As a language expert with a focus on academic writing, I'm often asked about the appropriate use of tenses in APA (American Psychological Association) style, which is widely used in the social sciences. The APA Publication Manual provides guidelines on writing style, and it does include a section on tense usage that can be quite helpful for authors aiming to adhere to this style.

Step 1: English Answer

When writing in APA style, the choice of tense is crucial as it can affect the clarity and precision of your writing. Here's a breakdown of when to use which tense according to the APA guidelines:


1. General Guidelines: The APA manual suggests using the past tense to report completed research and the present tense for general statements and theories that are still applicable.


2. Literature Review: In the literature review section, you may use the past tense to describe the findings of previous studies ("The researchers found...") or the present perfect tense to indicate ongoing relevance ("The researchers have shown...").


3. Methodology: The methodology section should be written in the past tense if the study you are describing has been completed ("Participants were asked...").


4. Results: When presenting the results of your study, you typically use the past tense ("The results showed...").


5. Discussion: In the discussion section, you might use the present tense to discuss the implications of your findings and to relate them to current theories or research.


6. Abstract: The abstract is usually written in the past tense for completed studies, but the present tense can be used for the implications or conclusions.

7.
References: When citing sources, the past tense is used to describe the work that was done ("Smith, 2019, found...").

8.
Tables and Figures: These are typically labeled in the present tense ("Table 1 presents...").

It's important to note that while these are general guidelines, the context of your writing may sometimes require a different tense. For instance, if you are discussing a hypothetical scenario or a future study, you would use the future tense ("Future research will examine...").

Consistency is key in academic writing, so once you choose a tense, try to stick with it throughout your paper unless a shift is justified by the content.

Step 2: Divider

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The APA manual discusses tense in the section on Smoothness of Expression on Page 65. The lit review of an APA style paper should be in past tense (The researchers found...) or present perfect (The researchers have shown...). The methodology should be in past tense if it has already happened.Dec 12, 2016read more >>