CAW LibGuides: Style and Register

An academic piece of writing should have an academic formal register (style).

A formal register is designed to establish an appropriate distance between the writer and the reader. It plays a crucial role in establishing the sense of authority, neutrality, and composure that is characteristic of academic writing. Compare the following paragraphs:

Informal: And when it comes to critical care, we are often the biggest provider of information to patients, relatives and other members of the interdisciplinary team. So, it’s really important that you’ve got the right skills and understanding needed for your job. With the right knowledge you can cut down on complications and make patient outcomes better.

Formal: Moreover, with regards to critical care, nurses are often the key provider of information to patients, relatives and other members of the interdisciplinary team. Therefore, it is essential that nurses acquire the relevant skills and understanding required of their role. With the correct knowledge the risk of complications can be reduced, whilst patient outcomes can be improved.

The second paragraph sounds much more erudite and scholarly than the first as it is written in a formal academic style.

Passive voice

Sentences in which the subject performs an action are said to be written in the active voice. Sentences in which the subject of the sentence has an action performed in relation to it are said to be in the passive voice. The passive voice is commonly used in academic writing when the writer wants to focus on the action (what) rather than the agent (who). Compare the following sentences, in which the subject is marked in red and the verb underlined:

Active voice: Hurricane Katrina damaged over 40% of houses in the port.

Passive voice: Over 40% of houses in the port were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Instead of ‘they say’, ‘I will explain x’, or ‘you can see x’ you could write ‘it is claimed that’, ‘x will be explained’, or ‘x can be seen’.

Contractions

Avoid using contractions (short forms) e.g. ‘it’s’, ‘don’t’, ‘won’t’, hasn’t’, or ‘can’t’. Instead, use the long form as it is generally considered to be more formal; e.g. ‘it is’, ‘does not’, ‘will not’, ‘has not’, or ‘cannot’.

Pronouns

The question of how to refer to yourself in your academic writing has no simple answer. Each discipline, and even departments within the discipline, have different conventions. 

Referring to yourself in the third person, for example: ‘the author found…’

Using first-person singular for example: ‘I have shown…’

Using first-person plural or ‘editorial we’ (a form which is used even where there is only one author), for example: ‘we will show that…’

Making no direct reference to yourself at all in your academic writing, for example: ‘it was argued above that…’

For this reason, it is important to familiarise yourself with the preference of your own department.

In contrast, it is generally accepted that directly addressing your reader is overly friendly and chatty, and should therefore be avoided. In the example paragraph at the start of this handout, replacing ‘you’ with ‘nurses’ makes the sentence clearer and more specific, and establishes an academic tone.

In some disciplines, such as in health studies and the arts, students are often required to write in a reflective style, drawing upon their own experiences, for example ‘I can now appreciate the role of the nurse in…’

In reflective writing it is acceptable to use terms such as ‘I’, ‘she’ and ‘he’.

Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs (multi-word verbs) are less common in academic writing. For example, instead of using the terms ‘take out’ and ‘put in’, the writer might use ‘extract’ and ‘insert’.

Although the tendency is to avoid using phrasal verbs, you may come across some within your studies – ‘to carry out research’ is a commonly used expression.

look into         →        investigate                break out       →        start

come over     →        approach                   carry on         →        continue

cut down       →        reduce                        look at           →        observe

Slang

Avoid using colloquial words and expressions or vague terms, for example:                     

stuff	lots of	a lot of	thing	a bit	about	sort of
kind of	great	really	huge	like	basically

 

Instead consider:

a bit                →  slightly, fairly, rather, somewhat

sort of/kind of  →  reasonably, relatively, rather, somewhat

lots of/a lot of  →  a number of, numerous, a significant/considerable number of

really/very      →  highly, extremely, exceptionally

like                  →  such as

Linking Words

Use linking words to help your writing sound more scholarly. Linking words will also help you to maintain flow and establish clear relationships between ideas.

Addition               = in addition, moreover, furthermore, additionally, along with

Cause and effect = as a result, consequently, therefore, thus, hence

Contrast               = however, in contrast, on the other hand, while, whereas

Illustration            = for example, for instance, such as, namely, including

Avoid using ‘and’, ‘so’ or ‘but’ at the beginning of sentences, and try to avoid using ‘etc.’ and ‘like’.

Proofreading

Proofreading is the final step in your revision process and differs from editing which should take place prior to proofreading.  Editing deals with more substantial revision such as whether your writing meets your brief criteria, and the structure and flow of your writing.  Proofreading focuses on the form/surface rather than the content/depth of your writing.  It is an identification and correction of mistakes process in such areas as grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Tips for proofreading

• Get some perspective: do not start proofreading immediately after having completed your work.
• Choose the best medium: print, desktop, tablet etc.
• Take regular breaks: Proofreading requires focused attention
• Use a systematic approach: write a list of your common errors and focus on one at a time.

Remember that the level of formality of academic writing can differ.  A case study may vary slightly from a dissertation. As a writer, it is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the different genres common to your subject. If in doubt, check with your personal tutor/supervisor.

The sentences below are all written in an informal style. Change them to make them sound more formal and scholarly.

1. There’s been quite a lot of interest in how background sounds like music affect your ability to concentrate.

2. But, about 45,000 new cases of breast cancer are found every year, making it a really common cancer in the UK.

3. And I will take a look at the effect of different grassland management practices.

4. Jones (2009) says that huge problems showed up soon after they implemented nursing best practice guidelines.

5. By the way, export figures won’t get better until the economy gets better.

6. In the past five years, they did studies which have looked at the effect of CBT on depression.

To view suggested answers, download the pdf file of this resource.

Bailey, S. (2006). Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students. Routledge

Brookes, I., and Marshall, D. (2004). Good Writing Guide: Practical advice for better writing. Chambers

CAW offers writing development workshops across all genres of academic writing, including:

• Academic Writing Style: Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them (aimed at undergraduate students)
• Writing Style and Language (aimed at postgraduate students)
• Sentence Construction: Writing Cohesively in your Academic Assignments
• Proofreading: Strategies too to Improve the Quality of your Writing

To view available workshops and book online visit: https://libcal.coventry.ac.uk/calendar/caw   

To book a one-to-one tutorial with the Centre for Academic Writing visit: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/cawlibcalhome