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  1. Verb Tenses in Academic Writing

    The different tenses are identified by their associated verb forms. There are three main verb tenses: past , present , and future. In English, each of these tenses can take four main aspects: simple , perfect , continuous (also known as progressive ), and perfect continuous. The perfect aspect is formed using the verb to have, while the ...

  2. How to Use Tenses within Scientific Writing

    One's tense will vary depending on what one is trying to convey within their paper or section of their paper. For example, the tense may change between the methods section and the discussion section. The abstract is usually in the past tense due to it showing what has already been studied. Example ...

  3. Mastering the Use of Tenses in Your Research Paper

    Use the simple present tense in your research papers when referring to results presented in tables and figures in your writing. For example, "Fig.3 shows that…". The present tense an also be used to talk about the research paper as a whole, for example, "Section 4.1 discusses…". This tense in scientific writing is also used to state ...

  4. PDF Tense Use in Academic Writing

    Past Simple Tense The second most commonly used tense in academic writing is the past simple tense. This tense has two main functions in most academic fields. First, it introduces existing research or academic studies. Second, it describes the methods, data, and findings of a completed experiment or research study.

  5. Using past and present tenses in research writing

    3 mins. Although English uses an elaborate system of tenses, simple past and simple present are the most common tenses in research papers, supplemented by the present perfect and past perfect. The word 'perfect' in this case means 'made complete' or 'completely done,' and 'perfect' tenses are used in describing two events and ...

  6. PDF Writing About Your Research: Verb Tense

    When citing previous research, use past tense. Whatever a previous researcher said, did or wrote happened in the past. Results relevant only in the past, or to a particular study and not yet generally accepted should also be expressed in past tense: "Smith (2008) reported that adult respondents remembered 30 percent more than children.

  7. Verb tense

    Paper section. Recommended tense. Example. Literature review (or whenever discussing other researchers' work) Past. Martin (2020) addressed. Present perfect. Researchers have studied. Method. Description of procedure. Past. Participants took a survey. ... Future research should explore. Learn more.

  8. Effective Writing

    In your scientific paper, use verb tenses (past, present, and future) exactly as you would in ordinary writing. Use the past tense to report what happened in the past: what you did, what someone ...

  9. Verb Tenses

    According to corpus research, in academic writing, the three tenses used the most often are the simple present, the simple past, and the present perfect (Biber et al., 1999; Caplan, 2012). The next most common tense for capstone writers is the future; the doctoral study/dissertation proposal at Walden is written in this tense for a study that will be conducted in the future.

  10. Tense tendencies in academic texts

    Tense tendencies in academic texts. Published on September 30, 2014 by Shane Bryson . Revised on July 23, 2023. Different sections of academic papers ( theses, dissertations and essays) tend to use different tenses . The following is a breakdown of these tendencies by section. Please note that while it is useful to keep these tendencies in mind ...

  11. Tense Use in Academic Writing: Past, Present and Future

    Past Tense: Alfred burned the cakes. Future Tense: Alfred will burn the cakes. In the first example, the present tense verb "burns" suggests that it's happening now. The past tense verb "burned", however, shows that it has already happened. And by adding the helping verb "will," we can instead suggest that the action is going to ...

  12. The Writing Center

    There are three tenses that make up 98% of the tensed verbs used in academic writing. The most common tense is present simple, followed by past simple and present perfect. These tenses can be used both in passive and active voice. Below are the main functions that these three tenses have in academic writing.

  13. Present and Past Tenses Used in Research Papers

    11.1 Guidelines. Below are some guidelines on the use of the three most common tenses in research papers: present simple, present perfect, past simple. These guidelines are NOT grammatical rules. The guidelines can be broken. They vary depending on the author, the discipline, and the journal. In all the guidelines, I have indicated which ...

  14. Infographic: The secret to using tenses in scientific writing

    This infographic will help you choose the correct tenses while writing your research paper and take you one step closer to preparing a publication-ready manuscript. Feel free to download a PDF version of this infographic and print it out as handy reference. References: Using past and present tenses in research writing.

  15. Libraries: APA 7: Verb Tense and Reporting Verbs

    The past tense or present perfect tense are appropriate when discussing a researcher's work. Use the past or present perfect tenses in your in-text citations. Past. Berry (2022) and Gimmel et al. (2020) discovered that young people in foster care are at high risk for psychiatric disorders and poor long-term functional outcomes.

  16. Verb Tenses to Use in a Research Paper

    Rules for Present, Past, and Perfect Tense Verbs. First, there are three basic verb tenses used in research papers: present (simple present), simple past, and present perfect. We will talk about how research paper sections determine verb tense in a minute, but first, let's review when each tense should be used in general throughout the paper.

  17. PDF Chapter 11 Present and Past Tenses Used in Research Papers

    Chapter 11. and Past Tenses Used in Research Papers11.1 GuidelinesBelow are some guidelines on the use of the three most common tenses in res. arch papers: present simple, present perfec. , past simple. These guidelin. s are NOT grammatical rules. The guidelines can be broken. They var. depending on the author, the discipline, and the journal ...

  18. Verb tenses in scientific writing: Which tense should you use?

    Verb tenses in the conclusion section. For the conclusion, you may need to use several tenses. Again, when referring to general truths or implications of your results, use the present simple. When referring to what you did, use the past simple or present perfect tense. Use the simple past when discussing the research you completed and is no ...

  19. Past Tense for Research Papers: A Necessary Formality?

    The Use of Past Tense in Research Papers. Research papers are written to communicate the results and findings from a research study or experiment, which by nature must be presented in past tense; as such, it is necessary for authors to use this verb form when writing their paper. The predominant verb tenses used in research papers are simple ...

  20. What tenses should be used in the research paper and thesis? The most

    What tenses should be used in the research paper and thesis? The most concern part is the literature review. Chapter 1 is the introduction, so combination of present and past tense should be used.

  21. In what tense (present/past) should papers be written?

    The rules of thumb are: Established facts are reported in the present tense ("The path of light follows Fermat's principle of least time").However, you should use the past tense when you refer to previous work in the field ("Maxwell et al. demonstrated clearly in a laser cavity experiment that no mirror is perfect"). The experiments, simulations or calculations you performed are ...

  22. Which tense should be used in the results and discussion ...

    But when you are interpreting the results or describing the significance of the findings, the present tense should be used. Often, a combination of both the past and the present tense is used in sentences within the discussion section. Example: 63% of the children demonstrated an elevated level of at least one risk factor, indicating that ...

  23. Past tense in research paper

    This lesson video explains why and where do we use the past tense in research paper. #research#thesis#abstract#paper#PracticalResearch#experiment#validate#de...

  24. The Past Tense

    Simple past. The simple past tense is used when discussing completed past events or actions.. For regular verbs, the simple past tense is formed by adding the suffix "-ed" to the infinitive form of the verb (e.g., "wait" becomes "waited"). For irregular verbs, the formation of the past tense does not follow a single pattern (e.g., "run" becomes "ran," and "bring ...

  25. Call for Papers

    World History Bulletin is seeking quality research essays, experiential learning case studies, and classroom activities for inclusion in its upcoming Fall/Winter 2024 issue, "Dissent in World History." Guest-edited by Barbara J. Falk, Professor in the Department of Defence Studies at the Royal Military College of Canada and Director of Academics at the Canadian Forces College, the issue ...

  26. Election Updates: Biden Met With Democratic Governors to Calm Fears

    The president tried to alleviate panic within the Democratic Party, telling supporters in a fund-raising email: "I'm running. I'm the Democratic Party's nominee. No one is pushing me out."