Category Archives: hedges

what is “measured” writing?

Posted on May 13, 2019 by pat thomson

I was recently part of a small discussion on another social media platform where someone reported that their supervisor had said their writing wasn’t sufficiently “measured’. Without seeing the actual work it was pretty hard to understand what the supervisor … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, argument, boosters, disciplines, hedges, measured writing, nominalisation, passive voice, stance, thingification | Tagged academic writing, measured writing, Pat Thomson, stance, supervision | 9 Comments

Should I write as an ‘I’?

Posted on July 25, 2013 by pat thomson

Is the use of ‘I’ acceptable practice in doctoral writing? I often get asked this question, as do most people who talk about writing. I’ve been asked this a lot again recently, so I thought it might be worth posting … Continue reading →

Posted in feminism, first person writing, hedges, I, objectivity | Tagged autobiography, Donna Haraway, first person, objectivity, Pat Thomson | 14 Comments

making authoritative claims

Posted on July 22, 2013 by pat thomson

Compared to – let’s say journalists for argument’s sake – we academics are generally a lot less prepared to say anything for absolute certain. Why do we do this? Do we simply love complexity and being vague? Well of course … Continue reading →