Style - Use Academic Writing Style

• Some rules for formal academic writing.
  • Not all of them apply in all majors.
  • For example, Engineering is usually stricter on using “I” than Education.

Do not use “I”

• I will argue -> “This essay argues”
• I am going to show -> “This essay has showed”
• When I went to Okinawa -> “WHen the author went to Okinawa”
• I chose this topic because I -> “This topic was chosen because the author”
• “I” is OK in SOME majors’ academic writing IF YOU ARE RESEARCHING YOURSELF e.g. Education (“In my class”)

Do not use “you” or “we”

Unless you mean EVERYONE:

• “We did a survey” No - the reader is not included in group that did survey
• “We must protect the planet” OK, all human readers are included
• “After that, you should look at” No, don’t talk to the reader directly
• “When you study English, you also learn culture” Only OK if ALL readers are students of English
• It’s safer just to avoid “we” and “you” completely.
  • Use passive (“A survey was done”, “must be protected”, “should be looked at”)
  • Use third person (“The authors did a survey”, “People should protect”, “Future researchers should look at”
  • Use “it is” (“It is necessary to protect”, “It is recommended to look at”

No digits under 10 without units

• Use words for 1-9 (“one two three”)
• Use numbers for 10+ (“10, 11, 12”)
• However
  • Start sentences with words (“Twelve” or “Around 12”)
  • Numbers with units OK ($3, 8 hours, 5 years old)
  • Don’t mix (8-10, not 8-ten)
  • For more, read this

Do not use abbreviations

• ~~don’t, won’t, can’t, isn’t, he’s~
• do not, will not, cannot, is not, he is

Do not use anonymous sources

• Many people think
• It is thought that
• It is said that
• Instead SAY WHO SAID IT

No opinion adjectives

• Just give the facts, not your attitude to them.
  • obviously
  • surprisingly
  • amazingly
• It is your READERS job to decide if the idea is clear or amazing.
• See this article

No rhetorical questions (“Do you know the red panda?”)

• A rhetorical question is one you answer yourself.
• “Why is the panda extinct? Well, mostly because…”
• These are OK in lectures/presentations, not formal academic essays