Academic Integrity - Referencing, Citation & Avoiding Plagiarism: Writing Strategies
Writing strategies - reporting verbs
When you decide to use a citation you may need to use a reporting verb to integrate it into your text. For example "Hudson (2004) identifies the benefits of videocounselling for families of teenagers with epilepsy.”
You can use reporting verbs in the present or past tense. Before selecting a verb it is important to read the citation carefully, and to use the verb that most accurately describes the author's claim.
When the verb is active, the subject of the verb is doing the action. With a passive verb, the subject is acted upon and does not have to be named. See below for examples of how this works in academic writing.
Using Active Verbs | Using Passive Verbs |
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Reporting Verbs
argues |
defines |
observes |
states |
demonstrates |
identifies |
hypothesises |
shows |
explains |
proposes |
concludes |
identifies |
finds |
claims |
notes |
suggests |
indicates |
describes |
reports |
presents |
Note that it is also possible to cite an author without using a reporting verb. Simply restate the author’s point of view in your own words (paraphrase), or use the phrase "according to".
For example "According to Malley (2004) the accidental plagiarist is one who doesn't understand plagiarism."
Quick Links
- UCD Plagiarism PolicyFull UCD Plagiarism Policy from the Academic Secretariat.
- EndNote Guide (online guide)An online guide from UCD Library all about the reference management software, EndNote.
- Originality Checker InformationIncludes description and instructions. Refer to your lecturer for any questions on the Originality Checker.
- All UCD Library TutorialsA set of short online tutorials from UCD Library covering referencing in five styles, avoiding plagiarism, finding books, journals and many more.
- Academic Phrasebank University of ManchesterEndless lists of phases broken down into areas such as "introducing a topic," "being critical," "comparing and contrasting," "classifying and listing," and more.
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