Academic language has certain characteristics regardless of the course you are writing for. It is formal (see tone), yet not overly complicated. It is unlike standard conversational language and the hints and tips below will help to elevate your writing style.

Tone refers to the writer's voice in a written work. It is what the reader or hearer might perceive as the writer's attitude, bias, or personality. Many academic writers mistake a scholarly tone for dull, boring language or a mixture of jargon and multisyllabic, "intelligent-sounding" words.

In APA style, the tone (see APA 7, Section 4.7) should reveal a writer’s attitude as interested but neutral and professional. Writers should present information and arguments in an engaging but objective manner and choose courteous and respectful language when providing critical analysis of the work of past researchers.

assignments the audience usually expects an academic tone. If you are not sure about your instructor’s expectations, you should ask what type of tone they would like you to use. (Reflection essays can often have a more casual or creative tone, but not always.) What does an academic tone sound like? Formal rather than conversational phrases

Academic tone refers to the distinctive style and demeanor employed by college-level academic writers. An academic voice emphasizes specific elements appropriate for scholarly essays, including: Relative objectivity; Precision; Conservative language usage

Academic voice means to meet the writing expectations of academic writing. It is different than writing to a friend, writing for business purposes, or writing to the general public. Your audience for academic writing includes other academic writers and learners.

To help, this handout will go over some of the most important aspects of academic tone to help you identify the proper tone for your writing task. When writing academically, it is important to be aware of your word choice, including when to use jargon.

“Academic Tone” is a term distinguishing the voice and personality used by college-level academic writers. It's not synonymous with "Formal Tone," since the tone of legislation, diplomacy, and jurisprudence can also be thought of as "formal" without being "academic."

Writing in an Academic Tone One of the most important skills that you can learn through academic writing is how to write in a formal, sophisticated, yet concise style.

This article focuses on how to craft an appropriate academic tone by fine-tuning formal voice and using a range of academic expressions, sentence structures, and subject-specific vocabulary to fit the task at hand.