In that spirit, I present 'Useful Research Paper Phrases'. Variations of this list seem to have been going viral in research labs, stuck up on the wall with drawing pins, for at least 50 years.
Useful Research Paper Phrases (With Translations)
| 1. It has long been known | I didn't bother to look up the original reference |
| 2. A definite trend is evident | Matlab will fit a curve to anything |
| 3. Of great theoretical and practical importance | Interesting to me |
| 4. While it has not been possible to provide definite answers to these questions | The experiment didn't pan out, but maybe I can still get a publication out of it |
| 5. three of the samples were chosen for detailed study | The results of the others didn't make any sense |
| 6. A careful analysis of obtainable data | Spilled beer on lab notebook, three pages illegible |
| 7. Typical results are shown | The best results are shown |
| 8. These results will be included in a subsequent report | I might get around to these some day |
| 9. The most reliable results are those of Jones (1987a) | He was my graduate assistant |
| 10. It is believed that | I think |
| 11. It is generally believed that | A couple of other guys think so too |
| 12. Much additional work will be required before a complete elucidation of the phenomenon is reached | I can't explain these results |
| 13. Correct within an order of magnitude | Wrong |
| 14. It is hoped that this study will stimulate further investigation in this field | This is a lousy paper, but so are all the others on this miserable topic |
| 15 Thanks are due to J. Jones for assistance with the experiment and to S. Smith for valuable discussions | Jones did the work and Smith explained to me what it meant |
