The Academic Phrasebank

The Academic Phrasebank is a general resource for academic writers developed by Dr. John Morley at the University of Manchester. It provides a wide range of phrases and sentences that can be used in academic writing, organized by the function they perform in a paper or thesis.

This valuable resource helps students and researchers incorporate appropriate academic language into their writing, making it more formal, precise, and well-structured.

The Phrasebank is not about copying text or plagiarism. Rather, it's about understanding conventional ways that academic writers express certain ideas and then adapting those conventions to your own writing context.

The Academic Phrasebank is organized by the functions that sentences perform in academic writing. Here's how to make the most of this resource:

1. Identify your writing need — Determine what function you're trying to perform (e.g., introducing a topic, summarizing research, comparing perspectives)
2. Find the relevant section — Navigate to the appropriate category in the Phrasebank
3. Select suitable phrases — Choose expressions that match your context
4. Adapt, don't copy — Modify phrases to fit your specific content and style
5. Use as inspiration — Let the phrases guide your own writing rather than using them verbatim

The Phrasebank is particularly useful during the drafting and revising stages of writing. When you're struggling to express an idea clearly or formally, consulting the Phrasebank can help you find appropriate academic language.

The Academic Phrasebank contains hundreds of phrases organized by function. Here are some examples from key categories to give you a taste of what's available:

Notice how the "after" example demonstrates:

• More formal academic language
• Proper citation of evidence
• Measured, objective tone
• More sophisticated sentence structures
• Appropriate academic vocabulary