How to Write Literature Review in Research: Vocabulary Needed for Citing Sources

Positions Weaker Neutral Stronger
       
addition   adds  
advice  alleges, intimates, speculates advises, advocates, hypothesises, posits, postulates, proposes, suggests, theorises recommends, asserts, urges
agreement admits, concedes accepts, acknowledges, agrees, concurs, confirms, recognises applauds, congratulates, extols, praises, supports
argument apologises assures, encourages, interprets, justifies, reasons, induces, deduces alerts, argues, boasts, contends, convinces, emphasises, extorts, forbids, insists, proves, promises, persuades, threatens, warns
conclusion   concludes, discovers, finds, infers, realises,  
disagreement challenges, debates, disagrees, questions, requests, wonders   accuses, attacks, complains, contradicts, criticises, denies, discards, disclaims, discounts, dismisses, disputes, disregards, negates, objects to, opposes, refutes, rejects
discussion comments discusses, explores,  reasons
emphasis     accentuates, emphasises, highlights, stresses, underscores, warns
evaluation   analyses, appraises, assesses, compares, considers, contrasts, critiques, evaluates, examines, investigates, understands blames, complains, ignores, scrutinises, warns
presentation confuses comments, defines, describes, estimates, forgets, identifies, illustrates, implies, informs, instructs, lists, mentions, notes, observes, oulines, points out, presents, remarks, reminds, reports, restates, reveals, states, studies, tells, uses announces, promises
explanation   articulates, clarifies, explains  
opinion guesses, hopes, imagines believes, claims, declares, expresses, holds, maintains, professes, subscribes to, thinks asserts, guarantees, insists, upholds

 
 

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