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Active voice clarifies the sentence’s actor. Passive voice emphasizes who or what received the action of the sentence.
Example: I conducted a study of elementary school teachers.
Example: A study of elementary school teachers was conducted.
Avoid passive voice in scholarly writing when it creates unnecessary wordiness and confusion. In particular, be on the look out for these two common problematic passive voice constructions.
A study of job satisfaction and turnover was conducted.
This sentence uses the past tense of “to be” with the past participle: was conducted. This is a problematic use of passive voice because it is not clear who did the conducting.
I conducted a study of job satisfaction and turnover.
Electronic health records were described as less user-friendly for older, less tech-savvy nurses by Page and Olson (2014).
Though the verb and the actor are both identified in this sentence, placing the actors, Page and Olson, before the verb would improve clarity and word economy.
Page and Olson (2014) described electronic health records as less user-friendly for older, less tech-savvy nurses.
Here’s a 3-step strategy for identifying and revising sentences written in passive voice:
Identify the verb—the action of the sentence.
Methods for performing improved security checks at baseball stadiums will be explored.
Insert the phrase “by zombies” after the verb you’ve identified. Does it work? If so, it’s a good indicator that you have written the sentence in passive voice.
Methods for performing improved security checks at baseball stadiums will be explored by zombies.
Revise the sentence so that the verb comes immediately after the sentence’s true actor.
The team will explore methods for performing improved security checks at baseball stadiums.
In general, active voice is preferred in APA-style writing, but passive voice is acceptable in certain circumstances.
Example: Schools not meeting AYP for two consecutive years will be placed on a “needs improvement” list by the State’s Department of Education.
In this case, the writer has chosen to use passive voice, placing the actor, the State’s Department of Education, at the end of the sentence. This purposefully highlights the recipient of the sentence’s action: schools not meeting AYP. Here, the writer wants to focus on the implications of the action on the recipient, rather than the actor.
Example: Stonehenge was likely built 5,000 years ago.
The writer of this sentence used passive voice because the actor—who built Stonehenge—is unknown.
Redundant Active Voice Example: In this study, I administered a survey. I created a convenience sample of 68 teachers. I invited them to participate in the survey by emailing them an invitation. I obtained e-mail addresses from the principal of the school.
While these sentences use the active voice, the result is choppy, repetitive writing. To avoid redundancy, you might students use “I” in the first sentence. Then, as long as it is clear that the writer (“I”) is the actor in the remaining sentences, use the active and passive voices appropriately to achieve precision, clarity, and flow:
Revised Example: In this study, I administered a survey using a convenience sample. Sixty-eight teachers were invited to participate in the survey. The principal of the school provided me with the e-mail addresses of teachers who fit the requirements for participation.
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