can you use because in an essay

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30+ Alternatives for “Because”: A Word List for Writers

Because Overuse: A Challenge to Overcome

Readers may raise their eyebrows if they encounter multiple repetitions of because within a short passage . Although finding replacements for a building block of the English language is tricky, it’s not impossible.

This post contains more than thirty alternatives for because.

Does This News Item Irritate You?

Because of the prevailing political climate, those in office avoid encounters with the press. They say it’s because of busy schedules, but their constituents say it’s because the politicians don’t want to stand up for “what’s right.”

Can we rewrite to exclude because ?

With the prevailing political climate, those in office avoid the press. They blame busy schedules, but their constituents disagree, accusing the politicians of not standing up for “what’s right.”

The succinct version relays the same message in a more engaging manner.

Let’s Review a Statement Made by an Ecological Group

Because of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), humans may one day find themselves facing extinction. We need to act now, because waiting is not an option, because procrastination puts us and future generations at risk, because soon every crop and every animal species used for food will have been genetically modified. Do you want to tell your children and your grandchildren that you didn’t act because you were afraid of the GMO bullies?

Can we lower the word count and strengthen the message like we did in the previous example?

GMOs (genetically modified organisms) may one day cause the extinction of humans. Soon, every crop and animal species used for food will have been genetically modified. Prompt action is crucial; procrastination endangers us and future generations. Do you want to tell your children and grandchildren that your fear of the GMO bullies resulted in apathy rather than action?

Fewer words. More direct message. Engaged readers.

However, some writers might prefer the repetitions in the sentence that begins with We need to act now . Like the lyrics of “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” which repeats because multiple times as an intentional literary device, the sentence could function as it stands.

Wilbur Faces a Smelly Dilemma

Because Wilbur’s cologne had offended the noses of all partygoers in the banquet hall, he slipped into the men’s bathroom for a quick wash. Truth be told, he looked forward to removing the cologne from his pits, because it burned. He stripped to the waist. Unfortunately, his efforts were thwarted somewhat, because he couldn’t find any soap. Because of that, he splashed generous quantities of plain water over his upper body.

When he returned to the banquet hall a few minutes later, he couldn’t figure out why everyone was gawking at him. Until he looked down and realized it was because his crotch was dripping wet.

Poor Wilbur. Can we tighten the narrative?

Wilbur’s cologne had offended the noses of all partygoers in the banquet hall. No problem. He slipped into the men’s bathroom for a quick wash, looking forward to removing the burning cologne from his pits. After stripping to the waist, he couldn’t find any soap. Oh well, plain water is almost as good.

When he returned to the banquet hall a few minutes later, he couldn’t figure out why everyone was gawking at him. Until he glanced down and realized his crotch was soaked.

Which version do you prefer? Note the addition of two internal-dialogue snippets.

Perhaps a Colon, Semicolon, Em Dash, or Period Would Solve the Problem

She had no reason to be disappointed , because he showed up on time.

She had no reason to be disappointed: He showed up on time.

She walked to work because her car was out of gas.

She walked to work; her car was out of gas.

I need to go to the meeting because my boss isn’t available.

I need to go to the meeting — my boss isn’t available.

He was confused because the test didn’t make any sense.

He was confused . The test didn’t make any sense.

Direct Replacements for Because

My preference for replacing because, or short phrases including it, is to reword. However, the following suggestions will help if you don’t have the time or desire for more extensive edits. Beware: Some alternatives will contribute to word bloat . Others might be best suited for dialogue, awkward narrators, or period fiction.

as Because As the woman had no friends, she walked alone.

as a consequence Obesity has soared in many countries because as a consequence of poor diet and lack of exercise.

as a result Because As a result of his impudence, the teacher gave him a detention.

as long as Because As long as she studied, she received excellent marks.

as things go Because As things go , if he thinks he can win, he will.

being that (not my favorite phrase, folks) Because Being that he arrived late, he missed the appetizer tray.

by reason He was found not guilty because by reason of insanity.

by virtue He received a medal because by virtue of his bravery.

consequently She works out every day. Because of that Consequently , she is well-toned and healthy.

considering Because of Considering the extenuating circumstances, I will forgive his absence.

