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Scholarly Writing
Scholarly voice is a writing style that is clear, precise, and unbiased. It is intended for an academic audience and characterized by a professional tone and the use of evidence to support claims.
Writing that is clear, precise, objective, and well-supported signifies expertise. Readers are more likely to perceive writers who use a scholarly voice as reliable experts who have approached their research with care and integrity.
Adhering to norms around academic expression and presentation demonstrates professionalism and respect for members of the scholarly community.
Writing as clearly and precisely as possible ensures that your writing will be easily understood by a wide audience.
Adopting a scholarly voice may not come naturally at first but—with time and practice—writing clearly, precisely, and objectively will come more easily. Here are some tips for cultivating a scholarly voice.
As a Walden scholar, you are typically writing for an academic audience—fellow scholars who are invested in original, well-researched scholarship. This audience will approach your writing with certain expectations around professionalism and appropriate use of evidence.
Audience
A scholarly tone means conveying a clear, objective, and formal attitude towards your subject matter. Achieving a scholarly tone will ensure that your writing uses direct, neutral, and professional language.
Tone
To develop a scholarly voice, choose simple words that capture your meaning as precisely as possible. Using academic diction, or word choice, is one way to practice writing with precision. Avoiding anthropomorphism, or the attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman entities, can also help you write more clearly.
Word Choice Anthropomorphism
Scholarly voice favors concise, direct writing that uses the fewest words possible to express an idea. Reviewing your work to reduce unnecessary words, repetition, and complex sentence structure, can help with concision. Consider, too, how using the appropriate point of view and active voice can help you write more clearly and concisely.
Writing Concisely Point of View Active and Passive Voice
To cultivate a scholarly voice, use bias-free, inclusive, and sensitive language to describe individuals and groups. Rather than relying on opinion or personal experience, support claims with credible evidence.
Using Evidence Avoiding Bias
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A scholarly voice that is clear, precise, and free of bias is important when writing for an academic audience.
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Writing in a professional, scholarly voice establishes credibility, fostering a sense of trust and respect between the writer and their audience.
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To develop a scholarly voice, focus on writing concisely, clearly, and precisely. In addition, work to avoid bias and support claims with evidence.
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