One of the trickiest things in academic writing – particularly if English is not your first language – is the tense. It’s also one of the hardest mistakes to spot when you are reading through your own work pre-submission.
Editors read academic essays day in day out. Asking an academic proofreading agency to check your work can ensure that your content is matched by excellent presentation. However, there are a few basic pointers which can help you decide on the appropriate tense to use.
In a book, conventionally the present tense is used, so ‘Smith (1999) states that…’ or ‘Duncan (2002) argues …’ This is because, whenever you pick up the book or read the report, the arguments and discussion remains the same.
If you are reporting a study that has been completed, it should be in the past tense. For example, ‘Smith (1999) states that Garden’s study sample was diverse’ or ‘For this study, a detailed survey was carried out’. The conclusions drawn from the study should be presented in the present tense as their implications are ongoing. For example, ‘The results of the survey imply that…’
Occasionally there is a need to use future tense in academic presentation like when outlining your research. For example, ‘In this study, we will be considering …’ or ‘This section will give details of…’
As with all aspects of presentation, however, there is scope for variation in certain circumstances. So, above all, aim for consistency in your choices.
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