Elements of Academic English: Objectivity and Cautiousness

Question 1

What is objective language?

Answer 1

Objective language is unbiased, not influenced by personal feelings, opinions, or interpretations, and it is based on (perceived) facts.

Question 2

How to avoid subjective language?

Answer 2

To avoid subjective language, you should avoid using implied value judgements (e.g. good, bad, great), intensifiers (e.g. very, really, quite) and personal preferences or experiences (e.g. I believe, I have found, in my opinion).
You also never talk in the first person.

For example:

Subjective
1. This result is very informative.
2. Thirty females participated in the
study.
3. However, assuming students will
not use generative AI is foolish.
4. Studies have found that young
people tend to prefer
asynchronous communication.
Subjective
Objective language examples

Objective
1. This result is informative.
2. Thirty women participate in the
study.
3. However, assuming students will
not use generative AI may not be
realistic.
4. Studies have found that people
between the ages of 13 and 25
tend to prefer asynchronous
communication.

Question 3

What is cautious language?

Answer 3

Cautious language admits the limits of your knowledge. You only say what you know. This establishes trust between the audience and author.

Question 4

How to write cautiously?

Answer 4

To write cautiously, you should avoid superlatives (e.g. best) and exclusives (e.g. only). Don’t overgeneralize and use hedging language (how you express certainty or uncertainty, e.g. it is likely that automated writing
feedback can improve student writing).