60 Academic English Phrases for Research Papers
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Non-native English speakers often know exactly what they want to say—the struggle is finding the right academic phrasing to say it.
This list gives you 60 phrases organized by paper section, each with a concrete example. Find the section you need, copy the phrase, and adapt it to your context.
Introduction Phrases
Use these to establish context, identify the gap your research fills, and state your purpose.
1. In recent years, there has been growing interest in…
In recent years, there has been growing interest in AI-assisted language learning tools.
2. It is widely acknowledged that…
It is widely acknowledged that early childhood education has lasting cognitive effects.
3. Despite extensive research on X, the question of Y remains unclear…
Despite extensive research on climate change, the question of individual behavioral response remains unclear.
4. To date, no study has examined…
To date, no study has examined the long-term effects of this intervention on adolescent well-being.
5. However, little attention has been paid to…
However, little attention has been paid to the role of peer feedback in online writing courses.
6. The aim of this study is to investigate…
The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between sleep quality and academic performance.
7. This paper seeks to address…
This paper seeks to address the gap between theory and classroom practice in language instruction.
8. This study focuses on…
This study focuses on first-generation university students in urban public schools.
9. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by…
This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing data from previously underrepresented regions.
10. It should be noted that…
It should be noted that all data were collected prior to the policy change in March 2024.
Literature Review Phrases
Use these to summarize, cite, compare, and identify gaps in existing research.
11. Previous studies have shown that…
Previous studies have shown that bilingual children often develop stronger executive function skills.
12. According to [Author, Year],…
According to Smith and Lee (2023), the correlation between stress and performance is non-linear.
13. [Author] suggests that…
Johnson (2022) suggests that student motivation declines significantly after the first year of university.
14. Studies have consistently shown that…
Studies have consistently shown that formative assessment improves learning outcomes.
15. The relationship between X and Y has been widely studied…
The relationship between poverty and educational attainment has been widely studied in both developed and developing contexts.
16. These findings are consistent with those of…
These findings are consistent with those of earlier studies conducted in European healthcare systems.
17. In contrast to [Author’s] findings,…
In contrast to Chen’s findings, the present study found no significant effect of gender on risk tolerance.
18. Building on the work of [Author],…
Building on the work of Vygotsky, this study examines peer scaffolding in digital environments.
19. There is a lack of consensus regarding…
There is a lack of consensus regarding the optimal duration of vocabulary instruction for adult learners.
20. The present study extends this work by…
The present study extends this work by examining a non-Western context for the first time.
Methodology Phrases
Use these to describe your research design, participants, data collection, and analysis.
21. A qualitative/quantitative/mixed-methods approach was adopted…
A mixed-methods approach was adopted to capture both statistical trends and participant experiences.
22. Data were collected using…
Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and an online questionnaire.
23. The sample consisted of X participants…
The sample consisted of 128 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory psychology course.
24. Participants were recruited from…
Participants were recruited from three secondary schools in the metropolitan area.
25. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with…
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 experienced teachers across six countries.
26. Data were analyzed using…
Data were analyzed using thematic analysis following the framework of Braun and Clarke (2006).
27. Statistical analysis was performed using…
Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 27.0.
28. To test the hypothesis, we compared…
To test the hypothesis, we compared pre- and post-intervention scores using a paired t-test.
29. Informed consent was obtained from all participants…
Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to data collection.
30. Reliability was assessed using…
Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, which yielded a value of .91.
Results Phrases
Use these to present findings, describe patterns, and highlight key results.
31. The results indicate that…
The results indicate that participants in the intervention group scored significantly higher than controls.
32. The findings reveal that…
The findings reveal a clear preference for asynchronous communication among remote workers.
33. As shown in Table/Figure X,…
As shown in Figure 2, satisfaction scores peaked in the third month of the program.
34. It was found that…
It was found that students who reviewed vocabulary daily retained 65% more words at the end of term.
35. There was a significant difference between…
There was a significant difference between the control and experimental groups (p < 0.01).
