Which verb tense should you use in the Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and Abstract in an SCI/SSCI paper?

Table of contents

Correct verbs tenses in the introduction

Correct verbs tense in the methods

Correct verb tenses in the discussion

Correct verbs tenses in the abstract

Overview of verb tenses throughout the SCI/SSCI paper

Introduction

Questions about verb tense are the most commonly asked questions at our academic writing workshops. Verb tenses in academic writing can be confusing even to non-native speakers. Questions on this topic are so common that we have expanded the 4th edition of our textbook, (How to write and submit an academic paper in 18 weeks), to include information about tense writing conventions. This newsletter will introduce some of the key elements of tense in the paper and talk about how tense communicates the completeness and impact of our research and the impact of others research.

Verb Tenses in the Introduction

The introduction of the research paper can be separated into roughly five parts, beginning with current knowledge, literature review, knowledge gap, problem statement and rationale for the study.

Stage 1: Current Knowledge

Use the present tense when stating or reporting established facts:

  • Fine motor skills require integrating muscular, skeletal, and neurological functions.

When reporting findings from multiple previous studies, use the present perfect tense:

  • Previous studies have indicated the need to examine X further.

Stage 2: Literature Review

Use the present tense when stating or referring to current knowledge and established facts:

  • The salt in most oceans is approximately 97 % sodium chloride (Ritchie, 1999).

When referring to a single, previous study, use the past tense:

  • Kurtz (2008) found that instructors allocated equal time to each group.

Note that the above sentence has two verbs. The first verb, “found”, describes what Kurtz did in this 2008 study. The second verb, “allocated”, is in the past tense because it describes what the “instructors” in this study did at the time the research was conducted. If this verb (called a “verb complement”) were written in the present tense, the statement would be expressing a fact that is true for all “instructors” everywhere. Consider the next sentence and note the tense of the second verb:

  • Baggio and Klinsmann (1994) revealed that DNA polymerase performs a vital function in DNA replication in animal cells.

In this example, the first verb is written in the past tense, again to explain what this study did. However, the verb complement (the second verb in the sentence) is written in the present tense because the finding of this study was established as a fact and, therefore, true for everyone everywhere.

Use the present perfect tense when reporting findings from multiple previous studies:

  • Several researchers have studied the relationship between classroom lighting and standardized test performance (Jens, 2006; Kirby et al., 2008; Milner, 2009).

Note how the different verb tenses used in the following three sentences slightly changes the meanings:

  • Owen and Shearer (2002) discovered that memory load affects brain activity.
  • Owen and Shearer (2002) discovered that memory load affected brain activity.
  • Owen and Shearer (2002) suggested that memory load may affect brain activity.

The first sentence uses the present tense (“affects”) to claim this study’s finding as fact. The second sentence uses the past tense to report the finding as being limited to the circumstances of the involved study, and the third sentence uses both a tentative verb (“suggested”) a modal verb (“may”) to describe the implications of the finding.

Stage 3: Knowledge Gap

Report facts and currently accepted methods using the present tense:

  • Little information is available on the risks and benefits of X vs. Y.

Refer to multiple previous studies using the present perfect tense:

  • However, few studies have reported the effects of antioxidant seeds on the endocrine system.

Stage 4: Problem Statement

Use the present tense when writing report-focused statements:

  • The aim of this paper is to determine the principal mechanical parameters of thin film deposited on a circular glass substrate.

When writing research-focused statements (referring to your own study), use the past tense.

  • The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not a genetic correlation exists between performance levels at high and low temperatures.

Stage 5: Rationale for Study (optional)

When expressing expected outcomes or offering future recommendations, use the present tense with conditional modal verbs (such as could, may, and might):

  • This research may provide an alternative to the common field measurement of soil erosion and runoff.

Using Verb Tenses in the Materials and Methods

When describing materials in your study, the verb tense you use depends on whether or not you changed the materials in any way. For instance, when explaining the essential details of conventional (unmodified) materials used in your study, write in the present tense:

  • Thescanning electron microscope (SEM) generally contains a tungsten hairpin filament, which serves as an
    electron source.
  • Silicon is the core component of most semiconductor devices, and demonstrates electrochemical properties in aqueous solutions.

