Finding Your Voice in Academic Writing: The social and methodological imposition of academic voice constraints

Forward
Welcome to the third in the series of peer learning handbooks developed by PhD and MPhil research
students to help assist their peers along the academic writing journey. This handbook addresses the
challenge of finding your voice in academic writing. This is a complex issue and a very challenging one
for PhD and early career academics as they struggle to get a balance between their own identity as an
academic and the expectations of their audience. When the individual or the social voice is
appropriate is a matter of high uncertainty among many academics, not only those in early career.
Integrating a personal voice into academic writing may be perceived as highly risky and it takes
courage and confidence to develop. Personalising the work leaves scholars open to criticism that may
feel more personal. In reading around this subject however the nuances of space for voice have been
explored. This may be selective for particular avenues or contexts of communication. It may even be
normalised through methodological approaches or disciplines from those who have gone before.
Every individual needs to reflect on these issues, if not during the PhD journey then in the years
following.
The handbook is structured starting with Chapter 1 by Intesar Madi, Kevin Corbett and Rawayda
Abdou reflecting on the disciplinary and social impositions of voice in academic writing. Chapter 2
alludes to the complexity and uncertainty that exists because of the multiple dimensions of academic
voice. This chapter is written by Elun Hack, Joanna Kossykowska and Duke Debrah Afrane. Chapter 3
is written from the position of student or early career scholar’s aspirations to find their own voice in
academic writing as part of their identity. It reflects on the problem of huge uncertainty among
students and their supervisors and includes a personal reflection of the journey of one PhD student.
Chapter 3 also reflects on finding your own voice in academic writing when writing in a second
language which carries additional consideration for many scholars. This chapter is written by Christina
Kenny, Saba Shahzadi, Lindsay Harrison, Talal Sorour and Edicleia Oliveira. Moving to Chapter 4, and
as usual in this handbook series, the students want to give prescriptive guidance to help their peers.
Chapter 4 focuses on developing academic voice as a process including practical advice and tips.
Developing academic voice through academic enculturation is one explanation of the process to
consider. The chapter also addresses the challenge for supervisors and reflects on how to teach
students about their academic voice in a nod to the challenge recognised for supervisors and mentors
as well as students. In the end however, we are comforted by the reminder that there is no single or
correct way to write – each scholar needs to find out what works and what does not work in their own
writing. It may even be that students don’t need to expend large amounts of consideration figuring
out their voice to defend a Viva or even to get an article published, but it may become more of a
personal journey that can be discovered and enjoyed more as competency develops and the
fundamentals are met. Chapter 4 is written by Tara Holland, Thi Ngoc Dao, Fardus Sultan, Clodagh
O’Reilly and Shubham Sharma.
We hope this gives you food for thought and helps to reduce uncertainty and confusion on the subject
of integrating your voice into your academic writing.
Deirdre McQuillan
Editor