The importance of metadiscourse in academic writing
05/05/2026
Metadiscourse (or ‘metatext’) is a key feature of academic writing.
Hyland (2019) describes it as the writer’s “interpersonal communication” and it refers to the parts of your text that talk about your argument in order to assist your reader.
You use metadiscourse in two main ways:
(1) Structural cues to explicitly organize your text and help your reader navigate it.
Examples include:
- Words or signal phrases which connect ideas or arguments (‘However’, ‘Also’, ‘To conclude’ etc.)
- A purpose statement and overview in the introduction of a paper or section to inform the reader of what will follow
- A purpose restatement and summary in the conclusion to remind the reader what the text was about
For more information on these cues, read Structured: Cranfield Study Skills Hub.
(2) Stance cues to signal your viewpoint to the reader and help them understand your interpretation of the research you are drawing on.
- Hedging and booster language can indicate confidence in the strength of your feeling about the claims you are making E.g., ‘The research suggests…’ rather than ‘The research…
- Use of tenses (present/past) can indicate your confidence in whether the claims you are making are currently valid, or were valid in the past E.g., Changing connectivity does not drive seasonal trends v Changing connectivity did not drive seasonal trends.
For more information on hedging and qualifying claims, read Balanced: Cranfield Study Skills Hub.
For more information on use of tenses, you can read The three common tenses used in academic writing and How can I sound professional?.
Other sources of support:
Metadiscourse: Explorations of Style
Developing writing skills for graduate research
Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
How to build a business that keeps growing
Ask any business owner about their ambitions and "growth" will almost certainly feature near the top of the list. More customers, higher revenues, larger teams and new markets are often seen as signs of ...
Three practical ways SMEs can build resilience in a challenging business environment
Economic uncertainty, shifting customer expectations and rapid technological change have become part of everyday business. While no organisation can predict every challenge, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can improve their resilience by focusing on ...
Six reasons students fall in love with Cranfield University
If you ask a Cranfield student what makes the University special, you won’t just get the usual “great teaching” answer. You’ll hear stories about industry projects that feel like real jobs, friendships built with ...
Boosting flight safety: Cranfield’s icing wind tunnel in action
The icing wind tunnel (IWT) was established at Cranfield University in 2003. The facility is capable of producing impact ice on models mounted within a range of different test sections. At present, the Cranfield ...
Getting ready to hand in your thesis?
You are nearly there! Many of our students are now starting to think about finishing their theses. If you are one of them, then you might find this post useful as you write up your ...
Frameworks to help you critically evaluate your sources
With so much information available, it can be challenging to identify reliable sources. Not all information is trustworthy, so it is important to critically evaluate what you find. Library Search and our subscription databases can ...