Understanding Passive Voice for Mastering Academic Writing

It is easy for students to become overwhelmed by the countless demands of academic writing. In addition to the important elements of structure and design of scholarly articles, there are requirements to the writing styles – correct verb tenses, voice constructions, etc. In this article, we’ll clarify everything about the active and passive voice, namely:

• The definition of the passive voice and its use in scientific writing;
• Functions of the active and passive voice in your paper; 
• When shouldn’t you use the passive voice in academic writing.

Before dealing with the specifics of using these grammatical elements, you should understand their meaning. So, what is passive voice, and what is active voice, when to use it, and when to avoid it?

What is Passive Voice?

The passive voice is a sentence structure in which the direct object changes places with the grammatical subject. Thus, the person or thing that received the action becomes the agent. In most cases, when using the passive voice, the identity of the person performing the action is unknown, obvious to the readers, or not of interest to the researchers. Sometimes, you can add an action agent using the preposition “by.”

The general formula of the passive voice is object +verb to be +past participle (+by +performer). 

There are several differences in the functions of active and passive voices. An active voice is used to emphasize who is performing the action. 

The formula of the active voice is subject + verb+ secondary members of the sentence. 

In comparison, the passive voice focuses on what exactly was done.

Example: 

Active voice: The government decided to build a new school in the city center.

Passive: A new school will be built in the city center.

The first example says more about the participants of the action.

The active voice uses a subjective tone, expressing the action more clearly and unambiguously. The passive voice helps you distance yourself from the thought being expressed using a more objective tone. Thoughts presented in the passive can be indirect and sometimes confusing.

There are some misconceptions regarding the use of the active and passive voice in academic writing. Although grammar checkers often consider it vague, substituting it for active voice, the passive construction still serves its functions effectively. It will greatly help you enrich the grammatical composition of the writing.

When to Use Passive Voice in Academic Writing

The primary purpose of the passive voice in scientific writing is to add clarity and variety to sentence construction and avoid using the subject. This grammatical tool is also suitable for emphasizing the neutrality of thoughts or changing the central element in a sentence. Let’s look at the main examples when using passive sentences is welcome in academic writing.

Focus on the Action or Object 

The passive voice is based on the goal of shifting the focus of attention from the subject of the sentence to the actions performed. In this case, when it’s not important who performs the action, researchers should resort to the usage of passive voice. Among the practical uses of this technique is to summarize the results of your research paper or lab reports. It is clear to the reader from the context that these conclusions were written by you, so you can shift the emphasis to the information you received.

Objectivity 

When you need to add a sense of objectivity to your first draft, you can resort to the passive voice. Since passive sentences put the performer’s personality in the background, the tone of the passive sentence becomes more objective. In certain situations, like the methods section, neutrality, impartiality, and clarity are highly encouraged in the academic writing process.

Emphasis on the Recipient or Object 

When discussing research findings, it may be helpful to shift the focus to the object rather than the figure of the researcher. Thus, passive voice will emphasize the role of results, putting them at the beginning of the sentence. The passive sentences will make the structure more concise and logical. On the contrary, an active sentence, where a subject performs the action, will give vague details about the doer.

Vague or Unknown Doer 

In academic writing, it is not always necessary to mention the identity of the action participants. When the doer is obvious from the context, passive sentences can be used to avoid excessive mention of who performed the action. You can also use the passive voice if the performer is unknown to you; however, for academic writing, it is better to do additional research and find out the identity of the doer.

Formality and Impersonality

To add formality and a certain detachment to your tone, you can use the passive voice to distance yourself from the opinion you are expressing. For example, if during the research you came to a collective opinion, you can synthesize information about the author and express the findings more neutrally using the passive voice construction. Passive sentences show the general idea of a group of participants regarding a specific topic than the first person point of view.

Reduced Pronoun Use 

Excessive use of pronouns in active sentences can simplify the structure of a sentence while making it difficult to perceive the meaning. In this case, the use of passive voice is excellent, significantly reducing the use of pronouns at the beginning of the sentence. We are talking not only about English language writing but also about other language groups where the use of pronouns in active voice might be confusing.

Contextual Considerations 

Your choice between active or passive voice should be based on your research goals. You should always examine the context of your scientific writing to determine whether the use of the passive voice is appropriate. For example, when writing a lab report, you want to achieve the effect of objectivity and detachment. Analyze your purposes and research opportunities to choose between active and passive voice.

When to Avoid Passive Voice 

The passive voice can be used to construct grammatically complex and interesting sentences. However, eloquence is not always encouraged in scientific writing, as researchers prioritize clarity and brevity. For this reason, any grammar checker will probably change the passive sentence. Let’s discuss when and why the writers should avoid using the passive opting for active voice sentences.

Word Abundance 

For writing a passive sentence, a larger verbal resource is required than in the active voice. Since the structure of such an expression is quite complex, more words are required to compose it. In academic writing, you will often have to opt for an active voice, as it requires fewer words to construct sentences.

Sentence Complexity 

When choosing between active and passive voice for your writing, remember the difference in the complexity of the structure. Passive sentences have a more confusing structure and are, therefore, more difficult for readers to perceive. If you do not pursue the goal of shifting focus, it is better to give preference to the simpler traditional form of sentence construction.

Lack of Research 

Passive sentences can come to your aid when you do not know the performer of a certain action. However, a more appropriate scientific attitude would be to conduct additional research, study the sources, and find out who was the author of the idea that you mention in your academic writing. If you don’t have time for additional study, it’s better to ask someone to write a lab report for you to approach the research in a responsible way.

The passive voice serves its purpose effectively in academic writing, but you need to consider the context before using it. When used incorrectly, this structure has the potential to add complexity and make your writing difficult to understand.

Passive Voice in Different Academic Disciplines 

The passive form is used in all scientific fields, but its purpose and prevalence vary. In technical writing for natural sciences, medicine, and stem subjects, use the passive voice mainly to emphasize the importance of the results obtained during the study. For example, researchers describe the process of a chemical experiment to compose lab reports. The APA recommends that the students carefully consider the usage of certain verb tenses and voices, especially in the discussion section and the methods section. In this part, it’s crucial to use the first person to show the reader that this is your personal vision on a subject.

Example:

Active voice: We conducted the experiment under controlled conditions.

Passive: The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions. (It’s obvious that it was you who conducted the experiment; it’s not obligatory to write it like in the first sentence.)

In the humanities related to the study of languages and literature, the passive voice is often used to introduce variability into the structure of the sentence. The use of the passive form in narrative writing in a foreign language is encouraged and is not considered vague. On the contrary, the student demonstrates his fluency in the topic since this grammatical tool is considered more complex.

Striking a Balance: Active and Passive Voices

There are no good or bad grammatical structures. The key factor is understanding the appropriateness of their use. The writer is responsible for the analysis of the academic context of his scientific writing. By striking a balance between active and passive voice, you will learn how to influence the reader in different ways. The passive voice has different useful functions, so don’t be afraid to use it. We hope our article brings you closer to applying the two voices in practice!