📝 Created by: El Arby Ameur | 📅 August 2026 | 🌐 lesson.tn
📖 Estimated reading time: 12 minutes | Word count: ~1900 words
📖 Academic Hedging Rules: Expressing Caution and Certainty
Rule 1: Choose hedge strength based on evidence
Strong evidence → "The data indicate that..." Weak evidence → "It is possible that..."
Rule 2: Avoid double hedging
❌ "It might possibly suggest that..." ✅ "It might suggest that..."
Rule 3: Use hedging with reporting verbs
"Smith (2019) suggests that..." not "Smith (2019) proves that..."
Rule 4: Distinguish fact from interpretation
Fact: "The temperature rose by 2°C." Interpretation: "This may indicate global warming."
Rule 5: Use tentative language for predictions and recommendations
"Further research could explore..." "It would be advisable to..."
💡 Hedging is not about being uncertain – it's about being precise about the degree of certainty the evidence supports.