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Academic English & Research vocabulary · Argument and Hedging

Plausible

Meaning in academic english & research, with examples

/ˈplɔːzəbl/adjectiveCommon term

In academic english & research, plausible means: Reasonable and likely to be true, although not yet proven by clear evidence.

In Turkish: akla yatkın, makul, olası

How it is used

Used when offering explanations in discussion sections: a plausible explanation, a plausible mechanism, it seems plausible that. The opposite, implausible, is used to reject explanations politely. The noun is plausibility.

Example sentences

  1. One plausible explanation is that students had more time to practice.

  2. It seems plausible that teacher experience moderates this effect.

Common collocations

  • plausible explanation
  • it seems plausible that
  • biologically plausible
  • highly plausible
  • tentativeNot certain or final; said of conclusions, explanations or plans that may change when more evidence becomes available.
  • hedgingUsing cautious language, such as may, might, appear to or suggest, so that a claim is only as strong as the evidence allows.
  • discussionThe section of a research article or thesis that interprets the results, compares them with earlier studies and explains their meaning and limitations.
  • interpretTo explain what data, results or a text mean, especially by connecting them to theory, earlier research or the research question.

More terms: Argument and Hedging

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