Voice and Tone in Academic Writing

Sometimes juggling all the components of writing can feel overwhelming, like you are being asked to do the impossible. This might be especially so when you are asked to “find your voice” at the same time you might feel constrained by the tone of “academic writing.” Let’s examine the differences between the two:

How do voice and tone combine?

An author can follow the rules (i.e., the required tone of academic writing) and still express personality. Here is an example of the same

thought being expressed in two different voices: “Don’t play what’s there; play what’s not there.” -- Miles Davis (1926 – 1991), American jazz trumpeter

“The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes—ah, that is where the art resides.” -- Artur Schnabel (1882–1951), German-born U.S. pianist

Sometimes the conventions of academic writing feel very constraining, like there is no room for your individual expression.

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Voice

Voice is determined by internal conditions, namely who you are and what you value. Voice is expressed through a writer’s style, which involves diction, sentence length, punctuation usage, and other stylistic choices. Is your voice accessible, clear, and companionable? Or, is it complex, convoluted, and unassailable? Your voice is also expressed by the topics you choose to write about and how you choose to approach those topics. Your voice might be expressed in your stance: Do you want to appear authoritative, critical, informative, neutral, or open/exploratory?

The question of voice inevitably leads to many more questions…

How do I discover my authentic voice? How do I handle language to create my

desired style? How do I interact with other voices

(i.e., other writers, fellow researchers on my topic, interview participants, etc.)?

Tone

Expectations regarding tone are determined by external conditions, namely the context and audience for whom you are writing. Generally speaking, the tone in academic writing is formal, dispassionate, and reasonable -- conforming to specific standards of argumentation. For example, academic writers are expected to back up claims with evidence and demonstrate the logic behind assumptions. In scholarly writing, objectivity is conveyed by the writer’s formality. Therefore, to adhere to the conventional tone of academic writing, writers should avoid colloquialisms, slang, text-message spellings/shorthand, clichés, and contractions. Academic writing also can have specific required formats that affect the feel of a piece.

While that is true to some extent, it is possible to maintain a formal tone and still express your personal voice. Another way to conceptualize the challenge is like this...

Each man is dressed in formal wear (i.e., he is following the rules set by the occasion to which he will attend) but expresses personal style within that framework.

If the occasion is a formal event, it’s probably not a good idea to show up like this…

In terms of academic writing, it is useful to contemplate the purpose/intentions behind different authors' construction of voice.

STUDENT WRITING CENTER – LIBRARY 2ND FLOOR | 209.932.2969 | WRITINGCENTER@PACIFIC.EDU