36. A positive correlation was found between X and Y…
A positive correlation was found between daily reading time and comprehension scores (r = .72).
37. The majority of participants reported that…
The majority of participants (78%) reported that translation tools helped reduce their writing anxiety.
38. Contrary to expectations,…
Contrary to expectations, the older participants performed better on the digital literacy task.
39. The most striking finding was that…
The most striking finding was that informal peer correction was more effective than teacher correction.
40. No significant relationship was found between…
No significant relationship was found between class size and student engagement in this context.
Discussion Phrases
Use these to interpret findings, connect to prior research, and acknowledge limitations.
41. These findings suggest that…
These findings suggest that collaborative writing tasks promote deeper syntactic development.
42. One possible explanation for this result is…
One possible explanation for this result is that participants lacked prior familiarity with the task format.
43. This finding is consistent with previous research on…
This finding is consistent with previous research on the role of feedback timing in skill acquisition.
44. In contrast to [Author’s] findings, the present study found…
In contrast to Martinez’s findings, the present study found no gender difference in collaborative task performance.
45. A plausible reason for this discrepancy is…
A plausible reason for this discrepancy is the difference in proficiency levels between the two samples.
46. This may be due to…
This may be due to the participants’ prior exposure to the topic through social media.
47. This finding has important implications for…
This finding has important implications for curriculum designers working in multilingual contexts.
48. One limitation of this study is…
One limitation of this study is that all data were self-reported and therefore subject to recall bias.
49. The generalizability of these findings may be limited by…
The generalizability of these findings may be limited by the homogeneous nature of the sample.
50. Taken together, these findings suggest that…
Taken together, these findings suggest that no single instructional method is universally effective.
Conclusion Phrases
Use these to summarize, state your contribution, and point to future directions.
51. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that…
In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that formative feedback, when timely, significantly improves draft quality.
52. To summarize, the findings indicate that…
To summarize, the findings indicate a consistent advantage for the spaced learning condition.
53. Overall, this research has provided evidence that…
Overall, this research has provided evidence that AI tools can support, but not replace, human translators.
54. The main contribution of this paper is…
The main contribution of this paper is a validated framework for assessing cross-cultural communication competence.
55. Based on the above findings, it can be concluded that…
Based on the above findings, it can be concluded that early intervention yields the strongest outcomes.
56. These findings highlight the need for…
These findings highlight the need for culturally adapted assessment tools in international education programs.
57. In light of these findings,…
In light of these findings, we recommend revising the current onboarding curriculum for graduate teaching assistants.
58. The evidence presented in this paper suggests that…
The evidence presented in this paper suggests that institutional support is the strongest predictor of success.
59. This research lays the groundwork for future studies on…
This research lays the groundwork for future studies on AI-assisted peer review in academic writing.
60. Future research should investigate…
Future research should investigate whether these patterns hold across different disciplinary contexts and learner backgrounds.
Three Rules for Using These Phrases Naturally
1. Adapt, don’t copy verbatim. Every phrase is a template. Replace the content parts with your actual findings. If the phrase feels unnatural in your sentence, change it.
2. Hedge appropriately. Academic writing prefers caution: “the results suggest” rather than “the results prove”; “one possible explanation” rather than “the reason is”. Reserve strong claims for findings that are genuinely clear-cut.
3. Vary your openings. If every Results sentence starts with “The results indicate that…” it becomes monotonous. Rotate between different phrases from the same section.
If you’re writing in a second language and need to check that your phrasing reads naturally in English, OpenL can help you translate drafts across 100+ languages — useful for confirming your English wording against your source-language draft.
For more practical English guides, see our posts on 50 English phrases you’ll actually use every day and how to translate academic transcripts for overseas admissions.
Sources
- Academic Phrasebank – University of Manchester — The most comprehensive free database of academic phrases, organized by paper section (John Morley)
- Academic Phrasebank PDF (2021) — Downloadable full reference
- Purdue OWL – Academic Writing — University-level writing guides for each paper section
