Judgmental language suggests that the speaker is making a personal judgment.
By using judgmental language, it conveys to the reader that the author has come to a conclusion based on their previously-held beliefs, rather than through a review of relevant literature. Since beliefs held at one time could later be disproved, academic writing tends to be cautious. [1]
Examples
❌International schools are always elitist…
✅International schools are often viewed as elitist…
❌Jessen’s (1956) theory is the most influential for scholars in education…
✅ Jessen’s (1956) theory remains one of the most influential for scholars in education…
❌Smith’s (2009) paper made such a remarkable contribution to the field…
✅Smith’s (2009) paper made a major contribution to the field…
❌Gorard’s (1999, pp.31-33) study provided an awesome classification model…
✅Gorard’s (1999, pp.31-33) study provided a concise classification model…
References
- Objective Language: Writing Centre Learning Guide, adelaide.edu.au