due to Because of Due to a tornado warning, everyone evacuated the fairgrounds.

for He loved her because of for her enthusiasm and loyalty.

for the reason that (another phrase I dislike) The process is tedious, because for the reason that every step must be verified by three people.

for the sake The government must reduce its spending because for the sake of the economy.

forasmuch as The stable boy readied the horse and carriage because forasmuch as the mistress desired to drive into town. (Archaic; useful for historical novels. Forasmuch as also appears in some legal documents.)

given that Because Given that herbicides were banned, the landscaper had to search for other means of weed control.

in light Because In light of her excellent references, we decided to hire her.

in that His essay was believable, because in that he supported his arguments with comprehensive data.

inasmuch as Because Inasmuch as the patient had contracted a contagious infection, visitors were required to wear gowns and masks.

in view Because In view of the overwhelming evidence that pollution causes so many deaths, the government passed a new Clean Air Act.

in view of the fact that Because In view of the fact that nobody RSVPed to the invitations, the organizers cancelled the concert.

knowing as how (yet another iffy phrase) He decided to pack his bags and leave, because knowing as how she didn’t want him around anymore.

now that We can begin the staff meeting because now that the boss has arrived.

on account He can’t run the marathon because on account of his sprained ankle.

on the grounds that We are rejecting your story because on the grounds that it doesn’t fit the theme of our publication.

out She trembled because out of fear .

owing to Because of Owing to her poor interpersonal skills, she was demoted.

owing to the fact that Because Owing to the fact that a violent storm swept over the stadium, the game was cancelled.

seeing Because of Seeing her anger, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

seeing that Because Seeing that the woodpecker had hammered on the window every morning for a week, she set up a motion-sensitive alarm to scare it away.

since Because Since the warp drive was damaged, they stopped for repairs.

so (often requires rewording) Because my tooth ached, I booked a dental appointment. My tooth ached, so I booked a dental appointment.

thanks to Because of Thanks to his diligence, the project was completed ahead of schedule.

therefore I think; because of that therefore I am.

through Because of Through union bargaining, the employees received a 5 percent raise.

Exercises to Test Your Because -Cognition

Remove most instances of because by substitution or rewording.

Millie knew she’d never pass the biology test, because she hadn’t studied enough. But the lack of studying wasn’t because of anything she had done. It was because she was exhausted. Every night for two weeks, her sleep had been disturbed because Mr. Clarke’s dogs barked. And barked. And barked. It isn’t fair. Why should I fail just because the idiot mutts next door can’t keep their yaps shut?

Suggested solution

Millie knew she’d never pass the biology test — she hadn’t studied enough. But the lack of studying wasn’t her fault: She was exhausted. Every night for two weeks, Mr. Clarke’s dogs had barked. And barked. And barked. It isn’t fair. Why should I fail just because the idiot mutts next door can’t keep their yaps shut?

Notes: Adjustments in punctuation eliminate two instances of because . The colon in the edited version could have been changed into a semicolon, with She becoming she — or two sentences could have been created by replacing the colon with a period. Rewording removes all other repetitions, except for one in Millie’s internal monologue. Leaving it in makes her thoughts seem more natural.

Because of antibiotic abuse, many bacteria have become resistant to even the most powerful drugs. Because of this, pharmaceutical companies have been asked to produce new drugs. However, because of many factors, including insufficient financial incentives for research and development, the number of new drugs entering the market is inadequate.

Antibiotic abuse has facilitated significant bacteria resistance to even the most powerful drugs. Health professionals and governments have asked pharmaceutical companies to produce new drugs. However, many factors, including insufficient financial incentives for research and development, have resulted in an inadequate number of new drugs entering the market.

Notes: Edits are straightforward, replacing instances of because rather than rewording sentences . Note the reduction in passive voice.

Len bought the biggest, most expensive TV he could find: one with all the bells and whistles. Because he could afford it. Because he deserved it. But as he was setting it up, he discovered that he couldn’t read the instructions because they were written in what looked like Cantonese.

