Which version uses a formal tone appropriate for academic writing?

Which version uses a formal tone appropriate for academic writing?

• A. It's clear that the results show...
• B. It is clear that the results show...
• C. This is clear that the results show...
• D. The results show clearly that.

Answer: (B)

In academic writing, a formal tone comes from using clear, non-contracted phrasing that presents conclusions without casual wording. The best choice uses the non-contracted form and a standard introductory frame: It is clear that the results show... This structure keeps the assertion objective, presenting the conclusion as something the data support rather than a personal claim. The phrase signals that the writer is offering a careful evaluation grounded in evidence, which is exactly what formal prose aims for. Using a contraction would soften the formality, as in It’s clear that... The option that begins with This is clear that... sounds awkward and unidiomatic in scholarly writing, because that construction doesn’t flow naturally into the clause that follows. The version The results show clearly that... is not wrong, but the formal and widely preferred pattern in many academic contexts is It is clear that the results show..., which presents the conclusion in a straightforward, cautious way.

In academic writing, a formal tone comes from using clear, non-contracted phrasing that presents conclusions without casual wording. The best choice uses the non-contracted form and a standard introductory frame: It is clear that the results show... This structure keeps the assertion objective, presenting the conclusion as something the data support rather than a personal claim. The phrase signals that the writer is offering a careful evaluation grounded in evidence, which is exactly what formal prose aims for.

Using a contraction would soften the formality, as in It’s clear that... The option that begins with This is clear that... sounds awkward and unidiomatic in scholarly writing, because that construction doesn’t flow naturally into the clause that follows. The version The results show clearly that... is not wrong, but the formal and widely preferred pattern in many academic contexts is It is clear that the results show..., which presents the conclusion in a straightforward, cautious way.