You're absolutely right to focus on clarity and conciseness, and using active voice is one of the most powerful tools to achieve this in academic writing.

Let's break down how to master active voice for your journal submissions.

1) Using Active Voice When Possible

What is Active Voice?
In an active sentence, the subject performs the action.

• Structure: Subject + Verb + Object


• Example: The researchers (subject) conducted (verb) the experiment (object).

• Structure: Object (becomes subject) + form of "to be" + past participle + (optional "by agent")


• Example: The experiment (subject) was conducted (form of "to be" + past participle) by the researchers.


• Example (agent omitted): The experiment (subject) was conducted.

Why Active Voice is Preferred for Academic Journals:

• Clarity: It immediately tells the reader who is doing what, leaving no room for ambiguity.


• Conciseness: Active voice typically uses fewer words, making your writing more direct and impactful.


• Strength & Directness: It creates more dynamic and engaging prose.


• Responsibility & Attribution: It clearly assigns actions to agents (you, your team, previous studies), which is crucial for academic integrity and building your argument.


• Engagement: It helps the reader follow your arguments and methodology more easily.

How to Identify and Convert from Passive to Active:

1. Look for a Form of "To Be" + a Past Participle:

• Forms of "to be": is, am, are, was, were, been, being


• Past participle: Usually ends in -ed, -en, -t (e.g., conducted, written, built)


• Also look for the word "by" which often introduces the agent in a passive construction.

• Ask yourself: "Who or what is performing this action?" Make that the new subject of your sentence.

Examples:

• Passive: The data were analyzed by the research team.


• Doer: The research team


• Active: The research team analyzed the data. (More direct, fewer words)


• Passive: Significant improvements were observed in the treatment group.


• Doer: (Implied) We/Our study/The researchers


• Active: We observed significant improvements in the treatment group. OR This study observed significant improvements...


• Passive: The hypothesis was supported by the experimental results.


• Doer: The experimental results


• Active: The experimental results supported the hypothesis.


• Passive: A conclusion was reached after careful consideration.


• Doer: (Implied) We/The authors/The study


• Active: We reached a conclusion after careful consideration.


• Passive: It is believed that...


• Doer: (Implied) Many researchers/Some scholars/Previous studies


• Active: Many researchers believe that... OR Previous studies suggest that...


• Passive: The samples were collected in triplicate.


• Doer: We/The team


• Active: We collected the samples in triplicate.

When Passive Voice Might Be Acceptable (or Even Preferred):

While the general rule is to prefer active voice, there are specific situations where passive voice is appropriate in academic writing:

• When the Doer is Unknown or Irrelevant:


• Example: "The ancient artifact was discovered in 1990." (The exact discoverer might be unknown or less important than the discovery itself).


• Example: "Errors were introduced during the transcription process." (Focus on the error, not necessarily who made it, if the focus is on the process).


• When You Want to Emphasize the Action or Object, Not the Agent:


• Example: "A novel protein was identified as a key regulator." (The identification of the protein is the focus, not who identified it, especially if it's already clear from context that your team did).


• Example: "Several limitations are acknowledged in this study." (Focus on the limitations, not specifically that you acknowledge them, which is implied).


• To Maintain Professional Distance or Objectivity (Use with Caution):


• Some disciplines, especially in the sciences, have traditionally favored passive voice to maintain an air of objectivity and avoid drawing attention to the researchers themselves. However, this trend is changing, and many scientific journals now encourage active voice ("We observed," "Our data show").


• If you find yourself using passive to avoid saying "I" or "we," consider rephrasing to focus on the study itself as the agent: "This study demonstrates," "The present research suggests."


• To Vary Sentence Structure:


• Occasionally, using passive voice can help vary your sentence structure, but this should be a secondary consideration to clarity and conciseness. Don't sacrifice clarity for variety.

Practical Tips for Implementation:

• Read Your Draft Aloud: This is a fantastic way to catch passive constructions. Sentences in passive voice often sound longer, more convoluted, or less direct when spoken.


• Search for "To Be" Verbs: Use your word processor's search function (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) to look for "was," "were," "is," "are," "been," "being." Review each instance to see if it's part of a passive construction that could be rephrased actively.


• Ask "Who Did What?": For every action in your sentence, identify the agent. If the agent isn't the subject, you might have a passive construction.


• Practice Rewriting: Consciously work on converting passive sentences to active ones in your drafts. Over time, it will become more natural.


• Consult Journal Guidelines: Always check the specific author guidelines for the journal you're submitting to. While most encourage active voice, some niche fields might still have a strong tradition of passive voice.