Undaunted by this hiccup, he called the local Chinese restaurant. Unfortunately, he had a problem communicating with the person who answered the phone, because she spoke in broken English with a heavy Cantonese accent. Because he couldn’t make her understand what he wanted, he decided to drive to the restaurant, instructions in hand. When he showed her the instructions and explained via a combination of sign language and English, she laughed at him.

“You no understand,” she said.

“Exactly. I can’t understand the words because they’re Cantonese.”

“No, no, no, you no understand words because they Japanese and you hold page upside down.”

Len bought the biggest, most expensive TV he could find: one with all the bells and whistles. He could afford it. He deserved it. But as he was setting it up, he discovered he couldn’t read the instructions, which were written in what looked like Cantonese.

Undaunted by this hiccup, he called the local Chinese restaurant. Unfortunately, the woman who answered the phone spoke in broken English with a heavy Cantonese accent. She had no idea what he wanted.

So Len drove to the restaurant , instructions in hand . When he showed her the instructions and explained via a combination of sign language and English, she laughed at him.

“You no understand,” she said .

Notes: Extraneous instances of because in the exercise are gone. No need to have Len decide to drive to the restaurant. In the solution he drives there, period, without the instructions in hand ; steering would be difficult if he’s clutching something while trying to navigate. Once again, dialogue remains the same.

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4 thoughts on “ 30+ Alternatives for “Because”: A Word List for Writers ”

Hi Kathy, great piece as usual. However, I disagree with the GMO example. That paragraph intentionally uses the repetition of ‘because’ as a tool to drum home the point. I wouldn’t necessarily want to change this, especially if it’s for spoken delivery.

Happy blogging, Sandi (or Nyamazela if you’re following my blog).

Thanks for stopping by, Sandi.

The rule of threes works well for many pieces, and as long as readers are happy with what they see, the writer can be too.

Thanks for that. I have you book, The Writers’ Lexicon and it’s most useful.

Thanks, Vivienne! If all goes well, I’ll have a second volume of Lexicon ready for release early in 2018.

The proper way to use “Because”

by Bailey Bischoff

“NEVER use ‘because’ to start a sentence!” is an oft-spoken refrain of middle school English teachers. These well-meaning teachers drill this phrase into children’s heads because they don’t want children to write sentence fragments like this: “I was sad. Because the dog ran away.” The second “sentence” is actually a fragment as the initial “because” makes the phrase a dependent clause, and a dependent clause depends (you can think of it as leaning) on an independent clause for support.

An independent clause is a sentence with both a subject and a verb that can stand on its own. However, dependent clauses cannot stand on their own and need an independent clause to accompany them. In essence, if you start a sentence with a dependent clause (as I have here), make sure a comma and an independent clause follow it. This rule helps explain why it can actually be okay to start a sentence with “because.”

It is grammatically incorrect to write, “I was sad. Because the dog ran away.” However, one can write, “Because the dog ran away, I was sad.”

Because* – Dependent clause – Comma – Independent Clause.

Your sentences can grow from there to include more complex ideas, such as those required in your academic papers: Because the conquistadors colonized Latin America through the use of institutionalized slavery and encomiendas, a hierarchical societal system was put into place, the remains of which can still be seen today.

Because you are no longer in middle school, feel free to use “because” at the beginning of sentences (just as long as you follow it up with a comma and an independent clause).

*If you want to know more about other words like “because,” words that frequently start dependent clauses, do a search for “subordinating conjunctions” and you will find such words as “although, if, when, even though, in order to,” and more. Here’s a link to more information on subordinating conjunctions:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/1/37/

Bailey Bischoff is a sophomore majoring in political science and has just been elected student body president.

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• Jan 19, 2021

Can You Start a Sentence with “Because”? Well, It Depends

Here’s a question that I've been asking myself for quite a long time. Why was it that in school I was told to never start a sentence with because , while I kept on seeing professional writers do it all the time? Sentences starting with because turn up in novels, blogs , articles—and everywhere in between.

Have we all been tricked? Is there a secret that only elite writers know? Let’s see if we can work this one out.

The rule is that you can’t start a sentence with “because” as it should only be used to join the main clause with a dependent clause. Otherwise, you end up with a fragmented sentence.

Exception: When you flip the order of your clauses and put a comma between them, your sentence will start with “because” and still be correct.

