The Importance Of Avoiding Passive Voice In Thesis Writing And How To Fix It?
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20 May 2025 11:44:02 am.
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Things get even more complicated when you are trying to explain complex ideas in a thesis while using passive voice. You can avoid making this mistake by getting professional assignment writing help or by improving your writing style. The following post guides you all about passive voice, why it is not the best choice for thesis writing, and how to fix it effectively.
What Is Passive Voice?
Passive voice occurs where the object of a sentence is being operated upon, but is not the subject. What opposes the use of such voice is the active voice. This is preferred for use during the writing of theses. Active voice happens when the subject operates.
● Example of passive voice: The experiment was conducted by the researcher.
● Example of active voice: The researcher conducted the experiment.
Did you notice how active voice sounded more forward and direct? The importance of active voice in thesis writing is well understood and majorly followed across almost all disciplines.
Main Features Of Passive Voice:
● The object comes before the subject.
● Passive voice contains the form of the verb "to be".
● The doer of the action is slightly unclear or missing altogether.
● Some of the examples of commonly used passive voice sentences include: It was found that, or the results were analyzed as.
Why Passive Voice Is Not Preferred In Thesis Writing?
The use of passive voice is largely disallowed in thesis writing. However, it is used and preferred in specific scientific and objective statements. By avoiding passive constructions in scholarly writing, academics can demonstrate a more thorough understanding of materials (Sigel, 2009,). The reasons for purposely avoiding passive voice include:
It Makes Sentences Wordy And Harder To Read
Passive voice adds unnecessary words, which makes any given thesis more complicated than it needs to be. In fact, readers often have to re-read sentences to figure out who did what.
It Weakens Your Argument
Active voice shows ownership and control over the argument. On the other hand, passive voice makes your claims sound uncertain or less confident. For example:
● Passive: It was believed that this method worked best.
● Active: Researchers believed this method worked best.
It Can Hide Responsibility
When writing a thesis, it is important to clearly state who is responsible for what. The primary function of theoretical frameworks is to provide assistance and guidance throughout the research process (bestassignmentwriter.uk, 2024,). However, passive voice can make the source of actions or decisions unclear.
It Can Bore the Reader
Too much passive voice sounds repetitive and dull. On the other hand, active voice helps keep your writing engaging and dynamic.
How To Prevent Using Passive Voice In Thesis Writing? Fixing It Efficiently
Coming to the main question of how to remove passive voice in academic writing. Well! If you are used to writing in a passive voice, then don’t stress because it is a habit that can be fixed. Some practical ways to avoid using passive voice in the thesis writing include:
Know Your Sentence Structure
● Identify the subject, the one who is doing the action, the verb highlighting the action being done, and the object about whom/what is receiving the action.
● If you rearrange your sentence while putting the subject first, then you can solve the issue.
Example:
Passive: The data was analyzed by the team.
Active: The team analyzed the data.
Use Action Verbs
Choose strong and specific verbs instead of forms of to be. Instead of writing The results were shown, it is preferred to use The results show.
Avoid Unnecessary Noun Phrases
Passive voice often hides action in noun phrases. Instead of writing, the implementation of the project was done by the team, it is preferred to say the team implemented the project.
Use Tools To Check Your Writing
Online tools like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor can highlight passive voice. Turn on grammar suggestions in your writing software.
Fixing Passive Voice Efficiently
You don’t have to eliminate every single passive sentence. Sometimes it is useful, especially when the subject is unknown or irrelevant. However, if you still want to fix your passive voice, then you can follow the steps below:
Step-by-Step Guide To Fixing Passive Voice:
1. Find the Passive Construction: Search for instances of to be + past participle.
2. Find the Doer/ Subject: Ask: “Who is doing the action?”
3. Rearrange the Sentence: Place the subject before the verb and use an active verb form.
4. Trim Extra Words: Passive constructions often include filler words. Cut them for clarity.
5. Example:
○ Before: The problem was identified and resolved by the researchers over time.
○ After: The researchers quickly identified and resolved the problem.
Pro Tip:
Not every passive sentence must be rewritten. Use passive voice only when the actor is unknown or when the actor is less important than the action. The following checklist will help you spot passive voice:
● Is the sentence structured as: Object + “was/were/is/are” + verb?
● Can you identify the doer of the action?
● Can the sentence be reworded to put the subject first?
● Does the passive voice add clarity or make it harder to understand?
Conclusion
Writing a thesis is not an easy task, and how you phrase your ideas makes a big difference. Passive voice can be grammatically correct, but it often leads to unclear and unengaging writing. You can make your thesis sharper, stronger, and more persuasive by learning to spot passive voice and replacing it with active voice. Remember, you are not just reporting information, you are making a case. So own your statements, be clear about who’s doing what, and guide your reader with purpose. Avoiding passive voice becomes second nature with a little practice, hence elevating the quality of your thesis.
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