3-5
Writing the Introduction Section
Verb Tenses Pay attention to how verb tenses are used in the Introduction: Use the present tense to describe the present state of knowledge (the funnel, the conclusions of others): “X is a component of Y.” Use the past tense to describe events that occurred in the past, including specific findings in previous studies (your own or others’): “Sausman et al. (2003) found that half of mice died when treated with Y that contained a high concentration of X.” “We found that a quarter of mice died when treated with Y that contained a low concentration of X (Yung et al., 2003).” Use the present perfect tense to describe something that began in the past and has continued to the present: “Several researchers have investigated the effects of Y on the survival of mice.” Also use the present perfect tense to describe something that has not yet happened : “It has not yet been determined whether X is responsible for the decrease in survival seen in mice treated with Y.” Use the present tense to state the verb in your hypothesis : “We hypothesized that X is fatal to mice at high concentrations.” Use the past tense to describe the strategy in the present study : “We tested the effects of several concentrations of X on the survival of nude mice.” For more information and examples, refer to “Quick Verb Tense Review” on pages 3-8 to 3-9. Activity 1 Choosing the Correct Verb Tense for the Introduction See page 3-10.
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