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Common uses of tenses in academic writing Knowing when to use which tense in your thesis or dissertation is a common problem for both native and non-native writers in English. This article aims to outline the basic uses of different tenses in academic writing. Tense communicates an event’s place in time, and the different tenses are identified by their

Stylistic do’s and don’ts in academic writing The internet is littered with conflicting advice on the do’s and don’ts of academic writing. Some say avoid personal pronouns altogether, while others urge you to use personal pronouns carefully when necessary. Some say to avoid phrases like “In this paper I will…” and word like “thus,” while certain disciplines

Taboo words in academic writing When you are writing a thesis, many words and phrases that are acceptable in conversations or informal writing are considered inappropriate. You should try to avoid expressions that are too informal, unsophisticated, vague, exaggerated, or subjective, as well as those that are generally unnecessary or incorrect. Bear in mind that

Punctuation in academic writing: Common pitfalls Punctuation signals the structure of a text, telling us not only where one idea ends and another begins, but also which idea is more important and how it relates to other ideas. The wrong punctuation, then, signals the wrong relationship between ideas, confusing your reader. These pages outline some

Forging good titles in academic writing The title is the first thing your reader will see, and most readers will make their first judgements of your work based on it. For this reason, it’s important to think about your titles carefully. The most basic things to remember are that your title should be informative, striking,