Rules for the use of the present perfect differ slightly in British and American English. Smith (2016) discovered that the treatment is effective.King (2010) found that revising a document three times improves the final grade.However, there can be a shift to the present tense if the research findings still hold true: Patterson (2012) presented, found, stated, discovered….When explaining what an author or researcher wrote or did, use the past tense. Use the present tense to discuss implications of the results and present conclusions (e.g., the results of the study show…).Use the past tense to describe the results (e.g., test scores improved significantly).Use the past tense (e.g., researchers presented) or the present perfect (e.g., researchers have presented) for the literature review and the description of the procedure if discussing past events.In other words, avoid unnecessary shifts in verb tense within a paragraph or in adjacent paragraphs to help ensure smooth expression. See this blog post about Revising the Proposal for the Final Capstone Document for more information.ĪPA calls for consistency and accuracy in verb tense usage (see APA 7, Section 4.12 and Table 4.1). Keep in mind that verb tenses should be adjusted after the proposal after the research has been completed. Example: I will conduct semistructured interviews.They found common themes among the small business owners.įuture: Use the future to describe an action that will take place at a particular point in the future (at Walden, this is used especially when writing a proposal for a doctoral capstone study). Example: Many researchers have studied how small business owners can be successful beyond the initial few years in business.Example: Numerous researchers have used this method.After the first sentence, the tense shifts to the simple past. The present perfect is also sometimes used to introduce background information in a paragraph. This action has relevance in the present. Present perfect: Use the present perfect to indicate an action that occurred at a nonspecific time in the past.
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