14. Language use and style

Language and style

  • Target readers of your work are teachers and peers on courses in all digital humanities fields and other interested readers with a certain degree of general education within the discipline.
    • Do not assume that readers are as familiar with the thesis topic as you are. You can assume a basic knowledge of the subject area, but the thesis should be able to stand on its own. This means that the reader needs to be able to understand the contents solely with the help of what is in the thesis.

  • A fiction writer often aims for ambiguity in their writing to allow for multiple interpretations of the literary work, but a scholarly writer always strives for clarity. Use correct and polished written language. Avoid complicated formulations with long sentences and filled with academic terms.

  • Avoid a style of writing that has a polemic tone so that your thesis is not viewed as arguing a personal point of view. Personal values do not belong to a scholarly text. If you would like to express your personal thoughts about your conclusions, save this for the final discussion.

Paragraphs

  • There are many paragraph writing guidelines online; see, e.g. https://www.scribbr.com/research-paper/paragraph-structure/ which states that each paragraph must be:

    • Unified: all the sentences relate to one central point or idea.
    • Coherent: the sentences are logically organized and clearly connected.
    • Relevant: the paragraph supports the overall theme and purpose of the paper.
    • For more on how to achieve this, please see the above link.

Using the first person singular and plural

  • Using the first person singular (I) and plural (we) in scholarly texts was long considered inappropriate. In some fields, this is still the case. We feel, however, that a moderate use of first person singular and plural forms is acceptable.

Abbreviations

  • Abbreviations should be used restrictively in sentences. It is better to write out the entire expression. Alternatively, if often used, write out the entire expression the first time it is mentioned, e.g., "International Association of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)", and thereafter use "IFLA". 

Footnotes and endnotes

  • Please reduce the usage of footnotes and endnotes to the necessary minimum, best to avoid them alltogether.