Academic Writing Conventions
Academic writing follows conventions that make arguments precise, impersonal, and evidence-based. Mastering these conventions is essential for university essays, research papers, and professional reports.
Key features of academic writing
Academic writing is characterised by formality, precision, objectivity, and evidence-based argument. It avoids casual language, unsupported claims, and the overuse of personal pronouns.
1. Formal vocabulary
Choose formal or technical words over conversational equivalents.
| Informal | Academic / formal |
|---|---|
| get | obtain, acquire, achieve |
| show | demonstrate, illustrate, indicate |
| find out | determine, establish, ascertain |
| think | argue, contend, suggest, posit |
| a lot of | a significant number of, considerable |
2. Hedging language
Hedging qualifies claims to avoid overstating certainty. Academic writing rarely makes absolute statements.
It appears that… · The data suggest… · This may indicate…
It could be argued that… · There is some evidence to suggest…
These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that…
3. Passive voice and impersonal structures
Academic writing often uses passive voice to focus on the research rather than the researcher.
The participants were interviewed over a period of six weeks.
It was found that the results contradicted earlier studies.
A distinction can be drawn between the two approaches.
4. Citation language
When referring to sources, specific reporting verbs are used depending on the strength and nature of the claim.
| Verb | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| argues / contends | Strong claim | Smith (2020) argues that… |
| suggests / proposes | Tentative claim | Jones (2019) suggests that… |
| demonstrates / shows | Evidence-based | The data demonstrate that… |
| acknowledges / admits | Concession | Brown (2021) acknowledges that… |
| challenges / disputes | Counter-argument | Lee (2018) challenges this view… |
5. Avoiding contractions and colloquial language
Never use contractions (don't, it's, we'll) in academic writing. Avoid phrasal verbs where possible, and never begin sentences with "And", "But", or "So" in formal essays.
Avoid first person overuse: "I think…" and "I believe…" weaken academic argument. Prefer "This essay argues…", "It can be seen that…", or "The evidence suggests…" to maintain objectivity.
Signposting: Use discourse markers to guide the reader: "Furthermore, …", "In contrast, …", "As a result, …", "To summarise, …". These improve the coherence and professionalism of your writing.