Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). If you’re unsure of which tense to use in signal phrases, please check with your instructor, supervisor, or journal editor.Īmerican Psychological Association. The published text may not reflect the author’s current thinking, so putting the signal phrase in present tense makes a claim that can’t be investigated within the source material. Using the past tense to refer to other researcher's work reflects that the quotation or paraphrase presents the author’s thinking at the time of writing the text, which happened in the past. When expressing "a past action or condition that did not occur at a specific, definite time or to describe an action beginning in the past and continuing to the present", use the present perfect tense (e.g, Lee (2015) has used.). The choice of using present or past tense in signal phrases for paraphrases or quotations largely depends on the discipline in which authors are writing or the style guide they’re following.Īccording to APA Style, "the past tense is appropriate when expressing an action or a condition that occurred at a specific, definite time in the past, such as when discussing another researcher's work" (American Psychological Association, 2020, p. No matter how you choose to incorporate the idea into your text, you want to make it clear that you are referring to someone else’s idea, not claiming it as your own.ĭeciding the appropriate verb tense usually comes down to using the one that best reflects the time period of the action described in the text. Writing 102 Signal Phrase Exercise Overview: Take the time to review Excelsior Owl’s Signal Phrase Activity in order to familiarize yourself with the concepts before preceding with the exercise. 454)įor more information, please visit Verbs for Referring to Sources (University of Toronto). (Source: A Canadian Writer's Reference (5th ed.), Hacker & Sommers, p. Use active and descriptive verbs in your introduction of a quotation: admitted 453)Įxample: Gore (1992) asserted the importance of considering the environmental effects of technological advances and noted that, “the appropriateness of a technology becomes increasingly important as its power grows and its potential for destroying the environment expands” (p. To vary your sentence structure, you may decide to interrupt source material with a signal phrase or place the signal phrase after your paraphrase, summary, or direct quotation (A Canadian Writer's Reference (5th ed.), Hacker & Sommers, p. It commonly appears before the source material. Students need to be alert, vocal, and willing to act in order to stop bullying online.Using signal or lead-in phrases is an excellent way to give your reader the necessary context to understand why you think the quotation is important to your discussion:Ī signal phrase usually names the author of the source, gives the publication year in parentheses, and often provides some context. Usually, the signal phrase mentions the author and/or text and gives a context to the source you are using (Hacker 508).( Title: "When a Crystal Becomes Nobel Worthy" / Author: Ishmael Crowder) It was about the unique composition of quasicrystals and how their discovery was controversial.Here are some examples of common signal phrases used in summary and paraphrase: As Smith (2004) noted, Jones (2001) concluded According to Stevens (2002), McHugh (2003) contrasted this. Signal phrases utilize APA citation along with past tense verbs. A boy is stranded in a vast wilderness and must survive. Signal phrases make the distinction between writer and source clear for the audience.The article “Why Do Leaves Change Color?” by Desmond Lee reports that autumn leaves change because they lose their green pigment. ( Title: "Why Do Leaves Change Color?" / Author: Desmond Lee) It was about how autumn leaves change because they lose their green pigment.Reword other parts of the sentence as needed. Purdue OWL defines a signal phrase as: A word or words that introduce information from someone else. Make sure to identify the title and author and use a vivid verb. Your Turn Add signal phrases to the following sentences. When writing signal phrases, replace bland verbs ( is, was, were) with vivid verbs ( describes, insists, reports). A signal phrase, also known as an attributive tag, is a device used to smoothly integrate quotations and paraphrases into your essay. You can use a signal phrase to "signal" to readers where the information comes from.Īn effective signal phrase identifies the title and author and uses a vivid verb to introduce the source's idea. Whenever you include another person’s idea in your writing, you should credit the source of the information.
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