How do word choice, tone, and style make a difference in expressing yourself in academic writing?

My first thought to this question was: how can writing have tone? According to Wheaton College, anything I write should sound like me or have my voice, but the tone will vary depending on the situation. The tone or attitude of the piece will depend on the audience or purpose. We have freedom of expression in writing, similarly to when speaking; yet, it should be deemed appropriate considering the situation. For instance, we can still remain true to our individual personalities at a funeral or at a birthday party without conducting ourselves in the same manner. In writing, the tone of an academic paper should appear very different than a casual email. I often hear the expression “setting the tone”; in writing we must set the appropriate tone in order to captivate the audience.  

Word choice may also set the tone. For example slang, personal stories and jokes maybe appropriate for a casual setting; however, these would be completely inappropriate for an academic paper or a formal function.  

Typically the style of the paper is predetermined by the purpose. Parameters are set depending on the purpose. Resumes, critical reviews, literature reviews, and research papers are all formal pieces of writing; however, the style of each piece will vary.

This topic brings to mind netiquette or internet etiquette because colleagues of mine were expressing dissatisfaction with the level of causality conveyed   through the emails sent to them by their students regarding course material. These emails were addressed to the professors using their first names; without regard for spelling, punctuation, or sentence structure. I am sure during the pre-internet era you would not hear tell of a student sending a handwritten letter to a professor with such causality. I wonder if the fast action of an email is reducing concern for word choice, tone, and style.

Works cited:

Wheaton College . Style, Dicton, Tone, and Voice. n.d. Web. 4 June 2012.