Okuzeka
Academic English & Research vocabulary · Citing and Referencing

Reporting verb

Meaning in academic english & research, with examples

nounCore term

In academic english & research, reporting verb means: A verb such as argue, state, suggest or find that introduces what another author has said, claimed or discovered.

In Turkish: aktarma fiili, atıf fiili

How it is used

The choice shows your attitude to a source: state and describe are neutral, argue and claim present a position, and demonstrate or establish suggest you accept the evidence. Tense varies by style: APA prefers past or present perfect, while the humanities prefer the present.

Example sentences

  1. Vary your reporting verbs instead of using 'says' for every author.

  2. Choose a reporting verb such as 'claims' only when you want to show some distance from the author's view.

Common collocations

  • choose a reporting verb
  • neutral reporting verb
  • a range of reporting verbs
  • reporting verb tense
  • argueTo state a position and give reasons and evidence to show why it is right; in academic writing it also reports what an author claims.
  • claimA statement that something is true, which may or may not yet be supported by enough evidence.
  • suggestIn academic writing, to indicate that something is probably true without proving it; it can also mean to put forward an idea or recommendation.
  • in-text citationA short reference inside the main text, such as (Yılmaz, 2021) or a number [3], that points the reader to the full entry in the reference list.
  • assertTo state firmly that something is true, often without hedging or before offering full evidence.

More terms: Citing and Referencing

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: