Can academic writing be informal?

It is a widely known fact that academic writing is a formal genre. However, there are exceptions to this rule. In this article, we will explore when

Can academic writing be informal?

Academic writing that is too informal is generally more formal than the writing we see in non-academic materials (including websites). It's also more formal than the way we usually talk. The following words and phrases are considered too informal for a dissertation or academic paper. Findings show that academic writers tend to avoid many of the prohibited features of informality, but some features such as initial conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs, first-person pronouns, and neglected references have higher frequency rates, corroborating the findings from previous research.

In order to identify the factors that could help them address this goal more effectively, the scientometric literature has sought to link the linguistic and target characteristics of academic work with the associated degree of scientific prestige, conceptualized as cumulative citation counts. However, from a descriptive perspective, the extent to which academic writers follow popular proscriptions is an empirical question. You must understand the different types of academic writing you should use and how to plan and structure your work and properly recognize your references. In many cases, meticulous editing of manuscripts is delegated to academic colleagues from the same disciplines, who act as editors of convenience between peers.

Although academic writing generally requires you to be objective and impersonal (not to mention personal feelings), you may often have to present your opinion. It is further argued that such research complements diachronic investigations of other linguistic characteristics in academic texts, thus enriching the toolbox of the EAP and ESP studies. Although previous studies present important findings on the frequency of informality characteristics prohibited in academic writing, they do not explore how many academic writers use these characteristics because the frequencies were not calculated by text (i. He was founding co-editor of the Journal of English for Academic Purposes and was co-editor of Applied Linguistics.

This article proposes a local grammatical approach to investigate diachronic acts of discourse in academic texts, with the aim of offering an additional method for diachronic studies of academic discourse. While academic writing is becoming more informal, this is by small margins and depends on the discipline and characteristics being considered. This comparative study further expands the current understanding of the evaluative functions of shell and noun use and may also help cultivate writers' gender awareness. To express your point of view and continue writing with an objective style, you can use the following strategies.

To be a good academic writer, you'll need to learn the specific styles and structures for your discipline, as well as for each individual writing assignment. It is often the primary style of academic writing (unless otherwise stated) and is more complex than informal writing. These methodological limitations are addressed in the current study, which examines (a) whether prohibited features of informality are commonly used by a wide range of academic writers, (b) whether disciplines differ in the use of these features, and (c) whether the use of these features has changed over time.

Joseph Robbins
Joseph Robbins

Joe Robbins is a seasoned educational consultant and the Head of Consultancy at The Profs, a multi-award-winning education company based in the UK. With a Master’s degree in Security, Leadership, and Society from King’s College London (awarded with Distinction), Joe brings a deep understanding of academic integrity, strategic thinking, and global education standards.At The Profs, Joe led the creation of their Consultancy division—offering expert admissions support for competitive UK and US universities, academic mentoring, career guidance, and tailored educational strategies for students worldwide. With over a decade of experience in higher education, Joe is a trusted voice in academic planning, essay structuring, and application coaching.On Academic-Writing.net, Joe shares practical insights into academic writing conventions, formal style, third-person usage, and evidence-based writing techniques. His articles help students across disciplines improve clarity, coherence, and academic rigour in their essays, dissertations, and research papers.“Academic writing isn’t just a skill—it’s a gateway to critical thinking, strong communication, and future success.”Expertise: Academic writing, UK & US university admissions, essay structure, personal statements, research planning