think anyone who becomes a parent should have to take a parenting class.

Write: Parenting classes should be mandatory for any biological or adoptive parents.

NOTE: There are exceptions for certain types of writing assignments.

Avoid using second person pronouns.

EXAMPLE

Instead of:

When you read “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” you will realize that King was writing to people besides the ministers who criticized him.

Write: Upon reading “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” readers will note that King was addressing a wider audience than the clergy who condemned his actions.

Avoid contractions in more formal writing.

EXAMPLE

Instead of:

It shouldn’t be difficult to record what we feel, but many of us just can’t get our feelings down on paper.

Write: It should not be difficult to record feelings, but many people are unable to do so.

Avoid informal language.

EXAMPLE

Instead of:

It’s obvious that she’s a feminist because she makes a big deal about women who were into the suffrage movement.

Write: Because of her focus on the suffragists, one can assume she is a feminist.

Abbreviations for common terms should not be used in academic writing.

EXAMPLE

Instead of:

Smith was declared the official winner at the P.O. last Mon. on Jan. 6th.

Write: Smith was declared the official winner at the post office last Monday, on January 6.

LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS

Excelsior Online Writing Lab (OWL). Located at: https://owl.excelsior.edu/ . This site is licensed under a https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

License

ENG102 Contextualized for Health Sciences - OpenSkill Fellowship Copyright © 2022 by Compiled by Lori Walk. All Rights Reserved.

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