Chapter sixteen
in The Bedford Researcher reviews
writing styles. Two components important to writing style include an understanding
of the issue and a consistent point of view with regard to that issue. The way
a paper is styled may say a lot about the complexity of the issue; scholars in
a given field omit the use of I or
first-person pronouns, according to Palmquist. Academic scholars may discuss observations
and possible reasons for political phenomena instead out right causality. This
chapter also reviews ways to eliminate stock phrases and unnecessary modifiers. Additionally, Palmquist notes that there are instances where you may want to use the passive instead of the active voice. The chapter also includes tips on how to use effective vocabulary.
This chapter has
a lot of great information but most of it was a refresher for me. I feel like a
lot of the information is intuitive, especially if the writer of a research
paper has done enough research for their topic. Researching a topic and
reviewing sources will lend itself to the style of writing one should adopt when
discussing the subject matter. More complex issues may require a more balanced
perspective and a passive voice, for example. One tricky thing that I am facing
with my topic is how to take campaign finance reform out of the realm of
academic (read: boring) and into something that non-academics care
about.
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