Which word order is correct:
"Psychological measurement tools have widely been used in previous studies"
or
"Psychological measurement tools have been widely used in previous studies "
I always used to suppose that only the first one was grammatically correct, but now I am hesitant.
Best Answer
Have been widely used is far more common than have widely been used. The reason is that widely modifies used, describing the widespread nature of the use.
Just the opposite occurs with "usually" and "seldom", where have usually|seldom been used are far more common than have been usually|seldom used. The reason is that usually and seldom modify the existential been, describing the frequency rather than the nature of the use.