31 In-text references

General

There are two ways how you can report on previous research: central, non-central of reporting (Swales, 2004).

• Central reporting: an author is directly reported as being responsible for a certain finding or argument such as ‘Burke (1999) discovered that many students would like to become integrated into Australian society.’
• Non-central reporting: an author is reported as being responsible for a certain finding or argument but with their name given less focus by being placed in brackets at the end of the relevant statement, such as ‘It has been shown that students have often performed successfully in their own education system before they seek entry into the particular university (Ballard, 1991).’

 Activity: Discuss what you think might be the differences of these styles? When would you use which one?

As already mentioned you need to refer to sources you use to support your arguments so that your reader can exactly distinguish your own work from the work of others. This can be done by directly by quoting the exact words or indirectly by paraphrasing or summarizing a source.

Reporting verbs

Whether you refer directly or summarize previous research you will need to use adequate reporting verbs. To report correctly accurate comprehension is obviously essential. Another aspect, however, is a certain degree of interpretation: does the author through her/his choice of reporting verb argue, confirm or contradict other research? Paltridge and Starfield (2007) suggest a division of reporting verbs into:

• statement (e.g. report)
• judgement (e.g. explain)
• opinion (e.g. argue)
• suggestion (e.g. propose)
• disagreement (e.g. doubt)

So, the choice of a reporting verb is not just a matter of using different words but it indicates what the writer – you – thinks about the source.

The list below presents commonly used reporting verbs in alphabetical order. To choose the adequate one, is your decision as a writer.

Go to reporting-verbs-AEUK and then do the activity on their reporting-verbs-AEUK_worksheet to practice using the correct reporting verb in your own writing. Another activity find here