It is common to receive feedback about academic language from lecturers. This may be for a number of reasons including whether it is informal, vague, or is written in the first person. When writing we need to be aware of the words that we choose and the meaning that they portray. We do need to use relevant and specific language but words chosen need to be clear and understandable. This may result in providing a definition for technical language or abbreviations when you first use the term in your work. 

It is also important to be aware of our own biases and past experiences when producing an assignment on a subject as your argument will need to be balanced, considering different arguments and perspectives. Consider the language that you use to convey this. It needs to be formal and unemotional, whatever our own personal feelings on the topic. 

If you are writing a usual academic assignment you will usually be asked to write in the third person. This means that you are writing something like 'the evidence may suggest...' rather than 'I suggest...' which indicates that your conclusions and evaluations are rooted in evidence from different sources. 

If you are writing a reflective assignment you may be asked to write in the first person when discussing your feelings or emotions. As you are writing an academic assignment it is important to relate your findings to literature to demonstrate whether your experiences relate to others or not. If you would like to find out more about reflection you can check out our Reflection Library guide below. 

Test your knowledge of reflection by having a go at the quiz below:

When writing academically signposting words are used to indicate transition between different perspectives and thoughts. They can contribute to clarity in assignments by indicating how ideas link together and connections that have been made. We all have a particular writing style and may over use the same signposting words. If you have identified this when proofreading it may be useful to use the Manchester Academic Phrasebank to vary your language. 

Watch the video below to find out more about how to use the Manchester Academic Phrasebank. 

It may also be useful to consider the reporting verbs used in your assignments. It is important to remember that reporting verbs such as observes, describes and recognises should not be used interchangeably but chosen deliberately depending on whether you want to agree, disagree or to be more cautious in your argument. Some examples include suggests, justifies and claims. Newcastle University has produced pages on reporting verbs and signposting that provides some examples that you may find beneficial when varying your language. 

Academic writing follows a style that may take some adjustment if you have not written in this way before. When writing academically it is important to remember not to try and impress with long, complicated words or sentences but to focus on being clear, objective and understandable. 

Compare these two sentences:

A change management strategy would've been useful to improve staff morale.

A change management strategy would have been useful to improve staff morale. 

The only difference between these sentences is the contraction would've to would have. In academic writing you are not expected to use contractions such as this as it can contribute towards your work sounding informal.

When writing academically we want to avoid colloquial or chatty language such as 'kind of' or 'popped into my head which are vague and may sound less academic in your assignment. 

When writing academically it is expected that you will write in a succinct and concise way, being mindful of the words that you choose to use. The third person is usually used  to maintain an impersonal tone. 

When evaluating points it is usually expected that you are cautious in the language you choose. This is because you have read different sources and are making connections between them, but you have not read everything about a topic. Examples of cautious or hedging language include 'may', 'might' or 'suggests'. 

In the card game below, choose a card and write the sentence out, making the sentence more tentative, using language like may, might or suggest to do this.

When planning assignments, writing persuasively can demonstrate connections and contrasts between the texts. This may allow demonstration of wider reading and understanding, applying what you have read to your subject. 

When writing persuasively it is important to be organised, deciding how to order main ideas and ensuring you do not cover too many ideas in an assignment. By trying to cover too many ideas there may be a risk that the text becomes too descriptive rather than critical.

To avoid this, plan out what the assignment will cover, looking at the assignment brief to decide what  to include and what needs further research to strengthen arguments. When writing persuasively, it is important to include a variety of perspectives and mentioning if any sources are biased or exclude information. A persuasive argument is not convincing without using the evidence that you have gathered to gain a deeper understanding of the topic. The Manchester Phrasebank may also be useful in varying language to ensure that it is more persuasive, while maintaining an academic tone. This also relates to the choice of reporting verbs, depending on the point being made. For example, 'assumes' may demonstrate that you disagree and 'indicates' may be a more cautious choice of word. 

Check out the Library guide on assignment planning for further information about planning assignments. 

Newcastle University (2025) Reporting Verbs. Available at: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/academic-skills-kit/writing/academic-writing/reporting-verbs/ (Accessed: 22 May 2025). 

Newcastle University (2025) Signposting. Available at: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/academic-skills-kit/writing/academic-writing/signposting/ (Accessed: 22 May 2025).

The University of Manchester (2023) Manchester Academic Phrasebank. Available at: https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/ (Accessed: 22 May 2025).