Objective vs. Subjective Writing: Understanding the Difference

Objective Writing: Definition & Examples

Literally meaning 'uninfluenced by personal feelings in representing facts,' objective writing strives to do just that.

This lesson will discuss the purpose of objective writing, as well as show you how to both identify and use it to your advantage, through examples and quizzing.

Definition

Objective writing is writing that you can verify through evidence and facts. If you are writing objectively, you must remain as neutral as possible through the use of facts, statistics, and research. This type of writing is best used when you as a writer need to present unbiased information to an audience and then let them determine their own opinion. News reports and school textbooks often use objective writing.

It is important to differentiate objective writing from subjective writing, which is writing that you cannot evaluate, calculate or verify. Subjective writing might express feelings, opinions, and judgments. This would come in handy for writing a personal essay or an opinion column for a paper, but should not be used when the goal is to simply inform the audience.

How to Write Objectively

To keep your writing objective, try to follow these tips:

• Be specific instead of vague or general. Rather than writing 'almost everyone voted for him,' write '82% of the company voted for him.'
• Do not use opinionated, prejudiced or exclusive language. Rather than writing 'men and girls,' write 'men and women.' Keep both equal, and keep both genders listening to you.
• Avoid using first person to keep it more professional and less about you. Rather than writing 'I believe,' try using a fact or credible source to prove your point, 'According to Smith (1999).'
• Try not to over exaggerate your writing. It can help to never use words such as really, always, never, or very. These words can make your writing appear falsified or weak. Rather than writing 'the race was really close,' be more informational by writing 'the race was close enough to demand two recounts.' 

Examples

Because it is important to understand the difference (and because some writers often use both subjective and objective writing styles), you should be able to distinguish which type of writing is which. To make it easy, let's simplify it to: objective writing is fact-driven and subjective writing is opinion-driven.
Can you prove it? Has the writer proven it? Is this the writer's opinion or is it factual information? Consider these questions for the following example.

• The company's president is an idiot. Anyone can see that.

This example is subjective because the writer is not providing any information that can be supported. 'Anyone' can't see it because the writer didn't provide evidence. The statement is based on the writer's opinion of the president and, if anything, can be argued in the same manner by someone who favors the president.

It's important to understand the strength in writing objectively. When leading with facts and information, it makes it hard for your audience to disagree. Why the president claim is an idiot if you can't prove it? People will be less inclined to listen to you, and you will lose your credibility. Since credibility is essential for any writer trying to present a point, let's consider how we could show the company president is an idiot through evidence.

In one year, the company's president has fired 60 percent of his leading executives, received 25 sexual harassment complaints from female staff members, and lost the company's number one ranking in the state.

Subjective & Objective Styles of Writing

The subjective style of writing gives your opinion; it is a personal interpretation of your topic. The objective style, on the other hand, is entirely fact-based and unbiased, and is based on your reviewing many aspects of an idea. A blog or editorial is subjective, while a news article is objective. The two writing are distinctive, although both can mix, sometimes with confusing results for the reader: Are they reading factual information or not?

All Writing Subjective

·         In a sense all writing style is subjective, since all writers select a particular emphasis for a given set of facts. An article about climate change, for example, can take particular facts about the phenomenon and fashion either a pro or con argument, depending on the writer's approach; articles can reflect opposing viewpoints using the same facts. You must read with a discerning eye to recognize a writer's subjectivity, and how much it may influence that writer's supposedly objective viewpoint.

True Objectivity

·         True objectivity occurs when a writer provides accountability. Consider, for example, a lesson plan written for current education; it must be specific and measurable in its results. The lesson is objective -- and has an objective -- because it is accountable. Academic writing also requires objectivity: The emphasis is on the information the author passes on, rather than opinion or personality. The objective writer will avoid the personal pronoun, and leave out phrases such as "in my opinion," "I think" and "I believe," confining himself to facts rather than his interpretation of those facts.

Objective Is Professional

·         Most professional writing, including journalism, is objective. Business and technical styles of writing demand research, formal tone, extensive documentation and clear, concise language. Objective writing is free of slang and idiomatic expressions and does not manipulate facts or offer interpretations. Harvard's Nieman Foundation, excerpting Alex S. Jones' "Losing the News," defines journalistic objectivity as recognizing a reporter's bias -- which is inevitable -- but also requiring that the bias stand up to evidence and results. In other words, objective writing style produces results that can be measured, just as in science.

Subjective Writing in Blogs

·         Subjective writing, in contrast, focuses on the writer's experience, personality and opinions. The personal pronoun is evident throughout; phrases such as "I think" and "in my opinion" should be used to distinguish the author's subjective point of view from the facts. Subjective writing exists most vividly in Internet blogs, which feature unlimited subject matter and diverse opinions. Subjective writing, a freer and far less restrained writing style, provides authors with a pressure valve. Even CEOs, whose entire day is spent in writing objective, business-style reports, unwind by writing subjective blogs at day's end.

Objective And Subjective Use In Language

When it comes to writing about subjective or objective information, you need to familiarize yourself with the kind of language used to communicate it. Often times these phrases can be used as clues to understand what you are reading and whether it is subjective or objective.

Objective language includes phrases such as: “I saw,” or “I counted,” or “I observed.” Detailing what a person “did” is another clue that writing is objective rather than subjective. If something has actually happened and the writer or speaker is simply relaying that information, they are making simple statements of fact. In subjective writing, words are often added to these phrases to make them more than just fact – and in doing so, they become inferences. By starting a sentence with “she did not want to,” you suppose the feelings of the person. The same goes for “she thought,” “he feels,” or “they were trying to.”

Each one of those statements presents an opinion on the action as opposed to just stating the action itself. That turns it into a subjective observation because it is your opinion as to the deeper meaning of why something happened or was done. (If a person has relayed how they felt, remember that relaying this information as a statement they made will make it clear they are the source of that information and will help it to be more objective.)

One last thing to keep in mind is that you may hear about subjective and objective cases of nouns. While important to know, this information is different than the objective/subjective that we are learning about here, so be sure to brush up on your grammar if you are in need of a fuller understanding of his aspect of grammar.