When describing materials in your study that you modified, altered, orchanged in any way, use the past tense:

  • Ascanning electron microscope (SEM) was modifiedby adding large-field
    vector deflection to examine remote
    radioactive specimens.
  • The silicon used in this study was an n-type silicon obtained from 100 mm diameter ingots grown using the Czochralski method.

Using verb tenses when reporting data also depends on whether the information is an established fact, or is a finding that you derived from your research. For example, use the present tense when reporting facts about ageneral population:

  • The population density of Shanghaiis approximately 2,657 people per square kilometer.
  • Nearly 80% of Singaporeans are literate in English as either their first or second language.
  • Graduate students from other countries total 1,073, or 27.6% of enrolled MS candidates.

When reporting sample data obtained through the research you conducted or from your literature review, use the past tense:

  • According to a 2009 survey conducted by the Institute of Higher Education,Keiowasthe top-ranked private university in Tokyo; the next highest wereJuntendo,Waseda, and Nihon.
  • One-third of Internet users in Europewere infected by malware in 2010.
  • The students surveyed in this study were not a
    randomly selected population and may not, therefore, be representative of all students at NCTU.

Use the past tense to refer to the findings, results or suggestions of a single, previous study.

  • Johnson & Lin (2002) determined that calcium, zinc, and iron levels were higher in wild rice than in white rice.
  • Taggert (2007) reported that in 85 % of cases, the kidneys are affected by Wegner’s glomerulonephritis.

Use the present perfect tense when referring to multiple previous studies.

  • Hahn et al. (2009) and Thomas (2010) have investigated the economic performance and management quality of banks in Taiwan.
  • Previous research on the superconductivity of degenerate materials has been rare.

Use conditional modal verbs(such as could, should, would, may, and might) todiscuss the implicationsof your results.

  • Generalized results could substantially alter the course of research in this field.
  • If applied as recommended herein, the proposed method would mitigate the uncertainties that have thus far hindered progress.

Use the presenttense todescribewhat your figures and tables show.

  • Figure 2 displays the modified structure of the proposed model.
  • Table III lists the results from each phase of Experiment 2.

Use the present tense to explain and describe equations and variables.

  • Equation (3) shows how solitary waves are generated at the bump and run upstream.
  • This equation illustrates the expected behavior of the spin system as a function of time and initial conditions.

Use the present tense when stating or referring to an established fact:

  • Subcutaneous injections are highly effective in administering vaccines and
    medications.

Use the past tense when describing themethods of your study. For example:

  • A questionnaire was administered to evaluate the current impact of nursing innovation in neonatal intensive care units.

Using Verb Tenses to Describe Results

Use the present tense to refer to tables and figures:

  • Table II lists the results of the independent t-test.
  • Figure 3(c) displays the chemical reaction scheme used to synthesize the copolymer.

When presenting the findings, use the past tense:

  • Subjects in this study spent more time engaged in activities that matched their interests and skill levels.
  • Participants in each reward trial selected the high-probability stimulus significantly more often than the low-probability stimulus (P < 0.05).

Use the present tense when comparing results with those of other studies:

  • As opposed to previous research using noncontact specular microscopy, our Orbscan II measurements are significantly smaller.
  • Conversely, our results demonstrate improved performance over previously proposed methods.

When presenting different types of results, use the past tense:

  • The highest incidence of cardiac events was discovered among women with high severity of induced ischemia.
  • Costs showed a tendency to decrease over the 18-month period.

Use present tense tentative verbsor modal verbs when commenting on results:

  • Managerial accountants seem to be generally averse to outsourcing.
  • Managerial accountants might be generally averse to outsourcing.

Verb Tenses in the Discussion

When referring to the purpose, hypothesis, or when restating the findings, use the past tense:

  • This research attempted to assess and compare three models of audiovisual fusion.
  • We discovered distant metastases in 12 % of head and neck carcinomas.

When explaining findings, use the present tense with modal verbs or use the past tense:

  • These results indicate that company size influences corporate reporting patterns.

As addressed in the recommendations for using verb tenses in the introduction, the above example describes the function of “company size” in the present tense (“influences”) because the sentence is written to establish a fact. Note the verb tense usage in the sentence below:

  • These results indicate that company size influenced corporate reporting patterns.

