Why does a sentence like “This study proves that social media causes anxiety” make examiners wince? Because it overstates the evidence, hides the method behind a strong verb and leaves no room for alternative explanations. A good academic writing style depends on three choices that you make in almost every sentence: how strongly you state a claim (hedging), whether you use the active or passive voice, and which tense fits the chapter. This guide explains each with examples and ends with a chapter-by-chapter tense table.
This article is part of our guide How to Write a Master’s Thesis by the Mastermind PhD team and relates to our Academic Proofreading & Review service. Sources last checked: November 2026.
What is academic writing style? It is the set of conventions that make scholarly prose precise, cautious and traceable: claims calibrated to the strength of the evidence, a clear relationship between the writer and the actions described, consistent tense that signals whether something is a past event or an accepted finding, formal vocabulary, and explicit links to sources. It is not the same as complicated language; clarity is part of it.
What is hedging, and why do examiners expect it?
Hedging means adjusting the strength of a claim to match the evidence. Hyland (1998), whose study of research articles is the standard reference on the subject, describes hedges as devices that signal the writer’s degree of commitment to a proposition and show respect for the reader’s judgment. In a thesis, hedging protects you at the defense: an examiner can challenge a claim of certainty with one counterexample, but a cautious claim invites discussion instead.
Hedging is not vagueness. “Something may possibly affect things” says nothing; “Workload may partly explain the higher burnout scores in public schools” is cautious and precise.
Which hedging devices can you use?
| Device | Examples | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Modal verbs | may, might, could | These results may reflect the short follow-up period. |
| Lexical verbs | suggest, indicate, appear, tend | The findings suggest that trust mediates the effect. |
| Adverbs | possibly, likely, partly, generally | The difference is likely due to sample composition. |
| Adjectives | possible, probable, potential | A possible explanation is self-selection. |
| Limiting phrases | in this sample, under these conditions, to some extent | In this sample, the effect was limited to women. |
| Approximators | about, approximately, around | About a third of respondents reported… |
Use stronger verbs where the evidence is strong. If a randomized experiment shows a large effect, “the intervention increased scores” is appropriate; “the intervention may have possibly contributed to some improvement” is over-hedged and sounds unsure of your own data.
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How do you avoid over-hedging and overclaiming?
A simple scale helps you choose the right verb for each finding:
| Strength of evidence | Typical verbs and phrases |
|---|---|
| Strong, replicated, causal design | shows, demonstrates, establishes |
| Clear result in your study | found, indicates, supports |
| Correlational or limited sample | suggests, is associated with, points to |
| Speculation or possible explanation | may, might, could, one possible explanation is |
Avoid “prove” for empirical work in the social sciences; statistics support or fail to support hypotheses rather than prove them. Also avoid stacking hedges (“it might perhaps be possible that”), which is a common weakness in academic writing style among careful but anxious writers.
When should you use the passive voice?
The passive voice puts the object of an action first and often omits the person who acted: “The questionnaire was distributed to 300 teachers.” It is useful when the actor is obvious, unknown or unimportant, and when you want to keep the topic of the paragraph in subject position.
APA style, however, encourages the active voice and the first person where they make a sentence clearer: “We distributed the questionnaire” or “I interviewed 12 managers” rather than “Interviews were conducted”. Many sciences still prefer the passive in the methods section, and some supervisors dislike “I”. Your academic writing style should follow the conventions of your discipline and the guidance of your supervisor, applied consistently.
How do you choose between active and passive voice?
| Use the active voice when | Use the passive voice when |
|---|---|
| The actor matters: Smith (2020) challenged this view. | The actor is obvious or irrelevant: Samples were stored at 4 °C. |
| You state your own decisions: We excluded incomplete responses. | You want to keep the topic in subject position across sentences |
| The passive creates a dangling modifier: Using SPSS, the data were analyzed (wrong) | Your discipline’s methods sections use it conventionally |
| A sentence becomes long and abstract in the passive | The sentence would otherwise start with a long, complex subject |
A mixed approach is normal. What examiners dislike is a chapter written entirely in the passive, where it becomes impossible to tell what you did and what earlier researchers did.
Which tense should each chapter use?
Tense signals time and status: past for completed events (your procedures, a specific earlier study), present for general truths and the content of your own thesis, present perfect for a body of research that continues to the present. The table summarizes the usual pattern, consistent with APA guidance on verb tense.
| Chapter | Main tense | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Introduction | Present for the problem and aims; present perfect for the research trend | Burnout is a major concern. Several studies have examined… This study investigates… |
| 2. Literature review | Past for a specific study; present perfect for a line of research; present for accepted theory | Lee (2019) found… Researchers have long debated… Self-determination theory proposes… |
| 3. Methodology | Past for what you did (future in a proposal) | Participants completed an online survey. (Proposal: Participants will complete…) |
| 4. Results | Past for findings; present for what tables show | Scores were higher in group A. Table 3 shows the correlations. |
| 5. Discussion and conclusion | Past for your findings; present for interpretation and implications | Trust mediated the effect. This suggests that managers should… |
The most common tense errors are writing results in the present (“The mean is higher”) and using the present perfect with a dated citation (“Smith (2019) has found”).
How do hedging, voice and tense work together?
Look at one sentence revised step by step:
- Original: It is proven that the use of social media causes anxiety among students.
- Hedged: The findings suggest that social media use is associated with anxiety among students.
- Voice and tense: In this sample, students who reported more than three hours of daily use scored higher on anxiety, which suggests an association rather than a causal effect.
The final version states what was found (past), interprets it (present), limits it to the sample, and uses an accurate verb for a correlational design. That combination is what a mature academic writing style looks like at sentence level.
What other features define academic writing style?
- Formal vocabulary: “investigate” rather than “look into”, “substantial” rather than “a lot of”.
- No contractions: “do not” rather than “don’t”.
- Precise reference words: “this finding” rather than a bare “this”.
- Signposting: sentences that tell readers where the argument is going, covered in our guide to paragraph structure.
- Consistent terminology: once you name a construct, keep the same term throughout the thesis.
Avoid the opposite error, which is inflated language. Short, clear sentences are part of a strong academic writing style, and the APA manual itself recommends plain, concise wording.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I use “I” or “we” in my thesis?
Often yes. APA style accepts the first person, and many social science and humanities departments use it. Some science departments still prefer the passive. Ask your supervisor and stay consistent.
Is the passive voice wrong in academic writing?
No. It is useful when the actor is unimportant or obvious, and it is conventional in many methods sections. Problems arise when every sentence is passive or when it creates dangling modifiers.
What tense should the literature review use?
Mostly past for specific studies (Lee, 2019, found), present perfect for ongoing lines of research (studies have shown) and present for established theories. Keep the pattern consistent.
How much hedging is too much?
When readers cannot tell what you think. Use one hedge per claim, match its strength to your evidence, and state strong findings directly.
Does academic writing style differ between disciplines?
Yes. Humanities writing uses more first person and present tense when discussing texts; the sciences use more passive voice in methods. The principles of caution, clarity and consistency apply everywhere.
Sources
- Hyland, K. (1998). Hedging in Scientific Research Articles. John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.54
- American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
- American Psychological Association. Verb tense and Active and passive voice. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/grammar
- Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2012). Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills (3rd ed.). University of Michigan Press.
- Morley, J. Academic Phrasebank (section “Being cautious”). The University of Manchester. https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/ (accessed November 2026)
Sources last checked: November 2026. This article is general educational guidance and does not replace your university regulations or your supervisor’s instructions. How we prepare our content.