Module: Structure and language
Overall structure	A red thread	Academic language

Academic language is the handicraft of academia, and there is a great contrast between the language we use in everyday life and the language used in academic texts. Academic texts are recognised by their use of subject-specific language, since the readers are presumed to be familiar with the subject area. Each subject area will have its own terminology, and this is why it can be difficult to read an academic text on a subject you are unfamiliar with.

Subject-specific language

A subject-specific language is effective and precise. This means that you use terminology which is known and used within your subject area. This makes both reading and writing easier, as reduces the chance of misinterpretation. By using the subject-specific language in a correct way, you also show the reader your understanding of the subject area.

The word “I”

Each subject area has its preferred style of writing. One way in which they differ is in the degree to which they use the first person tense (i.e. "I" or "we"). Some subject areas will not use the first person at all, putting the writer firmly in the background (e.g. “The following text will examine…”). On the other hand, some prefer the first person, as it makes you as the writer seem like an active and clear subject in the text (e.g. “In this text, I will examine…”). The genre of the text will also influence whether it is acceptable to use this style or not. Some genres will tolerate, or even ask for, more subjectivity than others. By reading the literature within your field, you get an idea of which writing style is acceptable and commonplace. Ask your lecturer or supervisor if you are unsure.

Objectivity

Regardless of whether you use “I” or not, your academic language should always be objective. That something is “objective” doesn’t necessarily mean to not take a stance in the subject matter, but that you clearly show the basis for your argumentation and conclusion. This is what separates good argumentation from making assumptions. There is a difference between:

“I myself was read to as a child, and hence wanted to write a text about children’s literature”

and

“Being read to as child is important for the language development, and in this text I will examine how children’s literature can strengthen children’s vocabulary and understanding of language”.

In the first example, the writer, the “I”-person, is in focus, rather than the topic. In the second example, the argumentation is emphasised.

Active versus passive voice

There are two ways to use a verb in a sentence, called the active and passive voice. The active voice is when the one who does the action described by the verb is placed at the beginning of the sentence, for instance “Peter eats an apple”. The passive voice, on the other hand, focuses more on the result of the action described by the verb (in this case, how it affects the apple), like this: “The apple is eaten by Peter”. A lot of students and researchers use the passive voice a lot in their academic texts. Sometimes this is necessary, but excessive use of the passive voice makes the text “heavy” and difficult to read. Here, like always, variation is key.

The reader – who are you writing for?

A good piece of advice when you are writing is to adapt your text to a reader, a target audience. When you are writing academic texts, the reader might be on the same academic level as yourself, but they might not have the same specific knowledge that you as the writer have.

You might ask yourself these useful questions, in order to build a picture of who your audience is: Will the reader have knowledge of your field of research? What expectations might the reader have towards your text? How deep into the subject matter do you have to go in order for the reader to be able to understand the topic of your text? Does the reader have a previous understanding of your research question, and are they themselves involved in or interested in the subject area (if not, you might find yourself having to convince the reader)?

What to avoid

Subjective opinions and claims with no documentation and argumentation (I believe/think/claim/assume, etc. without a “because…”)
Words of attitude and judgement, without documentation and argumentation (“well done”, “brilliant”)
Linguistic imagery and metaphors that are not defined (“crazy about”, “dancing style”)
Ambiguous, interpretative words (“desire to move on”)
Assumptive words, rhetorical words assuming that the reader will agree ("Obviously", "clearly")
Using short everyday filler words ("Yep", "like")
Posing question that are not being answered in the text
Addressing the reader personally
The referencing of sources must always be done correctly. Academic texts differ from other text genres in that you most often use sources and references in the text. Being able to abide by good referencing practice is an essential part of academic writing. This means that you refer to the sources you have used in your text, and that you use the style of referencing which the task asks you to use.

Want to know more? Listen to the podcast episode "How to write well" by clicking on the picture below.