When to use passive voice versus active voice in writing at university

This resource looks at the difference between active and passive sentence structures. It also explores the key principles you can consider when choosing to use active or passive.

Passive voice and active voice - what are they?

Passive voice: The lecture was attended
Active voice: Students attended the lecture

Both structures are used in all forms of spoken and written communication, including academic writing. However, the two forms have different uses. By understanding when to use passive voice and active voice, you can write more clearly at university.

Watch this video to learn how to identify passive voice and active voice by understanding the structure and key elements of the two sentence structures.

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Video 1: What is the difference between passive voice and active voice?

When to use active voice in academic writing

In academic writing, aim to use active voice most of the time. This is because active voice tends to be easier to read and it helps the reader understand who or what is responsible for the actions.

Passive voice: Several key findings are indicated.
Active voice: The data indicates several key findings.

In the passive voice sentence, the reader doesn't know who or what is indicating these findings. The active voice is easier to read and we know that the data analysis is responsible for the findings.

Watch this video to learn about when we use active voice in academic writing.

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Video 2: When should we use the active voice in academic writing?

When to use passive voice in academic writing

Both active voice and passive voice are grammatically correct sentence structures. However, use passive voice sparingly because it is used for specific reasons.

Reasons for using passive voice

  • The agent* is unknown or unimportant.
  • You want to avoid repetition because you recently mentioned the agent.
  • You want to focus the reader's attention on the action or the receiver of the action.
  • You want to intentionally avoid showing responsibility.

*agent = who or what is doing the action

Watch this video to learn about how to use passive voice in academic writing.

Link to download transcript

Video 3: When should you use the passive voice in academic writing?

Final tip

Active and passive voice are both used in university work for different purposes. When deciding which to use in a particular sentence, think carefully about which structure will help your audience understand your message most clearly.