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Thesis Abstracts: Which Tense?

Thesis writers commonly ask Thesis Services this: 'Which tense should I use in my thesis abstract?' The answer is NOT just to use one tense throughout the thesis abstract regardless. To write a thesis abstract, you usually vary tense use accordingly.

Tense In Thesis Abstracts: Examples

Here are some examples of using tense in thesis abstracts. Other possibilities exist, but the one chosen often relates to the part of the abstract/what you're discussing.

Opening Statement/Phrase About Your Thesis

Present simple tense is usual but variations exist.

• present simple tense: This study investigates . . .
• simple past tense: This research was developed . . .
• present perfect tense: This work has evolved . . . (less common in thesis abstracts)
• present perfect continuous tense: The current research has been evolving . . . (even rarer in thesis abstracts)

Evidently, tenses in thesis abstracts also depend on what you're saying, but we can't cover every permutation here. Instead, Thesis Services looks at some common tenses in different areas of thesis abstracts for common uses.

Thesis Background/Context

Present simple tense is usual in this section/area as you are generally writing about things that apply now.
The UK cosmetics industry is worth . . .

Again, though, variations are common for specific points, such as changing to the present perfect tense.
The UK cosmetics industry has recently experienced . . .

Methods/Research Process

Methods tend to use the past simple tense as you are usually describing what you did in the past.
This work conducted two experiments in each context . . .
The independent variables were used to . . .

However, variations are once again common for specific points, especially with the present perfect tense.
Since this work, participating institutions have used this model independently so/because . . .

Results

For simply describing results in your abstract, simple past tense is common.
The third option caused most problems for subjects . . .

But present tense shows ongoing relevance when discussing your results.
The research results support . . .

Present perfect tense is also possible.
The relevance of these results has further increased recently because . . .

Conclusions

When making conclusions in your abstract, various tenses can again be used.

Simple past: Therefore, this work attempted to . . .
Simple present: This work concludes that . . .

This includes future tenses to extrapolate and comment on subsequent research.
This study will be useful . . .

Summary: Tenses In Thesis Abstracts

Clearly, the one-tense-fits-all approach for thesis abstracts does not work. Change tenses according to the part and the point, but also consider other influences (e.g. APA advises specific tenses for certain parts). If you want to work with Thesis Services on your thesis abstract and the rest of your thesis, contact me now.