Use of verb tenses in APA, Chicago and MLA styles
APA, Chicago and MLA are the three main referencing systems/writing styles used at Massey. Recommendations they make in relation to verb tenses are summarized below. Implementing these recommendations may be especially important if you are planning to publish work in a journal that requires certain style guidelines to be followed. However, for assignments or theses at Massey, it is important to be guided by any advice your lecturer or supervisor may provide in relation to use of tenses.
APA
Referring to the ideas of other researchers (e.g. in a literature review)
Simple past tense
- Brown (2019) argued that… However, Small (2020) suggested that…
Present perfect tense
- Doñoso (1992) has demonstrated that…
Note: A shift of tense may be used to indicate that the research findings are still relevant.
- Molland (2018) discovered that educational outcomes improve when….
Describing a method or procedure
Simple past tense
- The participants were interviewed…
Present perfect tense
- Other researchers have followed a similar procedure.
Reporting results (your own or those of others)
Simple past tense
- The results supported the hypothesis
Personal reactions
Simple present tense
- I believe…
Simple past tense
- I sensed a need for…
Present perfect tense
- I have encountered challenges…
Commenting on the implications of results or findings
Simple present tense
- The findings indicate that…
Presenting limitations
Simple present tense
- The limitations of this case study are…
Conclusions
Simple present tense
- We can conclude that…
Suggesting future directions
Simple present tense
- This is an area for future research
Chicago and MLA
Both Chicago and MLA recommend the use of the simple present tense (e.g. ‘argues’) or present perfect tense (e.g. ‘has argued’) in the following situations:
Referring to the ideas of other researchers (e.g. in a literature review)
No matter how long ago the work was published, the present tense is used, and even a deceased author ‘argues’ or ‘claims’.
Simple present tense
- Vasquez and Lopez argue that…
Present perfect tense
- Bailey has outlined…
Discussing the actions of characters in literature
Simple present tense
- In Episode 4 of James Joyce’s Ulysses, Leopold Bloom walks to the butchers and buys a pork kidney
Narrating a fictional work’s plot
Simple present tense
- The plot of Ulysses centres on the wanderings and encounters of Leopold Bloom in Dublin, Ireland, over the course of a single day (16 June 1904)
Discussing a literary work, author or theme.
Simple present tense
- James Joyce structures Ulysses around 18 episodes that loosely mirror episodes in Homer's Odyssey
- The themes of Ulysses include compassion and remorse
Note: If the context is clearly historical (rather than textual), use of the past tense is acceptable.
- Ulysses was published on 2 February 1922, James Joyce’s 40th birthday.
Disclaimer
These pages are provided as a guide to proper referencing. Your course, department, school, or institute may prescribe specific conventions, and their recommendations supersede these instructions. If you have questions not covered here, check in the style guide listed above, ask your course coordinator, or ask at Academic Q+A.