Scientific Writing (III): Active vs. Passive Voice

Scientific Writing (III): Active vs. Passive Voice


Use active verbs whenever possible; writing that overly uses passive verbs is unpleasant to read, and almost always results in more words than necessary to express the same thing.


ACTIVE: The mice consumed oxygen at a higher rate ...


PASSIVE: Oxygen was consumed by the mice at a higher rate…


The clarity will improve dramatically as active voice is used.


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