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 these guidelines do not apply to text you are directly quoting from your sources (including interviews).

Too informal

Academic writing is generally more formal than the writing we see in non-academic materials (including on websites). It is also more formal than how we normally speak. The following words and phrases are considered too informal for a thesis.

Taboo	Example	Alternative
A bit	The interviews were a bitdifficult to schedule	The interviews were (difficult/somewhat difficult) to schedule
A lot of, a couple of	A lot of studies	(Many/several/a great number of/eight)studies
America	A researcher in America	A researcher in (the United States/the US/the USA)
Isn’t, can’t, doesn’t, would’ve (or any other contraction)	The sample isn’t	The sample is not
Kind of, sort of	The findings were kind ofsignificant	The findings were (somewhat significant/significant to some degree)
Til, till	From 2008 till 2012	From 2008 (until/to) 2012
You, your	You can clearly see the results	One can clearly see the results The results can clearly be seen

Too unsophisticated

Some words should not be used because they do not have a scholarly feel. As utilizing too many simple terms makes your writing feel elementary, substitute more sophisticated words when possible. It’s also better to replace phrasal verbs with their one-word alternatives.

Taboo	Example	Alternative
Bad	A bad result	A (poor/negative) result
Big, humungous	A big sample	A (large/sizable) sample
Get	This model gets attention	This model receives attention
Give	This chapter gives an overview	This chapter (provides/offers/presents) an overview
Good	A good example	A (useful/prime) example
Show	The below figure shows	The below figure (illustrates/demonstrates/reveals)

Too vague

Using terms that are vague makes your writing imprecise and may cause people to interpret it in different ways. Avoid the below expressions and try to be as specific as possible.

Taboo	Example	Alternative
Stuff	People are concerned about their stuff	People are concerned about their (belongings, possessions, personal effects)
Thing	The report presents many things	The report presents many (details/findings/recommendations)

Too exaggerated

Academic writing is usually unadorned and direct. Some adverbs of frequency (such asalways and never), superlatives (which are terms that indicate something is of the highest degree, such as the best), and intensifiers (which are words that create emphasis, such asvery) are often too dramatic. They may also not be accurate – you’re making a significant claim when you say something is perfect or never happens.

These terms do sometimes add value, but try to use them sparingly.

Taboo	Example	Alternative
Always, never	Researchers alwaysargue that	Researchers (frequently/commonly/ typically) argue that
Perfect, best, worst, most, always, never (or any other superlative)	The perfect solution to the problem	(An ideal solution/one of the best solutions) to the problem
Very, extremely, really, too, so (or any other intensifier)	This theory isextremely important	This theory is(important/critical/crucial)

Too subjective

Some words and phrases reveal your own opinion or bias. For instance, if you state that something will obviously happen, you are actually indicating that you think the occurrence is obvious – not stating a fact. Expressing your opinion is usually only appropriate in certain sections of a thesis (namely the preface, acknowledgements, discussion, and reflection), so take care when using words and phrases such as those below.

Taboo	Example	Alternative
Beautiful, ugly, wonderful, horrible, good, bad	The literature review included many good articles	The literature review includedmany articles
Naturally	The participants naturally wanted to know	The participants wanted to know
Obviously, of course	The results obviously indicate	The results indicate

Generally unnecessary

You should strive to make your academic writing as concise as possible. Avoid adding words and phrases that do not create meaning, even if you think they give your writing a more refined feel.

Taboo	Example	Alternative
Has got/have got	This thesis has got four chapters	This thesis has four chapters
Serves to, helps to	This chapter serves to explain	This chapter explains

Generally incorrect

It is not uncommon that words and phrases are used inappropriately, even by native speakers of a language. If you’re exposed to such mistakes often enough, you may start thinking they are correct – but it’s important that you don’t let them creep into your writing.

You should also bear in mind that some of these mistakes relate to things we all frequently mishear (for instance, we often think the speaker is saying would of instead of would have).

Taboo	Example	Alternative
Literally	The students were literally dying to participate	The students were (dying/very eager) to participate
Would of, had of	The study would of considered	The study would have considered

Other tips

In general, you should also try to avoid using words and phrases that fall into the following categories:

• Jargon (i.e. “insider” terminology that may be difficult for readers from other fields to understand)
• Clichés (which are expressions that are heavily overused, such as think outside of the box and but at the end of the day)
• Everyday abbreviations (e.g. photos, fridge, phone, info)
• Slang (e.g. cops, cool)
• Not gender neutral (e.g. firemen, mankind)

Exceptions

Reflective reports sometimes have a less formal tone; if this is what you are writing, you may not have to follow these guidelines as strictly. This may also be true if you are writing the preface or acknowledgements for your thesis, as these sections have a more personal voice than the rest of the document.