Words to Avoid when Writing Academic Essays

Sometimes individuals are strapped with completing an academic essay and it may not be their strong point. In order to sound like they know what they're doing, they may try to use words that are outside of their normal vocabulary. There are some words that should just be avoided when writing academic essays.

Be careful of words that are hard to defend, such as "always", "everyone", "never", etc. If you state something like this in an essay, you will be expected to prove your point. It also may take away from the trust the reader will have in accepting the information you're providing as true. For example, you can't say something like, "everyone knows that smoking tobacco cigarettes can cause lung cancer". That sentence is too definite and maybe not even entirely true. It's better to say something like, "The American Cancer Society website says that smoking tobacco cigarettes increases your chances of developing lung cancer".

Avoid writing your essay as if you are having a conversation with someone (kind of like this article is being written now; as if I am speaking directly to you). Instead, write indirectly, as if you could be speaking to one individual or several. Write in the third person instead of in the first or second. Also, avoid using common slang and stick to supported facts.

You should also avoid allowing your personal feelings or thoughts to enter into the essay. For example, you may feel like a particular idea or fact is unfair or bad, but it's not okay to include your personal thoughts or feelings regarding this. Your job as the writer is to convey facts and supporting evidence, not your personal feelings.

Write in what is best described as gender neutral terms. Avoid writing particularly to a male or a female (or about, even in example) unless it is necessary. For example, saying, "the dog might scratch at her collar if it is too tight", is being too gender specific. Instead, say something like, "dogs who wear collars that are too tight may begin scratching at their collar".

If you're unsure about how to word your essay, research other essays online to get some good ideas about how to properly word your essay.

This article is sponsored by the UK Essayist and HD Essays. Please take a look at our websites for hundreds of free essay examples and additional help!