Academic Writing
As a university student, you are expected to use an academic writing style. This style differs from other styles, e.g. literary or journalistic styles. Each writing style corresponds to a specific goal and target group. Academics have to write accurately and objectively.
Whether you are writing an academic article or a blog, you should make sure every text is polished up. This section deals with different ways to make your text more readable. You do not have to be a born writer to use them.
1. Replace empty words
Empty words are meaningless on their own. Examples are ‘structure’, ‘factor’, ‘development’, ‘aspect’, ‘element’ and ‘dimension’. An adjective such as ‘economic’ or ‘crucial’ gives an empty word some meaning.
When writing, try to be concise. For example, you can say a ‘proposal with a formal character’ or a ‘formal proposal’. The second is easier to read. Consult Donkers, Markhorst and Smits (2012, p. 101) for an overview of ‘cumbersome expressions’ (for example, ‘in the event that’) and more concise alternatives (‘if’). (This book is in Dutch).
2. Split long sentences into shorter ones
Long sentences are harder to read than short sentences. If you tend to string multiple sentences together with commas, replace them with full stops. You can occasionally add a subordinate clause, but not to every sentence. Do not use more than one subordinate clause in one sentence.
3. Only use abbreviations in exceptional circumstances
Abbreviations are obstacles in a text, primarily because the reader has to think about their meaning (for example, ‘n.b.’ or ‘viz’). You should write these out in full as much as possible. The first time you mention an organisation (such as the CBS and the IMF), you must state the full name followed by the abbreviation in square brackets. The second time you mention the organisation, you can use the abbreviation. The reader now knows what it means.
However, there are exceptions. Some abbreviations are better known than the term written out in full. Examples of this in Dutch are AOW (old-age pension), BTW (VAT) and HAVO (Dutch higher general secondary education). By using the term ‘higher general secondary education’, the text becomes less readable. Decide for yourself which is easier for the reader.
4. Your text should not contain spelling or grammatical mistakes
A text full of spelling and/or grammatical mistakes is irritating. These errors distract the reader from the content. During this degree programme we will not be providing you with any instructions or information on this topic. If spelling and grammar are not your strong points, make sure you spend some time improving these skills yourself. There are lots websites and books that can help you. Lecturers rely on students consulting these sources if necessary.
Incorrect translations are annoying. If you are not sure how to translate, consult a dictionary.
- ‘Global’ doesn’t mean ‘globaal’ in Dutch, it means ‘mondiaal’.
- ‘Raw materials’ are not ‘ruwe materialen’ in Dutch, but ‘grondstoffen’.
- ‘Population’ is ‘bevolking’ in Dutch, not ‘populatie’.
Three important aspects of academic writing:
It is important that the text is neutral. As a writer, you want your findings to be taken seriously and considered as facts. For that reason, it is not a good idea to allow your personal conviction to shine through. Your opinion must be secondary.
Academics use a number of tricks to write objective texts. For example, they only use the personal pronouns ‘I’ and ‘we’ in exceptional circumstances.
An exception to this rule is the preface and postface; here, you can use ‘I’ and ‘we’. The same applies to opinion-based essays.
A second trick for writing an objective text is to use the passive voice. A sentence in the passive voice is constructed using ‘to be + past participle’ and the subject is dropped. By leaving out the subject (of an active sentence), the text becomes more impersonal. The examples below illustrate this change.
| Passive | Active |
| The exam was marked within a week. | The lecturer marked the exam within a week.. |
The passive voice ensures that the researcher stays in the background. But if every sentence is formulated this way, the text becomes boring. Try to alternate between the passive and active voice. Below are some examples of both voices.
| Passive voice | Active voice |
| In chapter 4 the results will be discussed. | In chapter 4 we will discuss the results. |
| In the media there is speculation about… | The media speculate about… |
| It can be assumed that… | It can be assumed that… |
| By extension it can be concluded that… | In conclusion… |
Incidentally, you do not make a sentence more active by using ‘one’. ‘In the media one speculates about…’ is just as impersonal as the sentence in the passive form. Keep this in mind when you are reviewing your text. If necessary, rewrite some sentences.
An academic writing style is also a formal writing style. It is inappropriate to use colloquial language. So, write ‘the mayor was satisfied with the result’ rather than ‘the mayor was over the moon’, or ‘the result was worse than expected’ rather than ‘the result was a huge disappointment’. Informal language does not fit with the purpose of an academic text. If you want to amuse the reader, write a column.
Even when writing in a formal style, there is a difference between texts which are a pleasure to read and ones that are annoying. So, try to avoid using elaborate words. These are relatively unknown words for which there is often a more commonly used synonym. It is worth noting that opinions differ on what an elaborate word is. The table below gives a number of examples.
| Elaborate word | Simpler alternative |
| turbulent episode | unsettled period |
| persist | continue |
| ambiguous | uncertain |
| inhabitation | occupation |
| catastrophic | disastrous |
Elaborate words are not the same as academic terminology (or jargon). Often, there is not a good alternative for an academic term. For example, there is no other word that conveys the full meaning of ‘segregation’. In such cases, you should explain the term. For example: ‘In Los Angeles there are a number of enclaves. These are neighbourhoods where a certain cultural group is overrepresented. Think of it as an island in a city where a different culture is dominant’ (Knox & Marston, 2007, p. 429). You should also look online for synonyms.
An academic text is no place for ambiguities. Therefore, replace words such as ‘more’, ‘formerly’, ‘sometimes’ and ‘in certain locations’ with a precise description. For example: ‘An increase of ten percent,’ ‘before the fall of the wall’,’weekly’ and ‘in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants’.