The use of personal language is one of the taboos that must be avoided by all writers of scientific papers. Unfortunately, finding replacements for clauses like, “I think” or “I am against” is not as easy as turning the palm of the hand, especially in the context of an argumentative sentence. If you often face the same difficulties, try reading this article to find various tips for conveying arguments without using personal pronouns. In addition, this article also teaches various tips to avoid using slang and informal expressions that the writers often do not even realize! After reading this article, re-check your writing and replace words that sound casual and subjective with more objective language. With a little practice, surely various rules related to academic writing will be automatically recorded in your mind!
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Method 1 of 3: Following the General Rules
Step 1. Use third person point of view
Never use first-party pronouns such as “I”, “mine”, or similar diction in scientific papers written for academic purposes. Also, avoid using a second person point of view, such as calling the reader "you". Instead, write down the subject that will be brought up from a third party's point of view to reinforce objectivity.
For example, replace the sentence, "I think breakfast is the most important aspect of supporting your daily activities," with, "A nutritious breakfast is the most important part of a healthy diet."
Step 2. Use objective word choice instead of informal expressions
Some examples of informal expressions are slang terms, colloquialisms, clichés, and contractions (shortenings, usually appearing in English sentences). All of them are informal expressions that are commonly shown in personal writing or informal articles, but do not deserve to be included in scientific writings.
- Slang terms and colloquial expressions are casual expressions that are generally popular within certain social or religious groups, such as “baper,” “distressed,” or “basic sotoy!” Instead of writing, "He's pissed off because his marketing techniques are useless," try writing, "He's disappointed that his marketing techniques aren't working."
- A cliche is an expression that is considered meaningless or boring because it is said too often. Some of these are, “let time answer,” or “seeds of excellence,” which can be replaced by phrases like, “the results are yet to be seen,” and “the best.”
- If the paper is written in English, avoid using contractions or shortening phrases such as, " don't," " wouldn't," " hasn't," and " it's." Instead, write down the phrase using the full version.
Step 3. Be as specific as possible
In contrast to personal language which tends to be ambiguous, formal language must sound precise, straightforward, and clear. For example, a sentence like, “Their performance exceeded expectations,” will sound stronger than, “They performed really well.” Also, instead of writing, "The difficulty increases over time," try writing, "The difficulty gradually increases."
Also, avoid casual estimates such as, “multiple studies,” “lots of time,” or “a set of studies.” Instead, use specific numbers to describe the number such as, “The research team spent 17 days collecting the sample.”
Step 4. Take time to think about strong adjectives and verbs
Try looking for strong, specific verbs instead of overcrowding sentences with adverbs. Regarding the writing of adjectives, make sure the descriptions included are factual and do not involve personal opinions. If you have trouble finding the right word choice, please browse the thesaurus or internet pages to find the diction that best represents your point.
- For example, the sentence "Expert testimony has refuted the attorney's argument" sounds much stronger than "The witness has given very convincing testimony and is able to make the suspect look very guilty."
- If the essay is written in English, replace "to be" verbs such as is, am, are, were, was, and will with stronger verbs. For example, instead of writing, "The defense's argument was wrong because it was based on speculation," try writing, "The defense's argument failed because it relied on speculative evidence. to speculative evidence).
Method 2 of 3: Finding Personal Pronoun Substitutes
Step 1. State the claim clearly and concisely, rather than using personal phrases such as, “I think
Sometimes, the only thing that needs to be done is to remove phrases like “I think” or “I believe” which are usually found at the beginning of a sentence. Removing personal pronouns will make your argument or claim sound more objective and convincing.
- Compare the following two sentences: "I think it is economic relations between countries that prevent wars," and "Economic relations between countries prevent wars." The second sentence actually sounds more objective and authoritative.
- You may feel the urge to substantiate a claim by including personal pronouns, especially if you're not quite sure if the claim is true. Don't do it! Instead, strengthen your research base because the more complete the information you have on the subject of research, the easier it will be to make a strong, well-founded claim.
- Even if the opposition offers very strong arguments, keep your tone authoritative. Even if you have to acknowledge the opposition's argument, still avoid using personal pronouns that can weaken your argument.
Step 2. Refer to supporting evidence, not to your personal thought process
If they want to substantiate a claim, some people have a tendency to write, "I believe," "I know it's true," or "I totally disagree." Unfortunately, phrases that refer to personal thought processes do not sound objective, nor will they strengthen the author's argument. That is why, you need to refer to authoritative sources so that the claims given sound more credible.
For example, a sentence that reads, "I completely disagree with the attorney's attempt to make vehicle damage the cause of the accident," could be increased credibility by changing it to, "Based on the testimony of the manufacturer's experts, the attorney's claim regarding vehicle damage as the cause of the accident is unfounded and factual.."
