Passive Voice: Doer or Agent Not Important

Passive Voice: Doer or Agent Not Important

Example

He had a lot of people working for him, maybe sixty, and most of them liked him most of the time. Three of them will be seriously considered for his job.
— Ellen Goodman, "The Company Man"

In scientific writing, the passive voice is often preferred to indicate objective procedures. Scientists and engineers are interested in analyzing data and in performing studies that any researcher can replicate. The person doing the experiment is therefore relatively unimportant and is usually not made the subject of the sentence.

Example

The experiment was conducted in a classroom. Participants were instructed to remove their watches prior to the experiment.

If you are writing in the humanities, question each use of the passive voice and ask yourself whether you need it.

See also
Passive Voice: As Connector