The purpose of academic writing is to communicate ideas clearly and concisely. The APA Manual discusses four main areas to consider when thinking about style in your paper: continuity, flow, conciseness, and clarity. We will look at each of these ideas and provide some examples. For more information, see Chapter 4 of the APA Manual 7th Edition.
Continuity refers to how your writing works together to create a coherent idea. Flow refers to the smoothness of sentences. Without continuity and flow in your writing, it will seem hard to understand and follow your ideas and your reader may discredit your argument. Here are some areas that can help you maintain continuity and flow in your writing.
Make sure to include transitions between sentences, paragraphs, or sections, especially when you are changing or building your argument. Transitions help your writing to sound less choppy and can help the reader connect ideas in your writing. Some useful transitions include
Noun strings are several nouns placed in a row, generally with one or more of the nouns acting as a modifier to a previous noun. These strings can be confusing and should be carefully considered.
Example: "preliminary online collegiate instructional methods survey results" could be changed to "preliminary results of an online survey of collegiate instructional methods"
Conciseness refers to how much of your writing is important and how much is fluff. You should attempt to have as little fluff as possible. Say only what you need to say. Clarity refers to how you describe ideas and procedures. Writing should be precise and clear. This will make your paper more readable and understandable. If you worry your paper is too short without fluff, that means you need to develop your ideas further. Here are some areas to consider to make your writing concise and clear.
Wordiness refers to using too many words to describe a topic. Your writing should avoid wordy descriptions in favor of simple, concise ones.
Example: "at the present time" is too wordy. "Now" is more concise.
Redundancy refers to using multiple words with the same or similar meaning. While many writers use redundancy to add emphasis, you should use sentence structure and other methods to add emphasis. The following are examples where the redundancy is unnecessary.
Example: They were both alike; in close proximity
The length of your sentences and paragraphs should be varied and there is no set rule. However, too many short sentences and paragraphs create a choppy feeling in your writing, while too many long sentences and paragraphs lead to confusion.
Unlike creative writing, scientific writing should not play too much with language. It should be straightforward and direct. However, it need not be dull. Using precise wording and rhetorical structures can help create a style and tone to your writing.
Contractions are shortened forms of words and phrases used often in informal speech and writing. These should be avoided and replaced with long-form versions. The only time it is appropriate to use a contraction is if you are quoting directly from another person or source.
Example: Use "cannot" not "can't"; use "were not" not "weren't"
Colloquialisms are informal words and phrases that are used in everyday speech and writing. These should be avoided because they disrupt the academic tone and may not be understood by everyone.
Example: Use "report" instead of "write up"
Jargon is the specialized vocabulary used in a specific field. While the words may be relevant to your writing, you should attempt to reduce the amount of jargon for clear language and explanations, especially if it is used euphemistically to replace a more commonly understood term.
Example: Use "recession" instead of "economic adjustment period"
When comparing two groups, ensure the comparison is logical and the structure is not ambiguous.
Example: "Twelve-year-olds were more likely to play with age peers than six-year-olds" is ambiguous because it is not clear whether the twelve-year-old were more likely to play with peers rather than six-year-old or if they were more likely to play with peers than the six-year-olds were. A small adjustment in language could fix this ambiguity: "twelve-year-olds were more like to play with age peers than six-year-olds were to play with age peers." While wordier, it is more logical and clear.
Anthropomorphism refers to using human descriptions for non-human animals or things. It should be avoided in scientific writing.
Example: "rat couples" implies a human romantic relationship, whereas "rat pairs" does not; "the theory concludes" implies the theory itself concluded, not the researcher, whereas "theory addresses" does not.
The APA Manual goes in-depth about various grammar rules it prefers or mandates. We will cover only a few important ones here. For more information, see Chapter 4 of the APA Manual 7th or on the APA website.
While both the active and passive voices are permitted, use the passive voice sparingly. The active voice is stronger and shows actions, whereas the passive voice is helpful when you want to highlight the object more than the subject.
Example:
Passive Voice: The patients were monitored by the nurses.
Active Voice: The nurses monitored the patients.
Do not use "we" to refer to people in general because it becomes unclear who you are including. Instead, specify which groups you mean.
Example:
"As nurses, we rely on" not "We rely on..."
"Researchers study..." not "We study..."
Always use "they" as a singular pronoun if a person refers to themself in this way. You can also use they as a singular pronoun if the gender of the person is unknown or unimportant and never use "he" or "she" for this reason and "he or she" only sparingly.
Example: Each person turned in their questionnaire.; They recited their poetry on stage.
If you feel the use of the singular they is awkward, rephrase the sentence so as not to use a pronoun.
Find more in the Reducing Bias section of this guide.