Stance

The writer's stance or opinion in an academic text can be expressed in a variety of ways. If you are following a scientific course of study, you may think the writer only reflects on what the science reports and does not include their own thoughts.
However, the choice of subject, and the methods used are just as important as the choice of language and how it is expressed as they are all key to making your voice heard. The following definition taken from Cambridge online dictionary is only the first step in understanding the different ways you can include your stance or find a writer’s stance in academic text.

Stance noun [ C ] UK /stɑːns/ US /stæns/

a way of thinking about something, especially expressed in a publicly stated opinion:

The doctor's stance on the issue of abortion is well known.

Synonyms of stance

mindset opinion point of view standpoint take on sth view viewpoint

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/stance

Some of the many ways you can indicate your stance when writing are listed here but is in no way exhaustive. By noticing these when reading an academic text, a writer’s stance can become clear.

Adjectives
Adverbs
Reporting verbs
Modal verbs
Modal nouns
Non-defining relative clauses

If we look at an example using the word possible, in which there is an element of doubt, this suggests that you are not sure for a particular reason.

We can identify a possible link between domestic abuse and poor diet. (adjective)
Domestic abuse could possibly be linked to poor diet. (adverb)
There is a possibility that domestic abuse is linked to poor diet. (noun)

***It is important to be able to use different forms of the same word accurately. Therefore, making a note of word families as you notice them will ensure your writing is more accurate.

If we look at sentence 2 again, the use of the modal verb could, suggests that this is not a fact and therefore your opinion is that this has yet to be proved.

We can also write these sentences using reporting verbs that can also indicate your stance.

It has been suggested that domestic abuse results from a poor diet.
It is assumed that domestic abuse results from a poor diet.
Dieticians generally accept that domestic abuse stems from a poor diet.

These sentences indicate that you have found no clear evidence of a link between domestic abuse and poor diet.

It is also possible to use a non-defining relative clause, as in the following example, to add your stance or opinion.

Domestic abuse, that has been linked to poor diet, is prevalent in areas of high unemployment.

Notice the use of commas to indicate that the clause is non-defining, or extra information.

When reading a text, it is important to understand the writer’s thinking. What is their stance? What have they said to indicate their position on the subject matter? How have they expressed it? As a language learner, the last question is important because you can then employ similar language in your own writing. As we have already demonstrated, stance can be expressed in a number of different ways. Let’s look at some different examples of the methods employed by academics in different fields of study.

Example 1

Let’s look at the text on Overseas Aid. Where and how does the writer indicate their stance?

1. Overseas aid, originally conceived as short-term emergency help to enable colonies to become economically self-sufficient, remains, 70 years later, a vital prop to the economies of many developing countries, and is now starting to be supplied by developing-country governments themselves. 2. An important reason for its survival is the tendency of aid flows to be relatively stable and reliable during times of crisis while non-concessional flows (bank lending, bond lending and foreign direct investment [FDI]) are subject to panic outflows. 3. At the beginning, aid disappointed expectations, because too many donors failed to realise how much aid would leak into wasteful consumption; however, during the 1990s and 2000s this waste has been controlled somewhat and aid, on the balance of evidence, has been more productively used, in part because of changes in the structure of aid away from investment in equipment and towards technical assistance, humanitarian operations and budgetary support.

Mosley, P., 2017. Overseas Aid as an Instrument of Development Finance. In Development Finance (pp. 79-110). Palgrave Macmillan, London.

A. In which sentences and how does the writer indicate their stance?

Sentence 1.

vital (adj)

Sentence 2.

Here the writer includes the words

important (adj)
the tendency (noun)
relatively stable and reliable (adverb + adjectives)

Sentence 3.

disappointed (evaluative verb)
somewhat (adverb)
on the balance of evidence (prepositional phrase)
more productively (adverb)

Is there a thesis statement?

Where is it?

Yes, it is the second clause in sentence 3.

aid, on the balance of evidence, has been more productively used, in part because of changes in the structure of aid away from investment in equipment and towards technical assistance, humanitarian operations and budgetary support.

What is the paper going to discuss?

As the thesis statement is the controlling idea, the paper will be discussing the way the allocation of aid is more effective due to the three key changes of supporting technical assistance, humanitarian operations and budgetary support rather than investment in equipment.

Example 2

Let’s look at another example, but this time an abstract from the field of Natural Sciences.

1. Land management decisions made by farmers can affect biological and physical systems. 2. Thus, the positive and negative opinions that farmers have of bats, birds, and raptors may have wide-ranging implications for the adoption of practices that benefit wildlife without impacting food production. 3. To date, surveys of farmers have mainly concentrated on negative perceptions of wildlife on farms, specifically on identifying key detrimental vertebrate pests, and quantifying the amount of money spent on deterring or destroying these pests (i.e., Conover 1998; Gebhardt et al. 2011). 4. Our results suggest that further research and outreach targeting better understanding of the costs and benefits of bats, birds, and raptors on conventional farms will be critical to enhancing uptake and longevity of wildlife conservation practices. 5. Our results linking farmer perceptions of wildlife to their participation in conservation actions highlights the need for ongoing research, targeted outreach, and policy tools that empower farmers to make informed decisions about agriconservation practices that benefit wildlife.

Kross, S.M., Ingram, K.P., Long, R.F. and Niles, M.T., 2018. Farmer perceptions and behaviors related to wildlife and on‐farm conservation actions. Conservation Letters, 11(1), p.e12364.

A. Which sentences contain facts?

You could argue that none of them are factual, but rather that each sentence helps to set out the argument that they are going to make in their paper. It would therefore be wrong to assume that Science, and its accompanying literature, is mainly factual.

B. Which sentences contain the writer’s stance?

All of them.

Which items of language indicate this?

Sentence 1. can affect (modal verb)

Sentence 2. may have (modal verb)

wide-ranging implications (modal noun)

Sentence 3. mainly (adverb)

Sentence 4. Our results (possessive adjective)

suggest that (reporting verb)

critical (adjective)

Sentence 5. Our results (possessive adjective)

highlights (reporting verb)

the need (noun)

empower (verb)

informed (adjective)

Is there a thesis statement?

Yes in sentence 4.

further research and outreach targeting better understanding of the costs and benefits of bats, birds, and raptors on conventional farms will be critical to enhancing uptake and longevity of wildlife conservation practices.

What is the paper going to discuss?

As the thesis statement is the controlling idea, it indicates that the paper will be discussing the need to carry out research focussing on specific forms of wildlife on farms in order to substantially improve current conservation practices.

Practice

Now it's time to focus your activity on texts that you may need to read and understand for your own discipline. Nowadays academic papers from relevant, peer-reviewed, academic journals are the main resource for research for your assignments. You can use your institution's database which will give you access to a wealth of resources, or if you are not enrolled in an institution, you can use Google Scholar which will give you abstracts for numerous texts on all academic disciplines.

For this exercise, find a text written about a topic you are familiar with, and possibly have your own opinion on. This will make it easier to focus on the language items that the writer uses to express their stance. The following are the most commonly used but you may find others.

Adjectives
Adverbs
Reporting verbs
Modal verbs
Modal nouns
Non-defining relative clauses
Specific expressions such as those identified in Fact or Opinion.