52 Academic Writing Tips

Academic Writing Guidelines

1. Pronoun Use and Inclusivity

Avoid First- and Second-Person Pronouns

First‑person (I, me, my, we) and second‑person (you) usually sound too personal for academic writing.

• ❌ Not appropriate: I think you can see that study groups help a lot.
• ✔ Academic: Study groups are associated with improved course performance.

Use Gender-Inclusive Language (Singular “they”)

When a person’s gender is unknown, use singular they/their. For more information, see APA Style: Singular They.

• ❌ Not inclusive: Each student must upload his homework by Friday.
• ✔ Inclusive: Each student must upload their homework by Friday.

2. Precision and Clarity

Avoid Vague Generalizers (“etc.,” “and so on”) and Ellipses (…)

Expressions such as “etc.” and “and so on” are imprecise. Use “and other […],” filling in the blank with a noun that identifies the type of items being listed.

• ❌ Imprecise: The survey asked about study habits such as reading, reviewing notes, completing practice problems, etc.
• ✔ Precise: The survey asked about study habits such as reading, reviewing notes, completing practice problems, and other common learning activities.

Avoid Absolutes and Superlatives

Words like all, every, never, always, absolutely and phrases like the most [..] leave no room for exceptions and may overstate claims. See the chapter on Hedging.

• ❌ Absolute: Every student learns best from recorded lectures.
• ✔ Hedged: Many students benefit from recorded lectures, especially for review.

3. Formal Tone and Vocabulary

Avoid Informal Vocabulary

Avoid informal expressions such as “a lot of,” “lots of,” and “really,” and expressions such as “gonna” or “wanna.” Instead, use precise, academic wording.

• ❌ Informal: The article had a lot of stuff that was really hard.
• ✔ Academic: The article presented several complex concepts.

Avoid Idioms and Proverbs

Idioms (e.g., “Tuition costs an arm and a leg”) and proverbs (e.g., “Every coin has two sides”) create an informal tone that is inappropriate for academic writing. Instead, use literal, straightforward language.

• ❌ Idiom: Some students bite off more than they can chew in the first month.
• ✔ Academic: Some students enroll in too many credits during the first month.

Avoid Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs often function as idioms. Replace them with single-word verbs when possible.

• ❌ Phrasal: First‑year students look up to senior students for advice.
• ✔ Formal: First‑year students admire senior students and seek their advice.

Avoid Contractions

Spell out words fully rather than using contractions such as “isn’t,” “aren’t,” “can’t,” “they’re,” and “it’s.”

• ❌ Contraction: It’s important that students don’t miss deadlines.
• ✔ Academic: It is important that students do not miss deadlines.

4. Sentence and Paragraph Structure

Avoid Questions to Present Key Points

Rather than posing a question and answering it, state the idea directly.

• ❌ Question + answer: Why do many students struggle with time management? Many students balance classes and work.
• ✔ Direct statement: Many students struggle with time management because they balance classes and work.

Avoid “Magazine-Style” Writing

• ❌ One‑sentence paragraph: Time management matters.
• ✔ Academic paragraph opener: Effective time management supports academic success by enabling regular study sessions and timely task completion.

Avoid Starting Sentences With “And,” “But,” or “So”

Use formal transitions (In addition, …; However, …) at the beginning of a sentence. Conjunctions (and, but, so) are fine within a sentence.

• ❌ Informal start: So students improved after the workshop.
• ✔ Formal start: Therefore, students improved after the workshop.
• Within a sentence (acceptable): The survey was completed on time, but the sample size was small.

Avoid Unnecessary Adverbs of Intensity

Avoid adverbs such as really, very, definitely, absolutely and phrases such as without a doubt, beyond a doubt, there can be no doubt. These expressions can make writing sound overly emotional.

• ❌ Intensifier: The results were really surprising.
• ✔ Precise: The results were unexpected.

Adapted from: Lane, J. & Lange, E. (1999). Writing Clearly: An Editing Guide, 2nd edition.