Page 241 - English for Writing Research Papers

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In the last few years there has been considerable interest in …
Since 2015 attention has focused on …
To date , there has not been an adequate analytical model …
For more than a decade data analysts have been developing new ways to …

Note: the underlined parts highlight the past-to-present timeframe. For example, in
the last few years means a situation or action that began a few years ago and is still
true today. To date means so far in the history of this particular branch of study.

Some authors also use the present perfect (in the active or passive) to describe
what they achieved during their research.

We have found / devised / developed a new approach to X. We have demonstrated / proved /
validated the effectiveness of this approach by …
A new approach to X has been devised. The effectiveness of the approach has been demon-
strated …

Important note: Beginning your Abstract with a phrase such as In the last few years
or Recently there has been is both uninspiring and unnecessary.

13.10 What is a structured abstract?

A structured abstract is an abstract with distinct, labeled sections. Here is an example

from a fictitious paper entitled Do selfi es induce selfi sh behavior?

Background The selfi e gene (NARC1 egophilia ) ensures that individuals try to maximize
their own success, even if this impacts negatively on other members of society and on the
natural environment. For example, smoking, particularly in public places, is considered to

be a selfish act as well as polluting the local atmosphere.
Objective We investigated the possible correlation between smoking and four specifi c acts

of selfish behavior: use of selfie sticks in confined public places, litter throwing, spitting

chewing gum, and double parking.
Methods Closed-circuit TV (Canon VB S30D Dome CCTV cameras) were strategically
located outside bars, in the street, in football stadiums and tourists sites. A total of 10,000

hours of film footage, collected from cameras located in five European cities, were analysed

using SeeSeeTV v. 2.1.