Writing a research paper, I came across a remark from one of the reviewers:
"Keep it simple" […] try to stay with present simple and past simple tense.
This would discourage the use of perfect / progressive tenses.
Now, I'm not a native speaker—and neither is the reviewer—but I'm sure there are valid uses for the present perfect tense. For example:
Research has shown that […]
This effect has often been cited as […]
The authors of […] have published a database […]
This, specifically, would imply that whatever research has shown is still valid today, whereas using a past tense here would mean that the research isn't accepted at the time of writing.
Regarding that reviewer comment:
- Why should these tenses be avoided in the first place? I wouldn't say that the "keep it simple" rule literally refers to the "simple" tenses. Or does it?
- Is that a general rule or are the examples I've mentioned valid uses of the perfect tense?
Best Answer
There is absolutely no need to avoid progressive and perfect constructions. It would be difficult to write a paper without them. Perhaps you should ask the reviewer for details on what the objection to progressive and perfect constructions might be.