words to avoid in academic writing

words to avoid in academic writing

The Importance of Avoiding Certain Words in Academic Writing

1. Introduction

There are numerous words which we foolishly use over and over again in everyday language, yet which hardly feature at all in academic writing. If a word doesn’t appear in the Academic Word List, or occur frequently in academic journals, then it will be marked as ‘too informal’ for an academic paper. Such words cause the reader to lose confidence in the writer; they make the writer appear idle or simple. A useful place to start is by considering words like well, really, a lot, quite, sure etc. Avoiding them will generally improve the quality of written work. Jargon – whether it be technical terms, slang, or acronyms – can present ambiguity to those unfamiliar with that jargon, and for this reason should also be avoided, or clearly defined when its use is essential. The essay has identified and explained some of the more common words which are generally to be avoided in academic writing. It has suggested that the context, or ‘functional position’ of a word is an important factor in determining whether it is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ word. Finally, the essay has offered a simplistic mnemonic as a failsafe method for identifying ‘bad’ words. Although it has been shown that word elimination is not a simple task, the linguistic knowledge and word awareness cultivated in such an activity is undoubtedly an invaluable tool for the improving writer.

2. Common Words to Avoid

Porter sees the strategy to overcoming the problem as research into writing practices and theory, reflection on personal and collective experience, and peer review that has the intent to more effectively serve the reader’s purposes. As a result of this strategy, it has become evident that there is a need to avoid jargon and use simpler language for effective communication of a message between writer and reader. This is a key theme in his series of essays on rhetoric and the contrastive rhetoric and is recommended for any writer. This will contrast with language as a mode of pretense and ultimately serve to break down the wall that is separating the writer and reader from the message intended to be conveyed.

James Porter explores the same theme in his essay “Why academic writing stinks.” However, he separates the issue into problem and strategy. Porter sees the problem as the loss of meaning and how there are too many big words that are used to attempt to impress the reader. It is a misguided belief that using fancy words will confuse the reader into thinking one knows what they are talking about and language as a mode of pretense. Both Porter, Webster’s, and Simon & Schuster are attempting to express that current academic writing is no longer effective in communicating a message between the writer and the reader. The emphasis has been on showing off a writer’s knowledge of language rather than effectively communicating an idea or thought. This has resulted in alienating both the writer and the reader from the message intended to be conveyed.

The following words should be avoided in advanced academic writing: “at first,” “so,” “the end,” “things” or “something,” “think to be,” and “nice” or “very.” These words have been cited from Simon & Schuster’s website on Guide to Grammar and Writing. This is a very basic list that may be expanded upon. He outlines that these words have a vague meaning and considers them to be an obstacle to clear writing. An obstacle that gets in the way of expressing ideas and thoughts clearly and concisely to the reader. This is a must for advanced academic writing. Avoid these vague qualifiers, try to use more precise nouns and verbs. By doing so, the writing becomes more concise and the reading more effective. This is a core feature in writing standard.

3. The Impact of Using Inappropriate Language

Despite the fact that avoiding these two types of language is very difficult, the removal of them improves the quality of academic writing considerably. This shows that it’s not just a case of avoiding bad language to make improvements, but rather a conscious effort to change habits that lower the level of writing quality.

The worst culprit of inappropriate language in academic writing is the use of jargon and sexist language. Jargon is known as terminology which is only understood by a select few, writing in a particular profession or in a certain academic area. This is a problem because it ostracizes readers who do not understand the terminology, making the writing less accessible to a wider audience. Jargon can be very difficult to consciously avoid, those who understand the terminology forget that it is not common knowledge. It can also be an unconscious method used to elevate the writer above their peers, making them seem an authority of their area. Sexist language is obviously frowned upon these days, and gender-neutral terminology is preferred and often demanded in academic writing.

The professorial disdain comes into play through the continuous use of inappropriate language, and it could come from the merest slip of the tongue to the continuous use of such language. The fact that it is unfortunately a norm in society to use language with connotations, slang, colloquialisms which haven’t been checked for appropriateness means that often people transfer this type of language into their academic writing. It is frequently wrongly assumed that using informal language will make the writer seem more friendly and approachable. While this may occasionally be true in spoken language, using colloquial language frequently has the opposite effect in formal writing. It can make the writer seem less confident and less knowledgeable of their topic.

4. Strategies for Replacing Problematic Terms

Our best recommendation for choosing less biased language is to consult the thesauri that are appended to various word processor programs. This is by no means a foolproof strategy, but it does provide some assurance that if a common word can be substituted for the biased term, one will be able to find it. If a thesaurus search yields no results, try to think of words that are roughly synonymous with the term that do not carry the same connotations. By choosing the best synonym (or the least pejorative one), the biased term can often be avoided. Consider the following examples: sexism, racial prejudice, impoverished nations, homosexuals should not be judged differently or discriminated against in society. Gay men should not be judged differently or discriminated against in society. In the second pair, the speaker is convinced that the second phrase conveys the same meaning as the first, while avoiding the use of the term “homosexual”. It would be a rare case where the biased term is the only word that accurately conveys a given meaning, so in many cases an alternative will exist. Whether this alternative is a single word or a phrase, it will help to steer clear of biased language.

5. Conclusion

The best method of avoiding certain words is to play them back on yourself and think, “Why is this more flattering for myself or why is this less harsh?” Often, you will have to consult a thesaurus to find alternatives to these words, and in doing that, you may find that a more refined descriptive phrase would better convey the point that you’re aiming for. The development of new terms and/or changing the usage and connotations of older terms is a part of the evolution of language with societal and cultural changes. Such changes must first start within the writing style of the person deciding to use the new terms, and this is a difficult thing to force if the terms present are already ingrained in their usual speech. An awareness of the context in which certain words hold more or less meaning is also essential. Language is a diplomatic tool, and one must never feel hindered in its use, but it pays to know that diplomacy may sometimes prevent truth from being too bluntly told.

The replacement of race and ethnic descriptions with neutral substitutes is a very thorny issue with arguments both for and against. But if the intention of the research is to reach all people, it is better to use language inclusive of everyone. Words ending in “ster” are considered loaded because they suggest a value judgement (e.g. poor people are more likely to be victims of disaster, so it is questionable whether the location of emergency housing provides better protection from hazards). Meteorologists refer to poverty-stricken areas of the world as the “third world,” but in today’s changing world, words such as these are so general they are really quite meaningless. Replacing them with tailor-made descriptions of the conditions being referred to will be much more precise in meaning, but again, it might not always be politically correct.

Having said all that, what can we conclude? It is imperative to always think about your audience. Depending on the person who is reading your work and their cultural upbringing, you may wish to avoid words which suggest only one person and exclude others. In this way, the words you use to describe the research problem are likely to reflect who is intended to read it.