In conversational English, fragmented sentences tend to be more accepted and can make a point stand out.

The historical rule: You cannot start a sentence with “because”

Let’s first try and understand where our school teachers were coming from. Because is a subordinate conjunction word, which means it is used to join a main clause to a subordinate (or dependent) clause.

For example, let’s break down the following: “Jason went for a run because he needed to get fit for football season”. This sentence is made up of two distinct parts (or clauses):

“Jason went for a run...”: You can immediately tell it’s the main clause because it can work as a complete sentence by itself, even if you remove it from the original text.

“... because he needed to get fit for football season” is the subordinate clause: If you try and isolate it, you immediately see that it looks incomplete and doesn’t make much sense.

The use of because joins the two clauses and makes it a new, complete sentence.

Now let’s take a look at the two clauses if we were to separate them with a period: “Jason went for a run. Because he needed to get fit for football season.”

This version is wrong because the second sentence is what we call a fragmented or incomplete sentence. It leaves us feeling like there’s more we need to know about getting fit for football season.

Exception 1: Flipping the order of the sentence

The case is made: You can’t start a sentence with because . Actually, things are a bit more nuanced than that. This is where you discover the formula that your teachers were keeping secret. It all has to do with flipping the order of the sentence and adding a simple comma.

If you start your sentence with the dependent clause (“Because…”) and introduce your main clause with a comma, you would have just created a sentence without fragments. The comma serves as a necessary link between the two clauses, ensuring that they work together as one meaningful piece of information.

It’s simpler if we take a look at our example sentence:

“ Because Jason needed to get fit for football season , he went for a run.”

As you can see, we flipped the order of the sentence and added a magic comma. It becomes a complete sentence with no fragments, so even your English teacher would have to say it’s correct.

Exception 2: In conversational English

The English language has changed over the centuries. In today’s world, it is becoming more and more acceptable to bend, and sometimes, break grammar rules. For instance, if you want your writing to come across as conversational, then it may be acceptable to start a fragmented sentence with because .

For example:

“Why was he allowed to eat the ice cream? Because I said so.”

“She succeeded in her new role because of her grit. Because of her grit alone.”

You’ll find examples of this everywhere, from Bon Jovi’s song title “Because We Can” to countless novels where dialogue takes place. These types of sentences can have a powerful impact and make a point stand out.

In a nutshell

So, can you use because at the start of a sentence?

Yes, but only in the two following cases:

When you flip the order of your sentence and join the two clauses with a comma.

In conversational English—where incomplete sentences are more acceptable—if the sentence starting with because immediately follows the main clause.

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• Grammar & Style

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10 Other Ways to Say “This Is Because”

So, you keep using “this is because” in your essay and want a better alternative. After all, you don’t want to sound repetitive in academic writing because you want your work to get you the best grades.

Luckily, this article is here to help. We’ve gathered the best synonyms showing you what to say instead of “this is because.”

Other Ways to Say “This Is Because”

• The reason is
• Simply because
• This is due to
• Due, in part, to
• With thanks to
• As a result of

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• “This is because” is suitable in essays, but it’s far too common and overused.
• “The reason is” gives you another way to write it and mix things up formally.
• You could say “after all” in informal essays to keep things interesting.

Read on to learn more about these synonyms. We’ve explained how the best variations work and all you need to know before writing them yourself.

We’ve also touched on whether “this is because” is correct. You can skip to the final section if you’d like to learn more about it.

The Reason Is (Formal)

“The reason is” is a great formal alternative to “this is because.” You should use it in an essay to explain the reason behind a choice from the previous sentence.

You will always start a sentence with “the reason is.” It needs to follow straight from the previous sentence for it to make sense.

Generally, you’ll write “the reason is” when trying to explain your methods in academic writing . It helps the reader to follow along with your ideas and understand your thought process behind something.

You can use “the reason is” instead of “this is because” in most written contexts. It’s not as overused, making it slightly more effective. However, we do recommend switching between them to keep your writing as interesting as possible.

Check out these essay sentence examples to show you how it works:

We did not account for all of the variables. The reason is that we thought the results would be too skewed.

I made sure to check for errors. The reason is that so many other experiments went wrong before they even began.

