How do you use active and passive voice appropriately in your scientific writing?

1 What is active voice?

Active voice is when the subject of the sentence does the action. For example, "The researchers analyzed the data" is an active sentence. Active voice is clear, direct, and engaging. It helps you emphasize the agents and actors in your research, and show your involvement and contribution. You should use active voice when you want to highlight the novelty, importance, or relevance of your work, or when you want to address your readers personally.

2 What is passive voice?

Passive voice is when the subject of the sentence receives the action. For example, "The data were analyzed by the researchers" is a passive sentence. Passive voice is less personal and more objective. It helps you focus on the processes and results of your research, and avoid unnecessary or redundant details. You should use passive voice when you want to emphasize the methods, findings, or implications of your work, or when you want to follow the conventions of your discipline.

3 How to choose between active and passive voice?

Choosing between active and passive voice in scientific writing is not easy. You need to consider your purpose, audience, and discipline, and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each. To help you make an informed decision, here are some tips: when engaging your readers, showing your authority, or highlighting your contribution, use active voice in your introduction, discussion, and conclusion sections; when being objective, concise, or consistent, use passive voice in your methods and results sections; avoid overusing passive voice when it makes sentences vague, long, or unclear; and to create variety, coherence, and emphasis in your writing, mix active and passive voice - for example by introducing a topic or claim with active voice and supporting it with evidence or reasoning in passive voice.

4 How to form active and passive voice?

To form active voice, you must start the sentence with the subject, followed by the verb. To form passive voice, you need to place the subject after the verb and add a form of "to be" and a past participle. For example, "The team conducted a survey" is an active sentence, while "A survey was conducted by the team" is passive. You can also omit the agent (the doer of the action) in passive voice if it is obvious, irrelevant, or unknown; for example, "A survey was conducted".

5 How to revise your voice?

To revise your voice, you need to check your sentences for clarity, accuracy, and impact. You can do this by first identifying the subject and the verb of each sentence - is the subject doing or receiving the action? Then, decide if you want to use active or passive voice, based on your purpose, audience, and discipline. Does the voice match your intention and expectation? Rewrite the sentence in the desired voice, following the grammatical rules. Does the sentence convey your message effectively and efficiently? Compare the original and revised sentence to see if there is a difference in meaning, tone, or emphasis. Repeat this process for all of your sentences, paragraphs, and sections. With active and passive voice used appropriately in scientific writing, you can communicate your research more effectively to a wider audience. By following these tips and steps, you can refine your writing skills and maximize public engagement.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?