What is "voice"?
A writer's voice is the impression or image of the writer projected in any composition. This image is composed of the various characteristics or attributes of personality that the words and sentences convey.  Sometimes, this image is called the author's persona.

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The Attributes of Voice in Academic Writing

The Language of Scholarship
The first defining characteristic of voice found in academic or "scholarly" writing is the language of scholarship. The language of scholarship uses the expressions of what is called "Standard American English." Those are the words and phrases and even sentence patterns (the two elements of style) most frequently used by the general American public to convey information in written communication. It refrains from the use of various informal patterns and expressions found in "colloquial" or spoken English as well as slang. It is less formal than those expressions found in ceremonial language used in proclamations and resolutions. At the same time, scholarly language employs comfortably and confidently the jargon appropriate to the various academic disciplines. The field of psychology, for example, has its unique expressions just as does biology and the other sciences, or the study of literature, marketing, or history.

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The Atmosphere of Academic Voice
The atmosphere conveyed in a piece of writing is called "tone." The tone of academic writing is one of openness and objectivity.  You should try to convey in your writing an openmindedness to ideas, even when ideas of others may conflict or contrast dramatically with your own. You want to convey a sense of tolerance and fairplay, in a word--objectivity. You do this by avoiding intensely emotional language, seemingly biased or slanted references, innuendo, sarcasm, hostility, and arrogance. In fact, much scholarly writing exhibits a certain degree of humility in its appreciation for the complexities of a topic and a respect for collegial relatoinships which, even through the distance between voices afforded by technology or isolation on respective campuses, share the same commitments to the exploration of a subject. That's not to say that heated debates don't errupt in every field, because, of course, they do, but the appropriate tone for such argumentation should reflect respect and civility.

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The Personality Traits of Academic Voice
In the context of mutual respect and civility, you should convey a sense of confidence in your writing--confidence in your mastery of the subject matter, confidence in any positions you hold, and confidence in your ability to communicate clearly those ideas. To increase your readers' respect for you as a writer, you should give the appearance of being well organized. Because much of what you do in academic writing involves the analysis of what others have said and published, you should project a sense of honesty or integrity, an impression that will put the reader at ease in the comfort of knowing that you are not biased or secretive in both what you are saying and how you are saying it. Your voice should convey at least an interest in if not enthusiasm for the subject matter and the task at hand. In other words, you should suggest to the reader that, at least at some level, you have a personal stake in the discussion; that you have some ownership in issues. Finally, you should project tenacity--a commitment or willingness to get the job done, to do all that you need to do to address the subject before making recommendations or delivering a judgment.

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Factors that Influence the Effective Use of Voice

1) Use of "First Person"
Appropriately or inappropriately, your use of first person makes voice dominant as a persuasive element. Generally, avoid using the first person pronouns of "I" and "we" in academic writing; unless you are the respected authority in the field, first person may be interpreted as arrogant. On the other hand, if you're the one who has been paid the stipend to address the choir, it might seem stilted or awkward not to reference yourself and your unique experience.

2) Well-organized Writing
A paper that seems to build upon a plan or outline, a discussion that seems to progress in a controlled direction invites the confidence of your readers. At the same time, an unorganized paper makes you look scattered and distracted. You are likely to earn little respect and appreciation for your efforts and ideas.

3) Edited Writing
A paper free from mechanical, stylistic, and grammatical problems maintains the confidence a reader. Most important, it communicates clearly. Justifiably, readers will feel patronized by being asked to read careless work.

4) Objective Diction
Use words which convey openness. Avoid slanted words which might reflect a bias on your subject. Avoid hostile and provocative words.

5) Appropriate Diction
Use words that complement the level of expertise of your audience. Don't be condescending to your readers. Don't patronize them with words that are going to make you appear haughty or arrogant.

6) Level of Development
Don't overwork secondary development (explanation of explanation) in your paragraphs.

7) Emotional Language
Try to effect a balance between your use of conceptual words and emotionally-impacted words. Papers which promote unnatural emotion may turn readers off to your message.

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Appropriate Use of Voice in Academic Writing
The voice you convey in a composition can be a powerful persuasive element in academic writing. A strong voice reflecting the positive attributes discussed above will complement and help you achieve your purpose as a writer. Used inappropriately, however, it can undermine even the most carefully reasoned argument.

The use of voice can be classified according to three traditional roles: the reporter, the interpreter, and the critic.

1) The Reporter
The "Reporter" conveys information, presents the "facts" of a subject to the reading audience through summaries, paraphrases, allusions to, or quotations of sources, and through analysis, definition, and illustration of primary sources (information gleaned through personal research, study, or investigation)

2) The Interpreter
If the "Reporter" presents the facts, the "Interpreter" explains their meaning(s).

3) The Critic
The "Critic" evaluates the facts explained by the "Interpreter." As a judge, the "Critic" can render either a favorable or unfavorable verdict. Argumentation is the framework of judgmental conclusions.

These three roles are, of course, the primary functions of what more generally is referred to as analysis (though specifically, the function of the "Reporter" is analysis). Note that these three roles are manifested in the literary analysis in Unit 1.

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Editing and Revising for Voice
Be alert to the persona or image of yourself you are projecting in your writing. You can always make changes in your drafts which will either mute your voice or make it more prominant, depending on the importance, of course, of such "presence" in your composition.

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