The Academic Tense Framework I Wish Someone Taught Me Earlier

If you have ever felt like your article was a grammatical rollercoaster, you are not alone.

Across my years mentoring PhD students, I’ve learned something important:

Most researchers do not struggle because they lack scientific understanding

but they struggle because academic tense usage feels confusing and counter-intuitive.

“Examines or examined?”
“Suggests or suggested?”

I’ve watched many freeze over these small decisions.
I was there too.

No one tells you that mastering tense is a major part of sounding like a confident academic writer.

Section-wise Guide to Tense Use in Research Writing:
1. Abstract
Present tense → purpose & significance
Past tense → summarised methods/results

Example: This study explores… / The analysis revealed…

2. Introduction
Present tense → facts, concepts, argument
Past tense → previous studies & historical findings

Example: X is vital… / Smith et al. (2021) reported…

3. Methods
Past tense → always
Example: We collected data…

Present tense → only to describe tables/figures
Example: Table 1 presents…

4. Results
Past tense → reporting findings
Example: The data showed…

Present tense → interpreting visuals
Example: Figure 2 illustrates…

5. Discussion
Present tense → interpretations, meaning, theory connection
Past tense → specific study actions

Example: These findings suggest… / This study observed…

6. Conclusion
Present tense → implications
Future tense → recommendations

Example: This research demonstrates… / Future studies will examine…

📌 Two golden rules:

✅ Be consistent within each section, switch only with purpose.
✅ Match tense to intent:
Past = what happened
Present = meaning and facts
Future = recommendations

Master this, and your writing instantly sounds clearer, more credible, and more professional.