ACADEMIC WRITING

Characteristics

Grammatically accurate
Appropriate format style
Clear
Direct rather than unnecessarily complex

Verbs
Researcher looked at the way strain builds up
around a fault
Researcher investigated the way strain
accumulates around a fault

 The police conducted an investigation into

the matter
The police investigated the matter

Nouns/Noun phrases
The government has made a lot of changes and
got quite good results
The government has made many/numerous
changes and obtained encouraging results

Reductions
A program for the management of laboratories
A laboratory management program
However, avoid very long noun phrases where possible:
The plant safety standards committee discussed recent
air quality regulation announcement

The committee on plant safety standards discussed the

recent announcements on the regulations of air
quality

Contractions
Contractions are normally avoided
Further analysis wont change the results
Further analysis will not change

Direct questions
Limit the use of direct questions
What can be done to lower cost?
We need to consider what can be done to lower
cost