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Academic style tip: use tentative language

Summary: many people think that in order to make academic papers good, they have to sound undeniably right. In fact, academics are rational skeptics, always doubting what we assume to be true. Academic writing therefore often sounds tentative.
Links to tentative word lists

Note the phrases from radio host John Ziegler's book that sound very assertive [The Death of Free Speech (2005, p. 109)]:

The reality is that because Stern makes Infinity far more money than Opie and Anthony, he gets a much longer leash. When the U.S. Supreme Court famously pronounced that “money equals speech” (in a landmark campaign finance decision) they could have just as easily been referring to the entertainment/commentary industry. Quite simply, the more money you make the company, the more freedom of speech you possess.

For Ziegler's writing style and goal, it's appropriate. But if this tone were used in an academic paper, it would appear to be:

  • Oversimplifying complex issues ("Quite simply," "could have just as easily")
  • wrongfully bringing emotion into an intellectual discussion

A possible more tentative rewrite:

The reality is that Because Stern makes Infinity far more money than Opie and Anthony, he may gets a much longer leash. When the U.S. Supreme Court famously pronounced that “money equals speech” (in a landmark campaign finance decision) they that statement could have just as easily been referring to the entertainment/commentary industry. Quite simply, It seems that the more money you make the company, the more freedom of speech you possess.
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