Are adverbs frowned upon in proper English (academic writing)?

I understand that "proper English" is vague, but what I mean is, are adverbs to be avoided in scholarly writing? For example, let's say that I am wanting to publish an article in scholarly magazine for college English professors. Would the readers of that magazine generally look down upon a frequent use of adverbs as "fluff."

The reason I ask is because my English professor showed our class the "Hemingway Application." According to hemingwayapp.com, the purpose of the program is to make your writing "bold and clear." One of the ways it supposedly does this is highlighting the adverbs so that you can replace them with "verbs with force." So, what is the problem with adverbs, and what would be an example of a verb "with force?" Lastly, could you please use an example where an adverb is used, then replace it with a verb "with force."

Solution 1:

Your first question is: What is the problem with adverbs? There are in fact three main problems.

The first problem is that they are often unnecessary. This is what Zinsser in On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (p68) writes:

Most adverbs are unnecessary. You will clutter your sentence and annoy your reader if you choose a verb that has a specific meaning and then add an adverb that carries the same meaning. Don't tell us that the radio blared loudly; "blare" connotes loudness. Don't write that someone clenched his teeth tightly; there's no other way to clench teeth. Again and again in careless writing, strong verbs are weakened by redundant adverbs.

The second problem is that they can make you appear vacillating. This is what Pinker in The Sense of Style (p43) says about "compulsive hedging":

Many writers cushion their prose with wads of fluff that imply that they are not willing to take a stand behind what they are saying, including almost, apparently, comparatively, fairly, in part, nearly, partially, predominantly, presumably, rather, relatively, seemingly, so to speak, somewhat, sort of, to a certain degree, to some extent, and the ubiquitous I would argue.

(Pinker could have added arguably to this list of weasel words.)

The third problem is that intensifying adverbs such as very or incredibly can in fact dilute the strength of the verb or adjective they modify. Here is Pinker again (p45):

Paradoxically, intensifiers like very, highly, and extremely also work like hedges. They not only fuzz up a writer's prose but can undermine his intent. If I'm wondering who pilfered the petty cash, it's more reassuring to hear Not Jones; he's an honest man than Not Jones; he's a very honest man. The reason is that unmodified adjectives and nouns tend to be interpreted categorically: "honest" means "completely honest", or at least "completely honest in the way that matters here"" (just as Jack drank the bottle of beer implies that he chugged down all of it, not just a sip or two). As soon as you add an intensifier, you're turning an all-or-none dichotomy into a graduated scale.

Your second question is: What would be an example of a verb "with force"?

You could write: Jones produced arguments and evidence to prove that Smith's claim was false. Or you could use the strong verb refute: Jones refuted Smith's claim. The verb refute implies 'producing arguments and evidence to prove that a claim is false'.

Your third request is for an example where an adverb can be replaced with a verb "with force."

Instead of "She quickly looked over the document for errors", you could write: "She skimmed the document for errors", since skimming implies quick reading.

Solution 2:

As per this study, it has been found that overuse of adverbs can distract the reader and detract academic writing. Another resource is this one.

Here are 50 adverbs to avoid in academic writing.

And here's a site showing examples of how you can replace adverbs with better words.