3.6 KiB
Phrasebank Playbook
Use this file after the main argument and section role are already clear. It is a phrasebank layer derived from Academic Phrasebank, not a substitute for deciding what the paragraph is trying to do.
Evidence strength
Choose verbs that match the evidence.
Strong
showdemonstrateestablishrevealidentify
Use only when the design and data justify a strong claim.
Moderate
suggestindicatesupport the view thatare consistent withpoint to
Use when the interpretation is plausible but not definitive.
Speculative
may reflectcould arise fromappears toseems likelymight be explained by
Use when moving beyond direct observation.
Evidence collocations
Adjectives for evidence:
- weak:
limited,scant,insufficient - developing:
growing,emerging,accumulating - strong:
robust,reliable,convincing,considerable
Useful patterns:
The evidence presented here suggests that ...The available evidence supports the view that ...Current evidence raises important questions about ...The data point to a need for ...
Transition families
Contrast
howeverby contrastneverthelessdespite thiswhereas
Addition
furthermorein additionmoreoveralso
Consequence
thereforethusconsequentlyas a resultthereby
Qualification
notablyimportantlyapproximatelyin partat least in this cohort
Prefer the smallest connective that does the job. Do not decorate every sentence with a transition word.
Paragraph linking without sounding repetitive
Prefer these patterns over repeated This suggests:
- restate the noun:
Such heterogeneity ... - definite noun phrase:
The resulting gradient ... - participial summary:
Taken together, ... - zero-connective progression when the logic is already obvious
Limit demonstrative-led openings. One per paragraph is usually enough.
Gap language
Use gap statements that are precise rather than dramatic:
remains poorly understoodhas not been examined in ...has received limited attentionfew studies have addressed ...evidence remains sparse for ...
Avoid:
no one has ever studiedcompletely unknownignored by all previous work
Comparison with prior work
To align with earlier work:
These results are consistent with ...This finding accords with ...Our observations broadly support ...
To mark divergence fairly:
In contrast to earlier reports, ...This finding differs from ...One possible reason for this discrepancy is ...
Limitation language
Useful patterns:
These findings should be interpreted with caution because ...A limitation of this study is that ...The generalisability of these results is limited by ...We cannot exclude the possibility that ...Another source of uncertainty is ...
Pair limitation language with the actual source of uncertainty, not with vague modesty.
Implication language
Useful patterns:
An implication of this is that ...These findings may help to explain ...These data support further investigation of ...This work has implications for ...
Implications should stay within the evidence boundary.
Future-work language
Useful patterns:
Further work is needed to determine whether ...Future studies should examine ...A useful next step would be to ...Larger studies are required to validate ...
Future work should emerge from an actual limitation, uncertainty, or opportunity.