What type of language is preferred in research writing

Academic writing is explicit in several ways. First and foremost, it means that there is a clear presentation of ideas in the paper.

The text should have a well-organized structure and be easy for the reader to follow. One way to accomplish clarity and structure in your text is through the use of signposts. Signposts are words and phrases that you can use in your text in order to guide the reader along.

Signposting can be divided into two different categories: major signposting and linking words and phrases. Major signposting is used to signal key aspects of the work, such as the purpose of an academic paper and its structure. Some examples of major signposting:. Linking words and phrases create coherence and give the reader directions by marking transitions between sentences and paragraphs.

Some examples of linking words and phrases:. However, … Firstly, For example … … because …. Read more about signposting. Being explicit in your writing also means that you are not vague but rather very specific in the presentation of ideas, numbers and years. Being specific helps add precision to your writing.

See this chart for examples of what it means to be vague or specific in your writing. If English is not your first language you may encounter certain difficulties when writing academically. This section deals with some of the most common pitfalls. If you learn what your problems are it becomes easier to avoid them and thereby become a better writer. The basic rule is that a singular subject takes a singular verb while a plural subject takes a plural verb. Be aware of noun phrases with post-modifiers.

More rules and examples. Some words may look very similar but have very different meanings. Note that this kind of mistake is not discovered by the spellchecking function of your word processor. In order to avoid these types of mistakes it is recommended that you consult a dictionary.

It is important to be aware that writing correct English is not just about using the right words but also includes sentence structure and punctuation. The use of punctuation differs between languages; an example is the upside-down question mark at the beginning of interrogative sentences in Spanish. But there are also smaller differences such as the use of commas and the way quotation marks look. You may use punctuation and with that, sentence length, to create variation in your writing.

If all your sentences are very short or very long the reading becomes somewhat tedious. However, be careful so that you do not create run-on sentences. These occur when two independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation or connecting word. A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence and therefore it cannot stand on its own. A complete sentence has a subject and a verb and consists of one thought.

Sentence fragments may be fixed by incorporating them into the sentence that holds the main clause, changing the punctuation or by extending the fragment into a full sentence. It is used when writing for professional or academic purposes like university assignments. Informal language is more casual and spontaneous. It is used when communicating with friends or family either in writing or in conversation.

It is used when writing personal emails, text messages and in some business correspondence. The tone of informal language is more personal than formal language. Informal: The mob was very rowdy during the protest against cuts to university funding. Formal: The crowd was very rowdy during the protest against the cuts to university funding. Informal: Lecturers still count on students to use correct grammar and punctuation in essays. Formal: Lecturers expect students to use correct grammar and punctuation in essays.

Answer: What matters the most in scientific writing is clarity. Answered by Editage Insights on 30 Mar, Resources for authors and journals.

Upvote this Answer 3 Comment. Answer this question. Ask a new question. This content belongs to the Manuscript Writing Stage Translate your research into a publication-worthy manuscript by understanding the nuances of academic writing. No Yes. Show comments. The language used at university has various features which distinguish it from the language styles used in other contexts.

Consider the language used in novels, conversation, newspapers or law courts. Each has its own style, with varying degrees of formality and objectivity. Academic language is:. These features ensure that ideas and arguments are communicated in a clear, convincing and professional manner. Note: Writing conventions vary even within faculties, so it is best to ask your lecturer or tutor for the specific writing expectations of individual units.

The tone used in academic writing is usually formal, meaning that it should not sound conversational or casual. You should particularly avoid colloquial, idiomatic, slang, or journalistic expressions in favour of precise vocabulary. Informal and colloquial language is often imprecise, so is open to misinterpretation, and can be inaccessible to non-native English speakers.

Academic writing requires that you use full forms rather than contractions. These results are really quite good. The model fits very well with the data points, as indicated by the R 2 values of 0.

But the method used to obtain the best values for a, b, and c wasn't efficient as it involved putting lots of values into an Excel spreadsheet over and over to try and get the lowest R 2 value. In general, academic writing is objective.