I have seen the following formula when writing an academic article:
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that shows how to
optimize a non-submodular function for ….
I like this construction in a paper, and I am wondering if there is a way to replace "To the best of our knowledge" by a similar expression that conveys a similar message, i.e. novelty, as far as one can tell from the literature.
Best Answer
When you say "to the best of my/our knowledge," you're saying that "you think your statement is true, because it is based on what you know/believe, but you are not completely sure" [Macmillan].
So any phrase that expresses that lack of complete certainty that fits the context will do. In the context of an academic paper, you might say: