Looking at some papers in my references I find that while some authors use passive voice in most parts of a paper, others use active voice instead. When I ask experienced writers, the only only conclusion I can offer is : It all depends who you ask. My question is where do you stand on this issue? And what does research have to say about this topic?
I offer the following statement by prize-winning American author Ursula K. LeGuin in her excellent book on writing, "Steering the Craft":
"People often use the passive voice because it's indirect, polite, unaggressive, and admirably suited to making thoughts seem as if no one had personally thought them and deeds seem as if nobody had done them, so that nobody need take responsibility. Thus the passive is beloved of bureaucrats and timid academics...."
And this from George Orwell: "Never use the passive when where you can use the active."
Personally, I prefer clear, precise and short writing. In this sense, I generally use active voice. However, there are exceptions. Passive voice is useful if you want to emphasize on the noun that is acted upon. ‘I wrote the article’ (if I want to stress that it was me) versus ‘the article has been written by me’ (if I want to make a message about the paper itself).
Passive voice somehow gives the concept of past tense though that is not true. Personally, I think that the use of passive voice is really to prevent the use of pronouns like "we" or "I"; thus, appears somewhat detaching the author from the paper. I think this is psychological - when criticized for "we do xxx" sounds more of a personal attack than criticized for "xxx was performed".
I do find that active voice makes the paper easier to read though I am not comfortable with using "I" in a single authored paper but using "we" is wrong as well as I am not a highness.
I strongly feel that both passive and active voice can be achieved that will construct a well define papers that will be convincing and persuasive.
I offer the following statement by prize-winning American author Ursula K. LeGuin in her excellent book on writing, "Steering the Craft":
"People often use the passive voice because it's indirect, polite, unaggressive, and admirably suited to making thoughts seem as if no one had personally thought them and deeds seem as if nobody had done them, so that nobody need take responsibility. Thus the passive is beloved of bureaucrats and timid academics...."
And this from George Orwell: "Never use the passive when where you can use the active."
There are some journals that indicates clearly the use of passive third person in the text.
As the structures of science became elaborated during the nineteenth century, the idea developed that science was impersonal, that a scientist was a disinterested observer of the unfolding of new knowledge. It followed that scientific researchers could not claim any personal credit over their discoveries when they came to report them. Theses, reports and scientific papers had to be written in the third person, as if someone else had made the discovery. To remove the presence of the writer from the text, scientists resorted to use of the passive voice. In addition:
- Use the past tense when you are reporting what you or others did at particular times.’
- Use the present tense in an introduction to a chapter or section or a table where you are outlining its contents. Future tense is incorrect.
- Use the present tense when you are discussing the implications of some work of yours or others.
- Use the future tense when reporting the implications of your or other work
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