Among most students and research analysts, in the early stage of their career, tools such as Grammarly, have been a constant companion in the writing investment. Grammar checkers are there to pick up typos, correct sentence fragments, and even clear up awkward wordings, and in simple academic tasks, that is a godsend.

Yet to be a really good scholarly writer requires more than just accurate sentences. The real art is behind the red lines of Grammarly however: that of finding a proper style and tone that conveys complicated ideas in a clear, credible and authoritative manner.

It is more than conveying facts in academia because some of the facts are based on your writing that can place you in a field. When you present a research paper, a chapter of a thesis or an article in a journal, the mood and style you select dictate the way your peers and supervisors will look at your work.

So what does “style and tone” mean in scholarly writing?

Style means the way you write your sentences, what words you use, and how you are able to arrange your thoughts logically. Academic style tends to be specific, formal and unemotional. It is slang free and not overly conversational as in case with casual writing. As an example, where one might say, a lot of research shows, one can even say, extensive research demonstrates.

Tone on the other hand is the attitude to your writing. The academic language is impartial and polite. It does not use emotive wordings and broad generalizations. Rather than making bold statements it relies on evidence. It may appear a small distinction, yet it is a sign of a more in-depth understanding of knowledge construction that consists not of brusque assertions but interpretations.

And this is the limitation of Grammarly and similar tools. They will tell you when what you have written is in the passive voice or when you are wordy, but they cannot be specific and tell you how to tone your writing down to be less informative or make it more assertive. A grammar overseer would not protest against the phrase This study proves but any knowledgeable scholar will realise that proves may be too categorical, indicators or suggests may be more appropriate.

Good scholarly writing is discipline specific. Longer sentences, more subtlety and the language of interpretation is common in humanities writing. The writing style of science prefers compactness, a simple organization, and straightforward indication of procedures and findings. Grammarly will not indicate the fact that your paper is too informal to publish in a law journal or too opinionated to read as a systematic review.

Practice rewriting.

Take a paragraph and rewrite it in a more formal, objective way. Swap out vague verbs for precise ones, replace casual transitions with academic ones, and tighten wordy phrases.

Read actively.

Pay attention to published papers in your field. Notice how experts phrase arguments, introduce evidence, and qualify claims. Mimic the patterns that make sense for your discipline.

Stay mindful of your audience.

Remember: you’re writing for peers and experts who expect rigor and clarity, not marketing hype or casual opinion.

Get human feedback.

Peer reviews, supervisors, or professional editors can point out tone or style mismatches that a software tool might miss.

The basics may be polished with the help of such tools as Grammarly. However, when it comes to the style and the tone, nothing will replace critical reading, revision and profound knowledge of what is required in your area.

Effective scholarly writing is credible as well as convincing, besides being technically solid to deserve your research.