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You are here: Home / Archives / Active versus passive voice in scientific writing (infographic)

August 28, 2020 by Lisa Clancy

Active versus passive voice in scientific writing (infographic)

In this infographic, we discuss the use of the active and passive voice in scientific writing.

Link to infographic on active vs. passive voice in scientific writing (PDF)

 

The infographic contains the following text:

The active voice promotes simple, straightforward writing. As such, most scientific journals encourage the use of the active voice over the passive voice.

Active voice – the subject acts.

Passive voice – the subject is acted upon.

Present tense – tense often used in the Introduction/Discussion/Conclusion

Active: Vitamin A increases the risk of hair loss.

Passive: The risk of hair loss is increased by vitamin A.

Active: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from industries and vehicle exhausts can induce a series of environmental problems, including photochemical smog, broken ozonosphere, and environmental pollution.

Passive: A series of environmental problems, including photochemical smog, broken ozonosphere, and environmental pollution, can be induced by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from industries and vehicle exhausts.

Present tense – tense often used for Aims

Active: In this study, we present our design of an electric hot water tank.

Passive: In this study, a design of an electric hot water tank is presented.

Active: This study develops an efficient methodology to examine a space–time continuous dataset for urban irrigation water use.

Passive: An efficient methodology to examine a space–time continuous dataset for urban irrigation water use is developed in this study.

Present perfect – tense often used in the Introduction/Discussion/Conclusion

Active: Previous studies have used comparative analyses of ORF2 sequences to elucidate phylogenetic relationships among different FCV isolates.

Passive: Comparative analyses of ORF2 sequences have been used in previous studies to elucidate phylogenetic relationships among different FCV isolates.

Active: Only a small number of empirical studies have focused on the patterns and mechanisms behind disease clusters at small spatial scales, especially in wild host–pathogen systems.

Passive: The patterns and mechanisms behind disease clusters at small spatial scales, especially in wild host–pathogen systems, have been focused on by only a small number of empirical studies. 

Past tense – tense often used in the Materials and Methods/Results

Active: We determined the presence of larvae by dip netting.

Passive: The presence of larvae was determined by dip netting.

Active: We evaluated the number of haplotypes (h), haplotypes (Hd), and nucleotides (π) using the DnaSP 5.10 program.

Passive: The number of haplotypes (h), haplotypes (Hd), and nucleotides (π) was evaluated using the DnaSP 5.10 program.

Active: We found a strong correlation between above-ground and below-ground biomass accumulation in Platanus occidentalis.

Passive: A strong correlation was found between above-ground and below-ground biomass accumulation in Platanus occidentalis.

When to use the passive voice

You should aim to make the language of your article as reader-friendly as possible. Therefore, it is acceptable to use the passive voice when it is required.

1. To emphasize the product (receiver) rather than the agent (performer)

The risk of hair loss [product] is increased by vitamin A [agent].

2. To keep the subject and focus consistent throughout a passage

Female pattern hair loss [focus] is common, but estimates of its prevalence have varied widely. The risk of female pattern hair loss [focus] is increased by vitamin A.

3. If you do not wish to name the subject

The procedures were somehow misinterpreted.

4. To describe a condition in which the actor is unknown or unimportant

Every year, thousands of people are diagnosed with cancer.

Sources and further reading

Sainani K, Elliott C, Harwell D. Active vs. passive voice in scientific writing. [Webinar slides]. American Chemical Society. 2015 Apr 8. Available from: ACS Presentation on Active vs. Passive Voice (PDF)

Plotnick J. How to use active voice in the sciences. University College Writing Centre, University of Toronto, Canada. Available from: University of Toronto Guide: Using Active Voice in Scientific Writing

The Writer’s Handbook. Use the active voice. The Writing Centre, University of Wisconsin, USA. Available from: University of Wisconsin Writing Center: Active Voice in Scientific Writing

 

Filed Under: Archives, Latest Posts, Manuscript Preparation Tagged With: active versus passive voice, active voice, difference between active and passive voice, examples of active voice, examples of passive voice, passive voice, scientific writing, when to use the active voice, when to use the passive voice

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Verb tenses in scientific manuscripts (infographic)

A key aspect of producing a well-written scientific manuscript worthy of publication is the use of appropriate verb tenses in the different sections of the manuscript. In this infographic, we discuss when, where, and how to use the different verb tenses. The infographic contains the following text: Title Titles are often not complete sentences, i.e., […]

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