Even in academic and scholarly writing that strives to be objective, all writing has a tone that should be appropriate and consistent. [REVISE]
The tone of an essay is driven primarily by word choice. Writers should be acutely aware of the connotations and denotations of words, fitting the tone of the composition to the purpose, genre, and audience of the situation.
For an on-line consideration of tone in business writing, visit:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/652/01/
For a consideration of tone in academic writing go here:
Tone and Formality in Academic Writing
