Here are links to three open access articles so you can see how the authors use and shift tense in their Introduction Sections.
Notice how the authors use mainly present tense: they are clearly confident that the findings they are reporting are beyond dispute. There are also three instances of simple past tense and five of present perfect tense.The clauses from the first three paragraphs of the Introduction Section are listed in the table below. Notice also that the authors have only referred to the authors of one study directly (“Seufert et al.”) and that this coincides with the only three uses of simple past tense in these three paragraphs. As a result, the text flows well and it is easy to grasp the main points they are making.
| Simple present tense | Simple past tense | Present perfect tense |
|---|---|---|
| advantages … include | Seufert et al. [8] reported | has increased steadily |
| research … is limited | studies were partitioned | have been theorized |
| meta-analyses report | perennials had more | has consistently been |
| critics … argue | have repeatedly demonstrated | |
| society cannot justify | have not been clearly linked | |
| farmers can match | ||
| yield/conservation tradeoff is likely | ||
| yield differences … vary |
Notice how the authors use mainly present tense: they are clearly confident that the findings they are reporting are beyond dispute. There is also one instance of simple past tense and two of present perfect tense in the first four paragraphs of the Introduction Section. The clauses are listed in the table below. Notice also that the authors have not referred to any authors directly. As a result, the text flows well and it is easy (if you understand the jargon) to grasp the main points they are making.
| Simple present tense | Simple past tense | Present perfect tense |
|---|---|---|
| are constitutively expressed | intron was used | has not been reported |
| proteins are active | effort has been placed | |
| catalyzing the binding | ||
| proteins are multifunctional | ||
| interact with | ||
| to organize the | ||
| eEF1As enhance tolerance | ||
| genes contain one | ||
| genes exhibit | ||
| introns can either | ||
| introns can also | ||
| introns … can significantly enhance | ||
| the magnitude … is usually | ||
| introns can enhance | ||
| splicing signals can influence | ||
| an intron affects |
Notice how the authors use mainly present tense: they are clearly confident that the findings they are reporting are beyond dispute. There are also four instances of simple past tense and two of present perfect tense. The clauses are listed in the table below. Notice also that the authors have not referred to any authors directly, and only specifically to one study (“a recent review”). As a result, the text flows well and it is easy (if you understand the jargon) to grasp the main points they are making.
| Simple present tense | Simple past tense | Present perfect tense |
|---|---|---|
| recommendations … are linked | prescribing … ranged from | have been introduced |
| measures assess | prescribing … ranged from | have been found to influence |
| care is delivered | a recent review concluded | |
| variation … is common | no … patterns were observed | |
| differences … may be attributed | ||
| it is to be expected | ||
| decisions are influenced | ||
| patients … commonly have | ||
| characteristics … affect | ||
| research indicates that | ||
| characteristics … can all influence | ||
| this may reflect | ||
| regimens are considered | ||
| treatment is prescribed | ||
| variance may also be | ||
| when there are | ||
| when patients are reluctant | ||
| variance can be | ||
| when prescription rates … differ | ||
| habits can influence | ||
| physicians may differ | ||
| factors may contribute | ||
| accounting … is important | ||
| the aim of this study is to describe | ||
| and identify patient |