After All (Informal)

“After all” is a great informal alternative to “this is because.” You can use it conversationally or when you do not need a formal writing tone in an essay .

Generally, you should only use “after all” once or twice in your writing. The more you use it, the less impact it has. It’s a great way to explain a choice from the previous sentence, but you should only do it a handful of times.

“After all” is also an introductory clause . Therefore, you must place a comma after the phrase whenever it starts a sentence.

We don’t recommend using “after all” in formal essays or academic writing, though. “This is because” is still more effective in formal situations. “After all” should only apply to informal ones.

These examples will help you understand more about it:

I tried to find the most effective way to complete the task. After all, that would give me the best results for the situation.

There were a few errors along the way. After all, it’s not a foolproof system. I left a lot up to chance.

Is It Correct to Say “This is Because”?

“This is because” is correct and acceptable . However, you should avoid using it too much. It is overused , which can be problematic when you want to explain yourself in formal writing.

Generally, people reading your essay will find a phrase like “this is because” boring . It doesn’t add anything special to your academic writing. You should avoid using it more than once (or avoid it entirely since there are so many good alternatives).

You need to punctuate it correctly, though. For example:

• Correct: I did it like this. This is because I wanted to.
• Incorrect: I didn’t listen. This is because, there was no reason to.

Writers do get confused with the comma placement of “this is because.” It is not an introductory clause . Therefore, it does not need a comma after it. You should avoid placing one.

Feel free to bookmark this page to remind yourself of the best synonyms for “this is because.” Then, you’ll always have something useful to replace it with in formal writing.

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Should I Use “I”?

What this handout is about.

This handout is about determining when to use first person pronouns (“I”, “we,” “me,” “us,” “my,” and “our”) and personal experience in academic writing. “First person” and “personal experience” might sound like two ways of saying the same thing, but first person and personal experience can work in very different ways in your writing. You might choose to use “I” but not make any reference to your individual experiences in a particular paper. Or you might include a brief description of an experience that could help illustrate a point you’re making without ever using the word “I.” So whether or not you should use first person and personal experience are really two separate questions, both of which this handout addresses. It also offers some alternatives if you decide that either “I” or personal experience isn’t appropriate for your project. If you’ve decided that you do want to use one of them, this handout offers some ideas about how to do so effectively, because in many cases using one or the other might strengthen your writing.

Expectations about academic writing

Students often arrive at college with strict lists of writing rules in mind. Often these are rather strict lists of absolutes, including rules both stated and unstated:

• Each essay should have exactly five paragraphs.
• Don’t begin a sentence with “and” or “because.”
• Never include personal opinion.
• Never use “I” in essays.

We get these ideas primarily from teachers and other students. Often these ideas are derived from good advice but have been turned into unnecessarily strict rules in our minds. The problem is that overly strict rules about writing can prevent us, as writers, from being flexible enough to learn to adapt to the writing styles of different fields, ranging from the sciences to the humanities, and different kinds of writing projects, ranging from reviews to research.

So when it suits your purpose as a scholar, you will probably need to break some of the old rules, particularly the rules that prohibit first person pronouns and personal experience. Although there are certainly some instructors who think that these rules should be followed (so it is a good idea to ask directly), many instructors in all kinds of fields are finding reason to depart from these rules. Avoiding “I” can lead to awkwardness and vagueness, whereas using it in your writing can improve style and clarity. Using personal experience, when relevant, can add concreteness and even authority to writing that might otherwise be vague and impersonal. Because college writing situations vary widely in terms of stylistic conventions, tone, audience, and purpose, the trick is deciphering the conventions of your writing context and determining how your purpose and audience affect the way you write. The rest of this handout is devoted to strategies for figuring out when to use “I” and personal experience.

Effective uses of “I”:

In many cases, using the first person pronoun can improve your writing, by offering the following benefits:

• Assertiveness: In some cases you might wish to emphasize agency (who is doing what), as for instance if you need to point out how valuable your particular project is to an academic discipline or to claim your unique perspective or argument.
• Clarity: Because trying to avoid the first person can lead to awkward constructions and vagueness, using the first person can improve your writing style.
• Positioning yourself in the essay: In some projects, you need to explain how your research or ideas build on or depart from the work of others, in which case you’ll need to say “I,” “we,” “my,” or “our”; if you wish to claim some kind of authority on the topic, first person may help you do so.

