Written sentences do have voices, sounds strange? It is even more odd to know there is a debate on which is considered better “passive or active voice” in writing. Both of these structures are widely used in all kinds of communication be it written or spoken. But it is important to consider that each voice has different uses. If you want to be clearer in your writing, you must understand the use of active and passive voice in academic writing.
Active and Passive Voice
Active voice is when the subject does the action and passive voice occurs when the subject receives the action. Active voice is easier to read and more clear but passive sentence can highlight the result or the process.
Understanding the difference between active vs passive voice grammar is useful to know when to use each in academic writing.
For example:
- Active voice: “Researchers examined the data”
- Passive voice: “The data were examined by researchers”
Why Both Voices Matter in Academic Writing
Using active or passive voice serves a purpose.
- Active voice gives clarity, enables accountability, and is typically more concise, ensuring arguments is stronger and easy to follow
- Passive voice gives the writing style objectivity, establishes a formal tone, and draws attention to the results rather than the researcher.
Understanding when to use passive voice in academic writing may help balance clarity and precision.
Active Voice in Academic Writing
Active voice is generally preferred in thesis statements, arguments, discussions, and persuasive writing because it keeps ideas clear and direct, creates shorter sentences with stronger claims, and engages the reader.
Example: the active voice sentence “We tested the hypothesis” is a more concise way of phrasing than passive voice.
Researchers highlight their positions to make their arguments persuasive by improving academic writing with active voice. Seeing academic writing voice examples shows how active voice can improve clarity and accountability in the academic work.
Passive Voice in Academic Writing
In methods, results, or history writing, the passive voice is suitable because it takes the attention away from who did what, allowing the writing to take on a more formal and objective tone.
For example: “The samples were stored at 4°C.” This is why you will see a lot of passive voice in research papers and passive voice examples in scholarly articles about science and technical fields.
Active vs Passive Voice: Which Should You Choose?
Neither voice is inevitably better. It depends upon what you want to emphasize in your research writing. Think whether you want to stress the researcher, or the outcome, that will help you decide which voice to use.
While active voice works well to support arguments and discussions, passive voice may read better in methods or results.
In general, the best thing is to vary your writing, and use each voice when it would make the writing clearer and focused.
In Summary
Both active and passive voice are useful tools to ensure clarity and precision in your academic work. Choose the voice based on what you intend to focus on, the researcher or the result. Mastering active and passive voice in academic writing help you improve both style and impact of your work.
At Master Assignment Writer, we specialise in helping students learn how to use active and passive voice, and more importantly delivering assignments that shine.
