The lists below offer general phrases that can be used in many kinds of research papers. For mastering the terminology and phraseology specific to a field, regular reading of the relevant literature is necessary.
Note: The numbering below follows the numbering of the parts in the Guidelines for writing a paper.
3. Abstract
As the Abstract is a short version of the paper, some of the phrases used in the other parts of the paper are also used in the abstract and are not mentioned here. You can find them below under each section of the paper. Some hints on how to start the Abstract follow:
Introductory sentence
The paper/article discusses/deals with/analyses/considers/explains/describes/establishes/introduces …. develops/presents/provides/studies/represents/features/contains/concentrates on …. covers/suggests/shows …. opens up a new field/issue gives a comprehensive account of …. aims to give …. offers a solution to …. serves as an introduction to …
The main objective/goal/purpose of the paper/article is ….
Avoid starting by In this paper it is shown ….
4. Sections of the paper
4.1. Introduction
In most cases, the Introduction section is treated as a whole and is not divided into subsections. The subheadings below should only help you organize the information.
4.1.1. Problem background, state of the art
…. have been gaining importance in recent years ….
…. is an important issue for a large number of applications ….
In the last few years a growing interest has been devoted to ….
Quite recently, considerable attention has been paid to ….
…. plays an important role in ….
…. have been utilized in many applications such as ….
4.1.2. Literature review/Summary of previous research
- Referring to the the sources in general
Much research on …. has been done.
…. has/have been widely researched/investigated.
In recent years, research on/into …. has become very popular.
Current research on …. is focused on ….
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