Deciding whether “I” will help your style

Here is an example of how using the first person can make the writing clearer and more assertive:

Original example:

In studying American popular culture of the 1980s, the question of to what degree materialism was a major characteristic of the cultural milieu was explored.

Better example using first person:

In our study of American popular culture of the 1980s, we explored the degree to which materialism characterized the cultural milieu.

The original example sounds less emphatic and direct than the revised version; using “I” allows the writers to avoid the convoluted construction of the original and clarifies who did what.

Here is an example in which alternatives to the first person would be more appropriate:

As I observed the communication styles of first-year Carolina women, I noticed frequent use of non-verbal cues.

Better example:

A study of the communication styles of first-year Carolina women revealed frequent use of non-verbal cues.

In the original example, using the first person grounds the experience heavily in the writer’s subjective, individual perspective, but the writer’s purpose is to describe a phenomenon that is in fact objective or independent of that perspective. Avoiding the first person here creates the desired impression of an observed phenomenon that could be reproduced and also creates a stronger, clearer statement.

Here’s another example in which an alternative to first person works better:

As I was reading this study of medieval village life, I noticed that social class tended to be clearly defined.

This study of medieval village life reveals that social class tended to be clearly defined.

Although you may run across instructors who find the casual style of the original example refreshing, they are probably rare. The revised version sounds more academic and renders the statement more assertive and direct.

Here’s a final example:

I think that Aristotle’s ethical arguments are logical and readily applicable to contemporary cases, or at least it seems that way to me.

Better example

Aristotle’s ethical arguments are logical and readily applicable to contemporary cases.

In this example, there is no real need to announce that that statement about Aristotle is your thought; this is your paper, so readers will assume that the ideas in it are yours.

Determining whether to use “I” according to the conventions of the academic field

Which fields allow “I”?

The rules for this are changing, so it’s always best to ask your instructor if you’re not sure about using first person. But here are some general guidelines.

Sciences: In the past, scientific writers avoided the use of “I” because scientists often view the first person as interfering with the impression of objectivity and impersonality they are seeking to create. But conventions seem to be changing in some cases—for instance, when a scientific writer is describing a project she is working on or positioning that project within the existing research on the topic. Check with your science instructor to find out whether it’s o.k. to use “I” in their class.

Social Sciences: Some social scientists try to avoid “I” for the same reasons that other scientists do. But first person is becoming more commonly accepted, especially when the writer is describing their project or perspective.

Humanities: Ask your instructor whether you should use “I.” The purpose of writing in the humanities is generally to offer your own analysis of language, ideas, or a work of art. Writers in these fields tend to value assertiveness and to emphasize agency (who’s doing what), so the first person is often—but not always—appropriate. Sometimes writers use the first person in a less effective way, preceding an assertion with “I think,” “I feel,” or “I believe” as if such a phrase could replace a real defense of an argument. While your audience is generally interested in your perspective in the humanities fields, readers do expect you to fully argue, support, and illustrate your assertions. Personal belief or opinion is generally not sufficient in itself; you will need evidence of some kind to convince your reader.

Other writing situations: If you’re writing a speech, use of the first and even the second person (“you”) is generally encouraged because these personal pronouns can create a desirable sense of connection between speaker and listener and can contribute to the sense that the speaker is sincere and involved in the issue. If you’re writing a resume, though, avoid the first person; describe your experience, education, and skills without using a personal pronoun (for example, under “Experience” you might write “Volunteered as a peer counselor”).

A note on the second person “you”:

In situations where your intention is to sound conversational and friendly because it suits your purpose, as it does in this handout intended to offer helpful advice, or in a letter or speech, “you” might help to create just the sense of familiarity you’re after. But in most academic writing situations, “you” sounds overly conversational, as for instance in a claim like “when you read the poem ‘The Wasteland,’ you feel a sense of emptiness.” In this case, the “you” sounds overly conversational. The statement would read better as “The poem ‘The Wasteland’ creates a sense of emptiness.” Academic writers almost always use alternatives to the second person pronoun, such as “one,” “the reader,” or “people.”