In this example, the verb describing “company size” is written in the past tense (“influenced”) because the finding is limited to this study alone and may not be true (or has yet to be proven) elsewhere.

When explaining the limitations of findings, use the past tense or present tense with modal verbs:

  • The sample involved only children aged three to five years old.
  • Surveying other departments may produce different results.

Use tentative present tense verbs when comparing findings:

  • This outcome corresponds with that of Rundle et al. (2008).
  • Our findings agree with those of both Cherundolo (2002) and Dempsey (2010).

When stating the implications, use the present tense with tentative or modalverbs:

  • This antigen could behave as an adhesion molecule in NK-target cell interaction.
  • Spirochetes appear to grow preferentially on the external surface of subgingival plaque.

Use the present tense and modal or tentative verbs when offering recommendations or describing applications:

  • The approach outlined in this study should be replicated in more diverse academic environments.
  • We suggest that the approach outlined in this study be replicated in more diverse academic environments.

(Cady put this in a box in the Newsletter)

Examples of tentative language for the discussion section

If using the present tense makes the sentence a fact, we must be careful to use tentative words in the discussion to express uncertainty, opinion and doubt.

  • Adjectives:apparent, certain, consistent with, few, many, most, possible, presumed, probable, several, some, supposed
  • Adverbs:about, apparently, arguably, fairly, in general, largely, likely, more or less, mostly, often, perhaps, possibly, presumably, probably, quite, rather, somewhat, unlikely, usually
  • Nouns:appearance, indication, inference, likelihood, possibility, probability, suggestion, tendency, to my knowledge
  • Verbs:aim, appear, assume, can, could, estimate, indicate, infer, intend, may, might, presume, propose, seem, seen as, should, speculate, suggest, suppose, tend

Verb Tenses in the Abstract

Avoid using the future tense when writing the abstractunless predicting the relevance of findings. Reviewers may believe that your paper is a proposal for unfinished research, rather than a report of completed work.

One of my students recently had his conference abstract rejected because he began with the sentence: “In my presentation I will…” The reviewer reject the abstract with the comment: “Please send us your research when you finish.” Actually, the student had finished but using the wrong tense made the reviewer conclude that the abstract was a proposal and should thus be rejected.

Use the present tense whenexplaining results, stating established facts, or drawing conclusions:

  • The results of this research correspond with the findings of similar psychosocial studies of less diverse populations.
  • Semiconductors are always, either intentionally or unintentionally, doped by impurities.
  • This study concludes that bothland use and nitrogen intensity must be thoroughly assessed when selecting bioenergyfeedstocks.

Use the past tense to describe completed experiments and research:

  • This study discovered that group performance is related to the amount andlevel of collaborativeinteraction in network-supported concept mapping.

Use the future tense to predict findings:

  • Our findings will provide insight intothe functions of isozymes and core proteinsexpressed in flies and worms.

Overview of the Verb Tenses in Academic Writing

  • Use the present tense when stating or referring to an established fact or something with continuing applicability.
  • Use the past tense when describing themethods of your study.
  • Use the present tense when explaining the essential details of conventional (unmodified) materials used in your study.
  • Use the past tense when describing materials in your study that you modified, altered, orchanged in any way.
  • Use the present tense when reporting facts about a general population.
  • Use the past tense when reporting sample data obtained through the research you conducted or from your literature review.
  • Use the past tense to refer to the findings, results or suggestions of a single, previous study.
  • Use the present perfect tense when referring to multiple previous studies.
  • Use the present tense to describe the complete results of your study.
  • Use conditional modal verbs(such as could, should, would, may, and might) todiscuss the implications of your results.
  • Use the presenttense todescribewhat your figures and tables show.
  • Use the present tense to explain and describe equations and variables.
  • Use the present tense when referring to your paper in total. Unlike your experiments and methods, which use past tense because they are over, referring to your paper uses the present tense verbs because the paper continues to exist right now.

We hope this newsletter provides helps you as you select the tense in your next paper. For information about our books on academic writing our 2 stage academic editing process and 3 stage translation process, or to find our about our writing workshops here in Taiwan or to invite us to your university to talk about academic writing please visit our website at , email us at or call us at 03-5795136.