Unnecessary Phrases for Academic Articles

It’s easy to fall into the trap of overusing stock academic terms when learning the mechanics of structuring an academic paper, whether you’re an English native speaker or someone learning English as a second language. However, your reader may become frustrated and lose interest if you try to seem more intellectual in your writing.

To aid in the transition between ideas, academic terms like these are frequently employed. In order to connect concepts and preserve the flow of your writing, a few transitional words and phrases are important. If your work or research wants to be taken seriously, a certain level of professionalism and academic terminology must be employed. A narrow line exists between clarity and repetition, thoroughness and overwriting. Unfortunately, this line can be difficult to discern.

What You Don’t Need in Your Writing: Ten Academic Phrases Then again…

Certain phrases in the English language must be used in conjunction with one another in order to make sense. Connective and contrasting phrases such as “on the one hand…on the other hand” are frequently misused despite the fact that they go hand in hand. Using on the other hand implies using on the one hand initially. When utilized correctly, these academic terms can be omitted from your work, even if they are intended to contrast linked ideas.

As a second step in the process

The word “in order to” is frequently used to guide young English writers in their sentence construction and understanding. It is also utilized by English speakers who are learning a foreign language and then translating it back into their original tongue. It is a two-way street. As a result, it makes reasonable that academic writing should provide several examples of this type of writing. Overwriting (i.e., using more words than necessary) is an example of in order to and may nearly always be expressed simply as to.

As a matter of fact,

Even if you’re a native English speaker, you’re unlikely to ever hear the phrase “in fact” used. It’s mind-boggling to see how often this word is used in academic papers. In most circumstances, it’s a good idea to remove this word from your academic work.

However, in addition…

Yes, the English language does use transitional words, but they aren’t required to appear at the beginning of every sentence. For the sake of maintaining a logical stream of thought and a clear structure in your academic writing, terms like however, moreover, and furthermore, when used sparingly and effectively, can be a valuable tool. If overused, it can lead to monotony and complication in your writing. Make sure you use transitional words carefully!

In addition,

The word “as well as” is another example of overwriting. For example, connecting the last item in a list with a and when a simple and would be more efficient is one of the most typical mistakes.

For a short time (or a long time),

In scientific or technical academic writing that details experiments or research techniques, these complicated academic terms are widespread. Your writing will become much clearer and easier to read as a result of reducing the length of your sentences to for a short period of time (or a long period of time).

Making use of

Those sneaky little prepositions always seem to creep out when you least expect them. Many writers use the word “by employing” without thinking twice about it, as is the case here. But hold on! Do you really need that small two-letter word there? Rather than clogging up your academic writing with extraneous details, use instead.

As a result of

Academic jargon like this one can be found in a variety of forms of writing. As the name implies, it’s the conjunction’s wordy, nerdy sibling. Because is a simple and effective way to make your sentences short and easy to follow. You don’t need to use so many words.

As it pertains to

If you want to boost your word count, you don’t have to resort to using more filler words. The phrase in relation to is another well-known example of excessive use of words. The prepositions about, to, or with can be used instead of this phrase if you find yourself using it frequently.

When this happens, it’s important to know what to do

When it comes to using long, flowery words in favor of two-letter conjunctions, this one win hands down. If you don’t need to use this academic phrase, you may simply use a simple if instead.

Words of Wisdom

Overly complicated language is often misconstrued for intellectuality, which is a good objective to strive for, but it’s not always the case. Wordiness, on the other hand, is a common stumbling block for academic writers. You should always strive to write concisely rather than using transitional words at the beginning of every phrase. Your readers will appreciate your consideration of the above options while you’re creating a paper.

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