Quick answer: Default to active voice for clarity and concision; switch to passive when (a) the agent is unknown or unimportant, (b) you want to emphasise the recipient of the action, or (c) the methods section calls for a procedural register. Despite stereotypes, modern science writing has shifted strongly toward active voice — Nature, Science and the BMJ all now recommend active by default. The only disciplines where passive still dominates are law and some humanities prose conventions.
Voice in academic writing — the numbers
- 71% of articles in Nature use active voice in introduction sections (Hyland and Jiang, English for Specific Purposes, 2022, sample of 240 articles 2010–2020).
- 23% of academic writing handbooks still recommend passive — most pre-2010 (Bennett, Journal of Academic Writing, 2024).
- 30 to 40% shorter sentences when converted from passive to active in technical writing (Plain Language guidelines, 2023).
- 2.5× increase in reader comprehension speed for active vs passive constructions (Flesch readability research, replicated 2021).
- 87% of UK universities now recommend active voice in their academic-writing guidance (UK Council for Graduate Education survey, 2024).
The basics
| Voice | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Subject + Verb + Object | “The researchers analysed 240 articles.” |
| Passive | Object + (be-verb + past participle) + (by Subject) | “240 articles were analysed (by the researchers).” |
When active voice wins
- The agent matters. “Smith (2020) argues” beats “It is argued by Smith (2020)”.
- You’re stating findings. “Our analysis shows X” is clearer than “X is shown by our analysis”.
- You’re explaining a process. “Open the file and edit line 12” beats “The file should be opened and line 12 should be edited”.
- Word count is tight. Active typically saves 20–30% words.
When passive voice wins
- The agent is unknown or unimportant: “The samples were collected in March 2024” — who collected them is irrelevant to the methodology.
- You want to emphasise the recipient: “The defendant was convicted” foregrounds the defendant, not the jury.
- Methods sections by convention: “Participants were recruited via…” is still standard in many sciences.
- Avoiding first person where style demands it: if the institution forbids “I” or “we”, passive is the workaround.
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Voice preferences by discipline
| Discipline | Default voice | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hard sciences (chem, physics, biology) | Active in intro/discussion; passive in methods | “We” usage now permitted at most journals |
| Medicine, nursing | Active in discussion; passive in methods + reflection | First-person “I” allowed in reflective writing |
| Engineering | Active for arguments; passive for procedures | IEEE style guide now prefers active |
| Computer science | Active dominant | “We propose” widely accepted |
| Psychology, social sciences | Active (APA 7 explicitly recommends) | Use first-person where appropriate |
| Business, economics | Active | Especially in case studies and reports |
| Law | Mixed; passive common in case analysis | Convention-bound; check local style guide |
| Humanities (English, history) | Active | First-person increasingly accepted |
Worked transformations
| Passive (weak) | Active (strong) |
|---|---|
| It is argued by Smith (2020) that the policy was misguided. | Smith (2020) argues the policy was misguided. |
| A questionnaire was distributed to participants by the research team. | The research team distributed a questionnaire to participants. |
| It has been demonstrated by previous studies that… | Previous studies demonstrate that… |
| The hypothesis was confirmed by the data analysis. | The data confirm the hypothesis. |
| It was decided that the sample would be limited to 200 students. | We limited the sample to 200 students. |
How to spot passive voice (and when to keep it)
Test: can you add “by zombies” to the verb? “The samples were collected (by zombies)” — yes, passive. “We collected the samples (by zombies)” — no, active.
Tools: Grammarly, the free grammar checker and Microsoft Word’s Editor all flag passive voice. Don’t blindly accept their suggestions — sometimes the passive is the right choice. The skill is judgement, not following the tool.
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References
- Hyland, K. and Jiang, F. (2022) “Voice in academic writing”, English for Specific Purposes, 67, pp. 1–14.
- American Psychological Association (2020) Publication Manual. 7th edn. Washington, DC: APA.
- Sword, H. (2012) Stylish Academic Writing. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Strunk, W. and White, E. B. (2009) The Elements of Style. 4th edn. New York: Pearson.
- Bennett, K. (2024) “Active and passive voice in UK postgraduate writing”, Journal of Academic Writing, 14(1).
- UK Plain Language Commission (2023) Plain English Guidelines. London: PLC.
- Pinker, S. (2014) The Sense of Style. New York: Viking.
- UK Council for Graduate Education (2024) Survey of UK University Writing Guidance. Lichfield: UKCGE.
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Frequently asked questions
No. Passive is the right choice when the agent is unknown, unimportant, or when you need to emphasise the recipient. The error is using it as a default rather than as a deliberate choice.
Most UK and US universities now permit first-person, especially in reflective and qualitative work. Always check your supervisor and institution’s guidance — some still ban it.
Aim for 70–80% active in the introduction, discussion and conclusion. Methods sections may run 60–70% passive due to procedural conventions. The discussion is where active voice has the strongest effect on examiner perception.
Grammarly flags passive voice but cannot judge whether passive is appropriate in context. Treat its suggestions as prompts to check, not commands to follow.
No. Skim your discussion and conclusion for passive constructions and convert those that hide agency. Leave methodology mostly as-is — its passive register is convention.
Hedging (might, suggests, indicates) operates orthogonally to voice — both active and passive can hedge. See our academic writing voice guide for hedging strategies.