Step 3. Present your argument or research result without using personal pronouns
Although sentences that begin with, "I will show," "I will explain," or "I will argue about," sound more natural, actually expressions that involve personal pronouns should not be included in scientific papers. Therefore, please make the necessary minor adjustments if you cannot delete the personal reference immediately.
- For example, instead of deleting an entire sentence that says, “I think it was the changing market that caused the industry crash,” just delete the phrase “I think.”
- Perform a paraphrasing process, if necessary. For example, a sentence that reads, "I will analyze letters and journal entries to show the influence Charles Baudelaire's life in Paris had on his views on modernity," could be paraphrased, "An analysis of letters and journal entries will show that…" As a result, the phrase "I will" does not need to be used anymore.
Step 4. Use the passive voice to emphasize an action without naming the subject
Basically, the passive voice may be used in a reasonable portion to present an argument or describe a certain procedure. For example, instead of writing, "I will prove," try writing, "It will be clear that." In scientific papers, the phrase “This sample has gone through the testing process” is much better than “I have tested this sample.”
- In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is the action or action performed by someone. That is why, passive sentences tend to be full of words and ineffective. On the other hand, the active voice will sound fresher and will be able to focus on the doer of the action, rather than on their action: “Subject A did this.”
- Write in active voice whenever possible. For example, try writing, "Charles Baudelaire describes modernity" instead of "Modernity is described by Charles Baudelaire."
Step 5. Use formal generalizations instead of the pronoun “you
When you're generalizing in conversation, saying something like, "If you break the rules, you'll get in trouble," is the natural thing to do. Well, in the process of writing scientific papers, you only need to replace the pronoun "you" with "audience," "reader," or "audience," to avoid using language that is too personal.
- Instead of writing something like, “The texture and color of the painting will definitely hurt your eyes,” try writing, “The texture and color of the painting is claimed by readers to be excessive.”
- If you want, you can also replace generalizations with more dense and effective word choices. For example, replace sentences like, "You can see for yourself that the claim is false," with, "The claim is false," or paraphrase it as, "All available evidence is against the claim."
- Use formal generalizations in reasonable portions. Using phrases like, “the reader can see” or “the reader will think” too often will make your writing sound weird.
Method 3 of 3: Avoiding Informal Expressions
Step 1. Use vocabulary that is formal and factual instead of emotional
Basically, a quality paper must be filled with specific, objective, and evidence-based word choices. Subjective sentences may be grammatically correct, but if they are not accompanied by evidence, they can only be considered as opinions rather than facts.
- For example, a sentence such as, “Audit efficiency shows that a short hiring process was able to significantly increase the interest of job applicants,” based on clear and factual sources, while a sentence such as, “The recruiting process here is very bad and confusing,” has no reliable source. clear and factual so that it will only be considered as an opinion, rather than an objective fact.
- If your goal is to appeal to the reader's emotions, feel free to use more emotional diction without the need to include personal pronouns.
Step 2. Replace slang terms with specific words and phrases
Sometimes, slang terms will come out unnoticed. Therefore, don't forget to check your writing to avoid using slang terms! Assume that you are not a native speaker of the language used in the scientific work. If you use Indonesian, try looking for words or phrases that sound unfamiliar to your ears if Indonesian is not your native language.
For example, avoid sentences containing slang terms such as, “The man received a third warning letter for his miraculous behavior.” Instead, use a more specific and objective diction such as, "Due to his inappropriate behavior, the worker behind the cash register was reprimanded by his manager."
Step 3. Make sure there is no colloquialism in your writing
The use of everyday expressions and idioms is actually more difficult to avoid than slang terms! While your writing should be as fluid as possible, make sure there is no colloquialism in it. Do your best to avoid using figure of speech and stick to formal word choices.
Some examples of expressions that are commonly used in everyday language are "easier said than done," "sooner or later," and "meet in the middle." Meanwhile, some alternative examples that can be used to replace these expressions are “practice is more difficult,” “unavoidable,” and “compromised.”
Step 4. Don't overuse sentences that are too short, simple, or incomplete
Not that you have to compose sentences that are too long and convoluted, yes! The use of sentences that are too long can actually improve readability, as long as they are placed correctly, and are not too repetitive. If you use too many simple or too short sentences, it is feared that your writing will sound stiff and not flowing.
- Also, make sure you always use complete, unspoken sentences. For example, a sentence like, “The performers put on a great performance. The whole audience was crying, “Actually, it has improper grammar and is not worthy to be included in scientific writing.
- On the other hand, if what is written is a resume, short and incomplete sentences are preferable. For example, instead of writing, “I managed to keep my budget down by 10%,” simply write, “A 10% budget squeeze.”
