Writing in Academic Tone

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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Recognizing Tone

Let's look at a couple of examples to recognize differences in tone.

First, consider a parent saying the following things:

• How would you feel in the first scenario?
• How would you feel in the second?

The differences in the mood each interaction creates is the tone.

When you write academically, the tone needs to be more professional than personal writing because you are trying to present yourself as having the authority to speak on whatever issue you are addressing.

This means detaching yourself a little more than you would in, say, a personal narrative essay or a personal opinion essay.

Let's take a look at an example of this difference:

• What differences in tone do you notice?
• What specific word choices contribute to the tone of each piece?
• Which one does a better job of convincing readers? How?

Consider Your Audience

Tone and audience go hand in hand. In other words, your audience informs what kind of tone you should use in your writing.

In academic writing, your audience is often your teacher and classmates in a literal sense, but it should be imagined that it is also experts in the field about which you are writing or other intelligent people interested in learning more about the information you are presenting.

Imagine more of a TED talk audience rather than an argument with your friends over pizza.

Comparing Formal and Informal Writing Styles

Both informal and formal writing styles have their place! But in the classroom, you'll usually find yourself writing academic essays in a formal style.

Watch Formal vs Informal Writing: What's the Difference and When to Use Them, from EzineArticles, to understand how different tones are better suited for different audiences and purposes:

Tips for Establishing Academic Tone

These tips will help you edit your writing quickly to ensure you're using an appropriate tone for academic essays and assignments.

Write them down in your notebook or save them to your computer for easy reference when you need them.

• Avoid directly addressing your reader. Until you become very comfortable with academic language, it is best to write in third person (many teachers require it).

• Avoid using contractions (e.g. it's, can't, should've, etc.). These constructions establish a more casual tone than is generally appropriate in academic writing.

• Use first-person pronouns sparingly and with careful consideration.

• Avoid casual or conversational phrases. If it sounds like your train of thought put on paper, you might want to revise until it sounds a little less personal. You don't want to write like a robot, but your essay shouldn't read like a diary entry either.

• Text abbreviations are almost never acceptable. Do not use numbers in place of letters, replace "you" with "u," or use acronyms like "btw."

• Consulting sources is generally a good idea, even if it isn't assigned as a research paper. It helps to establish credibility. Just be sure to cite the sources you use appropriately! An online citation generator, like Scribbr, takes the guesswork out of all the confusing rules of MLA and APA styles.

When you are ready to test your knowledge, move on to the Got It? page to find out how well you've mastered academic tone!