Reportingverbs©BCChew2017

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Chew, B.C. (2017). Reporting Verbs Used in an Academic Writing,

Lecture Notes Distributed in Research Methods BTMP4103 at
Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, on 11th September 2017.

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Reporting Verbs Used in an Academic Writing

1.0 Introduction
Academic writing requires you to:
(i) use citations to refer the literature/secondary data when you have used someone’s
work in your writing; as well as
(ii) allow you to express your comments in an academic writing.

Hence, the most common ways to incorporate these into your writing is to use ‘reporting’
verbs to present the information. Apart from citation, reporting verbs help you to
strengthen your argument in your academic writing based on the meaning and function of
a word used.

Below is a table of other useful reporting verbs. When you have chosen a reporting verb,
ask yourself whether:
(a) that is really what the author intended to express from the literature/secondary
data, or
(b) what you really intend to express (when you need to add in your comments) in an
academic writing

2.0 Reporting Verbs

These reporting verbs appear in present tense and singular form. Those that highlighted
are recommended and regularly used in an academic writing. Please take note on the
grammar (singular, plural, past tense or present tense) appropriately when you are
writing. Now you can blend these words into your work.

Function Weaker position Neutral position Stronger position

Addition Adds
Advice Advices
Agreement admits, concedes accepts, acknowledges, applauds, congratulates,
agrees, concurs, confirms, extols, praises, endorses,
recognizes supports
Argument and apologies assures, encourages, alerts, argues, boasts,
persuasion interprets, justifies, reasons
contends, convinces,
emphasizes, exhorts,
forbids, insists, proves,
promises, persuades,
threatens, warns
Believing guesses, hopes, believes, claims, declares, asserts, affirms,
imagines expresses, feels, holds, guarantees, insists,
knows, maintains, professes, upholds, echoes, reflects
subscribes, thinks

Conclusion summarises concludes, discovers, finds, validates, verifies

infers, realizes

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Description describes Indicates

Disagreement doubts, questions challenges, debates, accuses, attacks,
and disagrees, questions, complains, proclaims,
questioning requests, wonders contradicts, criticizes,
denies, discards, disclaims,
discounts, dismisses,
disputes, disregards,
negates, objects to,
opposes, refutes, rejects
Discussion comments discusses, explores Reasons points out
Emphasis accentuates, emphasizes,
highlights, stresses,
underscores, warns
Evaluation analyses, appraises, blames, complains,
and assesses, compares, ignores, scrutinises, warns
examination considers, contrasts,
critiques, evaluates,
examines, investigates,
understands
Explanation articulates, clarifies,
explains
Presentation presents comments, defines, announces, promises
describes, estimates, forgets,
identifies, demonstrates,
illustrates, implies, informs,
instructs, lists, mentions,
notes, observes, outlines,
points out, presents,
remarks, reminds, reports,
restates, reveals, shows,
states, studies, tells, uses.
Suggestion alleges, intimates, advises, advocates, asserts, recommends,
speculates hypothesizes, posits, predicts, urges
postulates, proposes,
suggests, theories
Source: Centre of Learning and Professional Development (2012).

3.0 Example of Using Reporting Verbs in Academic Writing

Citing
-Smith (2014) reasons that communication skills are essential to building effective managerial
relationships.
-Smith and Taylor (2014) emphasise that communication skills are essential…...
-Smith (2014) concurs that communication skills are essential to build…...
-Smith and Taylor (2014) highlight the importance of communication skills in building……

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4.0 Your opinion

-In the presentation, the researcher acknowledged communication skills are essential…...
-From this view, the researcher challenged the claim that communication skills are…...

5.0 Grammar of Using Reporting Verbs

You need to take note the grammar of using these reporting verbs

A. Verbs followed by a “preposition”

x as y x to y
defines x as y alerts x to y
compares x to y
objects to x
subscribes to x
challenges x to do y
Source: Centre for Learning and Professional Development (2012), Johnston (2013), University of New
England (2014).
x for y x with y x of y
applauds x for y confuses x with y accuses x of y
advocates for x contrasts x with y warns x of y
blames x for y disagrees with x approves of
censures x for y concurs with x
criticizes x for y
disparage x for y
praises x for y

Ex: -Taylor (2014) defines an idiom as an expression….

-Taylor (2014) subscribe to the idea that…
-Taylor (2014) disagrees with Raj (2014) when case study….

B. Verbs followed by a “noun” or “–ing” form

Ex: Taylor (2014) analyses the data Ex: Taylor (2014) analyses the reading
analyses, applauds, appraises, assesses, attacks, characterises, classifies, considers, contradicts,
critiques, debates, defines, depicts, describes, discards, disclaims, discounts, discusses,
disregards, evaluates, examines, explores, expresses, extols, forbids, highlights, identifies,
ignores, illustrates, interprets, investigates, justifies, lists, opposes, outlines, praises, potrays,
presents, questions, refers, refutes, rejects, restates, scrutinises, studies, supports, underscores,
uses, validates, verifies, views
Source: Centre for Learning and Professional Development (2012), Johnston (2013), University of New
England (2014).

C. Verbs followed by “that”

Ex: Taylor (2014) accepts the verdict that…
accepts, acknowledges, adds, admits, advises, advocates, agrees, alerts, alleges, announces,
argues, articulates, asserts, assumes, assures, believes, boasts, claims, clarifies, comments,
complains, concedes, concludes, concurs, confirms, considers, decides, demonstrates, denies,
determines, discovers, doubts, emphasises, explains, feels, finds, forgets, guarantees, guesses,
holds, hopes, hypothesises, imagines, implies, indicates, infers, informs, insists, justifies, knows,
maintains, notes, objects, observes, persuades, points out, posits, postulates, predicts, promises,
proposes, proves, questions, realises, reasons, recognises, recommends, remarks, reminds,
reports, requests, restates, reveals, says, shows, speculates, states, stresses, suggests, suspects,
tells, theorises, thinks, understands, verifies, urges, warns
Source: Centre for Learning and Professional Development (2012), Johnston (2013), University of New
England (2014).

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6.0 Tips when Using Reporting Verbs

Avoid using ‘says’ when introducing sources into your writing.
•Try not to use the same couple of reporting verbs all through the assignment. Markers
may interpret it as lack of effort or skill on your part.
•Generally use present tense when using reporting verbs. It is usual in academic writing
to use present tense when introducing and discussing other’s work, even if it was
published a long time ago (Division of Teaching and Learning, 2013).

7.0 References
1. Centre for Learning and Professional Development (2012). Report Verbs. The
University of Adelaid.
2. Division of Teaching and Learning. (2013). Academic Skills Development. Quick
Guide for Students. Southern Cross University.
3. Glasgow Caledonian University. (2013). Reporting Verbs.
4. International Student Centre, Johnston, M. (n.d.). Writing at the University of Toronto:
Verbs for Referring to Sources. [online]. Available at:
http://www.writing.utoronto/ca./advice/english-as-a-second-language/referringtosources
[Accessed on 8th November 2014].
5. Johnston, M. (2013). Verbs for Referring to Sources. International Student Centre.
6. Sharpling, G. (2012). Reporting verbs. [online]. Available at:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/learning_english/leap/grammar/reporting verbs/
[Accessed on 8th November 2014].
7. University of New England. (2014). Paragraphs: Reporting Verbs for Introducing
Authors. Academic Skills Office.
8. Wong-Toi, G., and Bartlett-Trafford, J. (2009). The Business of Writing: Written
Communication Skills for Business Students (3rd ed.). Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson
Education New Zealand.