Tenses: Introductions

Academic Introductions tend to primary use two tenses:

• Present Simple
• Present Perfect

This is because the five main introduction 'steps' (see Introductions) are often presented using these tenses:

Present Simple

1. Stating Facts/Background Information *

Example: "The human mind is profoundly metaphorical; we use metaphors not merely as a mental short-hand, but to understand everything in the world which is not tangible: from emotion to time to the organization of society."

2. Outlining Upcoming Topics **

Example: "The second part of this study offers a critical analysis of pros and cons of the IMF funded dam schemes in northern Africa."

3. Stating Aims or Purpose

Example: "The aim of this study is to demonstrate that, in the intersection of these related fields, there lies an alternative strategy, one which problematizes the notion of the 'postcolonial predicament' itself."  

Present Perfect

4. Stating Recent Advances in Research

Example: "Relatively recent work has addressed some of these weaknesses. Furthermore, microstructural investigations have given further insight into the deformation processes and led to models being proposed to explain the behaviour."

5. Indicating a Gap/Problem

Example: "However, the effect of different dietary preferences on the nitrogen isotopic values of humans has not yet been studied."

Analysis

Tenses - other than Present Simple and Present Perfect - may be wholly applicable in your writing depending on what content you choose to include. For instance, you may use Past Simple (for 1. Stating Facts/Background Information), if the information you are including is a historical fact.

Can I use future text in the Introduction?

How conventional it is to use future tense in the introduction is a common question by students at Oxford. To explore this further, please refer to the discussion on Meta-Language.

© AWH 2025