Personal experience in academic writing

The question of whether personal experience has a place in academic writing depends on context and purpose. In papers that seek to analyze an objective principle or data as in science papers, or in papers for a field that explicitly tries to minimize the effect of the researcher’s presence such as anthropology, personal experience would probably distract from your purpose. But sometimes you might need to explicitly situate your position as researcher in relation to your subject of study. Or if your purpose is to present your individual response to a work of art, to offer examples of how an idea or theory might apply to life, or to use experience as evidence or a demonstration of an abstract principle, personal experience might have a legitimate role to play in your academic writing. Using personal experience effectively usually means keeping it in the service of your argument, as opposed to letting it become an end in itself or take over the paper.

It’s also usually best to keep your real or hypothetical stories brief, but they can strengthen arguments in need of concrete illustrations or even just a little more vitality.

Here are some examples of effective ways to incorporate personal experience in academic writing:

• Anecdotes: In some cases, brief examples of experiences you’ve had or witnessed may serve as useful illustrations of a point you’re arguing or a theory you’re evaluating. For instance, in philosophical arguments, writers often use a real or hypothetical situation to illustrate abstract ideas and principles.
• References to your own experience can explain your interest in an issue or even help to establish your authority on a topic.
• Some specific writing situations, such as application essays, explicitly call for discussion of personal experience.

Here are some suggestions about including personal experience in writing for specific fields:

Philosophy: In philosophical writing, your purpose is generally to reconstruct or evaluate an existing argument, and/or to generate your own. Sometimes, doing this effectively may involve offering a hypothetical example or an illustration. In these cases, you might find that inventing or recounting a scenario that you’ve experienced or witnessed could help demonstrate your point. Personal experience can play a very useful role in your philosophy papers, as long as you always explain to the reader how the experience is related to your argument. (See our handout on writing in philosophy for more information.)

Religion: Religion courses might seem like a place where personal experience would be welcomed. But most religion courses take a cultural, historical, or textual approach, and these generally require objectivity and impersonality. So although you probably have very strong beliefs or powerful experiences in this area that might motivate your interest in the field, they shouldn’t supplant scholarly analysis. But ask your instructor, as it is possible that they are interested in your personal experiences with religion, especially in less formal assignments such as response papers. (See our handout on writing in religious studies for more information.)

Literature, Music, Fine Arts, and Film: Writing projects in these fields can sometimes benefit from the inclusion of personal experience, as long as it isn’t tangential. For instance, your annoyance over your roommate’s habits might not add much to an analysis of “Citizen Kane.” However, if you’re writing about Ridley Scott’s treatment of relationships between women in the movie “Thelma and Louise,” some reference your own observations about these relationships might be relevant if it adds to your analysis of the film. Personal experience can be especially appropriate in a response paper, or in any kind of assignment that asks about your experience of the work as a reader or viewer. Some film and literature scholars are interested in how a film or literary text is received by different audiences, so a discussion of how a particular viewer or reader experiences or identifies with the piece would probably be appropriate. (See our handouts on writing about fiction , art history , and drama for more information.)

Women’s Studies: Women’s Studies classes tend to be taught from a feminist perspective, a perspective which is generally interested in the ways in which individuals experience gender roles. So personal experience can often serve as evidence for your analytical and argumentative papers in this field. This field is also one in which you might be asked to keep a journal, a kind of writing that requires you to apply theoretical concepts to your experiences.

History: If you’re analyzing a historical period or issue, personal experience is less likely to advance your purpose of objectivity. However, some kinds of historical scholarship do involve the exploration of personal histories. So although you might not be referencing your own experience, you might very well be discussing other people’s experiences as illustrations of their historical contexts. (See our handout on writing in history for more information.)

Sciences: Because the primary purpose is to study data and fixed principles in an objective way, personal experience is less likely to have a place in this kind of writing. Often, as in a lab report, your goal is to describe observations in such a way that a reader could duplicate the experiment, so the less extra information, the better. Of course, if you’re working in the social sciences, case studies—accounts of the personal experiences of other people—are a crucial part of your scholarship. (See our handout on  writing in the sciences for more information.)

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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