Present tense

If time or resource constraints do not allow for actual making or testing of certain compounds, use prophetic examples. A prophetic or "paper" example "describes a possible route to making an inventive embodiment that has not actually been carried out [9]." If prophetic examples are employed, it is very important that the verb tense of the prophetic examples always be in the present tense (e.g., acid (1) is reacted with amine (2) forming an amide). In the patent world, the present tense distinguishes prophetic examples from actual examples actual examples are written in the past tense. 

Examples include how to format graphics, how to cite references, when to capitalize, and whether to use past or present tense. 

Genres also vary by their conventional uses of verb tense (past, present, or future) and voice (active or passive voice). For example, most jokes (including the three-men joke) are told (or vv ritten) in present tense ( Three men are... about to be executed as opposed to Three people were...about to executed ). Present tense is used to make the joke more vivid for the listener or reader. Jokes also tend to be told in active rather than passive voice ... 

Writing conventions may seem a bit picky to you at this point however, by adhering to the writing conventions of chemists, you take an important step toward sounding like an expert chemist. If you submit a journal article, for example, with improperly formatted units and figures, incorrect abbreviations, and inappropriate verb tenses (e.g., present tense in sentences that are conventionally written in past tense), readers may judge you as a careless scientist and dismiss your work. 

Two writing conventions apply to the Methods section as a whole the use of tense (past or present) and voice (passive or active). Past tense and passive voice predominate in the Methods section however, in some cases, present tense and/ or active voice are also used. Like other writing conventions, the proper use of tense and voice reveals authors familiarity with the expectations of the held, their objectivity, and more expert-like writing abilities. 

The Methods section is largely written in the past tense. In general, the Methods section describes work that was done in the past, making the past tense the appropriate choice. This is different from a lab manual, which gives a set of instructions in the present tense. 

Although the Methods section is overwhelmingly written in the past tense, there are few correct instances of present tense. The general rule of thumb for deciding when to use past or present tense in the Methods section (and elsewhere in the journal article) is as follows ... 

Work done in the past is described using past-tense verbs (e.g., analyzed, built, heated, investigated, isolated, measured, performed, synthesized, tested). Knowledge that exists in the present (and presumably into the future) is described using present-tense verbs (e.g., contains, defines, describes, explains, implies, is expected to, provides, suggests). Present tense is also used to describe fixed features of a custom-built instrument (e.g., length and width). Consider the following examples. In each case, the past tense describes actions taken by the researchers that led to their results the present tense describes information that is expected to be true over time. 

Present tense Triply distilled water contains less than 1 ppb of the impurity. 

Present tense Height data provide topographical information. 

Present tense The probe projects through the tee into the main chamber. 

Present tense The outer diameter of the chamber measures 10 cm. 

Inappropriate We heat the mixture to 80 °C. [present tense, active voice] We heated the mixture to 80 °C. [past tense, active voice]... 

What rules have you created for yourself to remember when to use the present tense and past tense in a Methods section ... 

Both past tense and present tense are used in passages PI—P4. Find instances of both and explain when each is used. Based on your answer, select the right tense for this sentence The data are/were shown in Table 1. 

Unlike the Methods section, which is written primarily in past tense, both past and present tense are used in the Results section. In general, present tense is used (1) to refer the reader to a hgure or a graph and (2) to make statements of general knowledge expected to be true over time. Consider the following examples ... 

Present Tense Used to Indicate Knowledge Thought To Be True over Time... 

Use the present tense in the Results section to refer to a graphic and to make statements about knowledge expected to be true over time in other cases, use the past tense. 

In hgure 3.3 (chapter 3), we reported the frequencies of passive voice in each section of a journal article. If you look back at figure 3.3, you will see that passive voice is used more frequently in Methods sections than in Results (or Discussion) sections. This distribution suggests that both active voice and passive voice are used in Results sections. Past and present tense, when combined with active and passive voice, form four different tense-voice combinations. Each combination has its own function, several of which are illustrated in table 4.1. 

Uses of the past tense and present tense in a Results section... 

Both past tense and present tense are common in the Discussion section. The same rule of thumb introduced in the Methods section applies to the Discussion section ... 

For example, Plaper et al. (2002) state that three Cr + compounds were examined (work done In the past) but that the hydroxyl radical is a known mediator of DNA damage (knowledge that exists in the present). Similarly, the present-tense, active-voice combination Is used in the Discussion section to state scientific truths (knowledge expected to be true over time), just as it was in the Results section. Note that Interpretations and/or mechanisms put forth in a Discussion section are often considered to be truths and therefore are stated in present-tense active voice. Table 5.1 summarizes common verb tense—voice combinations and their functions, with example sentences. 

Use of present-tense active voice in a Discussion section... 

Two writing features are worth pointing out regarding the opening sentence of a journal article. First, the topic is usually introduced in the present tense only one passage above (P3) did not use present tense. Second, citations to the literature are quite common in the first sentence. Once again, all passages but one (P5) included at least one citation in the first sentence. 

When authors cite others works to establish the importance of their own work (discussed above), or to provide background information (discussed below), they frequently use present tense. You might find this surprising because, after all, the cited works were done in the past yet, the importance of the work is expected to be true today and into the future. Consider the following example ... 

It would sound funny to say, in the past tense, that the functional group had roles in coordination chemistry, implying that those roles are no longer important. In addition to present tense, another verb construction is commonly used when citing others works. Consider the following sentence ... 

When citing others works to establish importance or provide background information, authors often use present tense or present perfect in either active or passive voice. 

Present tense-active Nagy etal. (/) propose... 

The following passages comprise the first several sentences of two articles from the same issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Make a list of the present tense and present perfect verb constructions used in each passage. Which construction do the authors seem to prefer ... 

The phrases in table 6.3 are often followed by the personal pronoun we (e.g., In the present study, we...). In such instances, we is used to signal the beginning of the authors presented work in the journal article. (Recall that we is also used in Results sections to signal human choice and in Discussion sections to signal interpretative remarks.) Table 6.4 lists some verbs that typically follow we in the fill-the-gap statement. Note that the verbs are in present tense when they refer to what is presented in the paper (e.g., we present ) they are in past tense when they refer to work done in the past (e.g., we measured ). (See table 6.5 for a summary of common functions of verb tense—voice combinations in Introductions.)... 

In this work, we (present tense verbs) In this work, we (past tense verbs)... 

Present tense is used to make statements of fact, to identify information reported in the paper, and to state beliefs or interpretations expected to be true over time ... 

Verb tense Verb tenses in conference abstracts are consistent with conventions described elsewhere in the textbook (e.g., see tables 4.1, 5.1, 6.5). For example, past tense is used to describe work done in the past (e.g., The rates were measured ), and present tense is used to make statements of fact or state information that is expected to be true over time (e.g., Furans are found in natural products ). Some authors use future tense (in active or passive voice) in conference abstracts to refer to the work that will be presented (e.g., We will present these Endings and The synthesis will be presented ). Others prefer to state such intentions in present tense—passive voice (e.g., The Endings are presented ). 

Present tense Fach aldehyde produces two peaks In the chromatogram. 

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