Passive voice avoidance

Voice and we Poster Methods sections are written largely in passive voice active voice is used less often. We is commonly avoided. 

Lastly, we briefly consider verb tense and voice used in move 1. Goals and objectives are commonly stated in present and/or future tense. Both active and passive voice may be used. Common tense and voice combinations are summarized in table 12.3. Personal pronouns (e.g., we, my, our) should be avoided in the opening goal statement but may be used elsewhere in move 1 ... 

In scientific writing, passive voice is often used to describe experimental procedures (see chapter 3). It is also used to shift the emphasis from the researcher to the research (i.e., from the scientist to the science). The hints provided here will help you avoid some common mistakes made by novice writers when using passive voice. 

Use action verbs. Use the list in this lesson to help you describe your experience. When you can, avoid the passive voice and passive-like phrases, such as served as or functioned as. ... 

Active voice—by avoiding personal pronouns, scientists often depend excessively on the passive voice, which can weaken the writing style. When possible, replace passive voice with active voice. 

Vary sentence lengths to avoid boredom. If possible and feasible, use active rather than passive voice. 

There are often specific conventions used in report writing. For example, it is common to avoid the use of T, and reports are often written in the passive voice. Many reports begin with an executive summary, which is similar to an abstract and summarizes the main points of the report in continuous prose. Some of these conventions come from professional bodies and in this case the course guidelines you get on report writing will address these. 

In general, first person (pronouns I, we, me ) should be avoided. The passive voice should be used. ( It was done instead of I/we did it. ) The passive voice will be flagged by your grammar checker unless you disable that option. Others may tell you not to use the passive voice however, we think it is more formal, and therefore better, than the alternative. Addressing the reader should also be avoided. ( You should do this. Seek medical attention. )... 

Voice and we Poster Results sections use both passive and active voice, and the word we is typically avoided ... 

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