Introduction > Writing Scientifically > Using Scientific Language > The Past Tense

The Past Tense In scientific writing, you should always discuss things in the past tense eg this was done as opposed to this is being done. This is primarily because you should nearly always present the final results of your work and therefore you describe what you did at the time. Although it's relatively easy to adjust your writing style to incorporate the past tense, you may need some practice before it comes naturally. An easy way to change your sentence to the past tense may be to add "-ed" to the end of the word eg worked, checked, used, attempted, finished. Most students find the Materials and Methods section most difficult to write in the past tense. An example of how to use the past tense is: "The plants are in Glasshouse 13 with an average ambient temperature of 25°C" which can be re-written as "The plants were in Glasshouse 13 where the average ambient temperature was 25°C". Exercise If you're struggling to use the past tense, have a go at these examples

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