Research Guide for Masters and Doctoral Nursing Students

Your writing style is an extension of your personality and usually develops over time. So what can you do to develop your writing style? Thinking about style too consciously can result in mannered, stilted prose, but there are some basic style rules to keep in mind as you begin to write.

In academic writing, effective paragraphs serve as building blocks to construct a complex analysis or argument. Paragraphing and artful transitions help your readers understand and process your ideas into meaningful units of thought.

Paragraphs come in different shapes and sizes, and some so-called “rules” may put
writers in a straightjacket that unnecessarily hampers their ability to convey their ideas as needed in a
particular piece of writing. Nevertheless, grasping the general form of a paragraph provides a good
foundation. Once you have this basic building block at your command, you can vary from it by conscious
choice when needed.

This handout will explain the difference between active and passive voice in writing. It gives examples of both, and shows how to turn a passive sentence into an active one. Also, it explains how to decide when to choose passive voice instead of active.

Formal language and tone are expected in scholarly writing, although the definition of formal varies over time and by field. Most current fields agree, however, that colloquialisms, slang, contractions, biased language, rhetorical questions, and second person pronouns should be avoided. (employ this advice at your own discretion)