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MOVE 3 - STEP 1A: OUTLINING PURPOSES (Why?)
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In this step, the writer introduces his/her solution to the problem described in Move 2 by stating the main purpose or aim of the study. Note in the examples below how the verb tense used depends on whether the writer is referring to a physical or abstract concept.
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PRESENT TENSE:
The present tense tends to be used when the aims are described in terms of the written product, now held physically in the reader's hands.
(paper, article, thesis → PRESENT tense)
The purpose of this paper is to...
The purpose here is to evaluate...
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PAST TENSE:
The past tense tends to be used when the aims are described in terms of abstract concepts such as mental enquiry.
(study, investigation, experiment → PAST tense)
The aim of the present study was to elucidate...
The objective of this research was to quantify...
Our purpose was to describe...
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Unlike Finnish, Japanese and Korean, English can (and actually prefers to) take an inanimate agent
as the grammatical subject
of the sentence.
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HUMAN AGENT:
In this study, we suggest a 3-step process...
In this letter, we propose a ...algorithm.
In this paper, we attempt to develop a...
In this letter, we provide a novel approach to...
In this paper, we describe novel algorithms for...
In this paper, we present a system for...
In this letter, we analyze the performance of...
In this letter, we present an efficient routing protocol that...
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INANIMATE AGENT:
This paper evaluates the effect on...
This paper presents data on...
This study focuses on a strategy for...
The present study tested...
This thesis proposes a formal procedure for...
This paper introduces a novel architecture for...
This research aims to develop a methodology for...
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