Matters of tone and style

While language in general is quite dynamic, changing under myriad influences such as current events and culture, media, and economics, what is written for professional and/or academic purposes tends to adhere more consistently to established conventions. This is true because writing must be durable and transcend the distance between writer and audience. To that end, effective academic writing is characterized by its impersonal and objective tone and style.

These conventions are apparent in academic literature. Researchers acknowledge the work of previous scholars and build upon what has previously been documented by citing sources and using references following a well-established and recognized system. The organization of material – for example, the typical introduction-methods-results-discussion pattern of many research papers – serves to both bridge the distance and pay homage to academic standards.

Precise language is simple and literal. Forms of figurative language like clichés, metaphors, figurative comparisons, figures of speech, and other “slang”, “poetic” or “literary” devices are subject to broad interpretation and weaken professional efforts to persuade readers.

In much research writing, the aims comprise observing, analyzing, and synthesizing facts. What is observed is situated in context; information is structured as persuasion, using precise language, evidence, data, proofs, case studies, testimony, and logical reasoning to help the reader place ideas in the same context. Sometimes research writing involves solving a problem. Presenting the problem and possible solution(s) also tends to use a persuasive structure.

Objectivity, removing biases and preconceived notions from the reporting, is highly valued in research writing and supports the aim of persuasion. Successful research writing maintains an objective tone and academic voice through succinct vocabulary, accurate grammar structures and focus on message.

The third-person stance is preferred to maintain an objective focus. The use of the first-person style closes the distance between writers and readers; the result undermines the goal of persuasion with evidence. Similarly, the use of second-person referents (you, your, yours) is problematic because either it implies that the author is speaking directly to the reader, which closes the author/reader distance (in the same way “I” does), or it means something like “people in general,” which is less precise.^[1]

In terms of content, research writing is marked by the presence of a clear, purposeful, and well-developed message; credible evidence; and a systematic presentation of that support. The following terms explain these common  qualities of academic writing.

Thesis: Academic research projects are organized around a point or a “thesis” that members of the intended audience would not already accept as “common sense.” What an audience accepts as “common sense” depends a great deal on the audience, which is why what “counts” as academic research varies from field to field. In any case, readers want to learn something new: a genuine introduction or a unique interpretation of the issue or evidence.

Evidence: Academic research projects rely almost exclusively on evidence to support a point. While other means of persuasion, such as appeals to emotion and logic are deployed in writing for general consumption, readers of academic research writing are more likely to be  persuaded by compelling evidence. The sources of this evidence include journal articles and books, newspapers, and many other kinds of documents; Internet references like web pages, information from databases, and other Internet-based forums; and field research (e.g., interviews, experiments, surveys).

Citations: Academic research deploys a systematic citation process that details the origins of the evidence.