Top 94 Analytical Words & Phrases to Use in Your Research Paper

UPD: Feb 13th, 2024

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When you work on your analytical paper, you need proper academic language, right?

You are at the right place.

The following ready to use analytical phrases will help you a lot. You’re welcome to use this academic phrase bank by filling in the gaps or for inspiration.

Let’s not lose any minute!

We are starting right now 🏁

Table of Contents

❗ The Importance of the Topic
🔤 Words to Use in Analytical Paragraph
📚 Literature References
🗣️ How to Refer to the Author
🔍 Contradicting Evidence
🕳️ A gap in Knowledge
📊 Data from Tables/ Charts
📈 Describe Trends
📜 Classifications and Listings
↔️ Cause and Effect
↪️ Writing Conclusion

❗ Analytical Words about the Importance of the Topic

Any paper requires justification of why your topic is relevant. Here are analytical words and phrases for this purpose.

X has been studied in the recent several decades because
One of the most significant current discussions is
In the past years, X has attracted much attention as
Much attention has been drawn to
Recently there has been an increasing interest in
In the recent decades, X has been one of the major interesting research questions due to
Discussions about X have dominated the research community in recent years/ decades/ months
X has significantly influenced academic discussion on Y

🔤 Words to Use in Analytical Paragraph

An analytical paragraph is a paragraph that gives an in-depth analysis of a certain topic. It helps readers make sense of a complex issue and can be written on any subject, including films, music, historical events, philosophy, etc. The peculiarity of an analytical paragraph is that it not only presents information but also analyzes it, that is, explains its components, evaluates its significance, and draws conclusions using specific words and phrases.

Generally, an analytical paragraph contains four sections: a topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and a closing sentence. Below, we’ve listed phrases you can use in each part.

Topic sentence	This sentence comes at the beginning of an analytical paragraph. It contains one main idea of the whole paragraph and ties it to the thesis statement. In this part, you may use the following phrases: X plays a significant role in Y because… One reason for [your analyzed issue] is that… One difference between X and Y is that… A closer look at [object/event] reveals… Recent scientific advancements have shed light on…
Evidence	After a topic sentence, you should provide evidence to support your point of view. Here are some phrases you can use to introduce evidence: According to the findings of… Supporting this claim, [author] suggests that… A recent study by [authors] found that… To illustrate this point, one can consider an example of… A compelling illustration of this principle is the case of…
Analysis	After introducing your evidence, you should analyze it. In other words, you should evaluate its significance, identify patterns in the data, and connect it to your main argument. Here are some phrases you can use in this part: The provided data indicates that… The statistics reveal… Based on the evidence presented, it is reasonable to infer that… Taking into account this evidence, one could argue that… These findings raise important questions about… One possible explanation for this observation is…
Concluding sentence	In the last part of your analytical paragraph, you must briefly highlight the key idea the reader should take away after reading it. In addition, add a transition if the analysis extends into the following paragraph. Here is a list of phrases that can be helpful: Consequently… Therefore… Thus… To reiterate, this analysis highlights the importance of… To sum up, it is evident that…

📚 Literature References with Analytical Words

What are the most successful words to use in analytical paragraph about literature? Let’s see 👇

There is a consensus between scholars that
The relationship between X and Y has been widely investigated by
A number of studies have concluded that
Previous research has confirmed that
Several studies agree that
Previous studies indicate/ demonstrate/ suggest that
Prior research has documented/ has shown/ has proffered
The latest studies have found evidence that
In recent years studies contend about

🗣️ How to Refer to the Author in Analytical Phrases

While writing a literature review, you probably will have several authors you want to pay special attention to. These are the ways to do it succinctly:

X highlights the need to
X has pointed out the challenges and strategies for
X raised several concerns about
X indicated that
X has demonstrated that
X argues/ claims/ suggests/ maintains/ concludes/ offers/ proposes
In their review/ major study/ analysis/ introduction to/ classic critique, X identify
X draws on an extensive range of sources to assess
X highlights the need to break the link between A and B
X questions whether X is the best Y for

🔍 Analytical Phrases for Contradicting Evidence

Sometimes, you can face a piece of conflicting information. There are multiple ways to place such elements into text.

Despite prior evidence
In contrast, the study conducted by X concluded that
However, this is contrary to a study conducted by X
However, X has later shown that
To date, there has been no agreement on
In the literature on X, the role of Y is debated.
X has already drawn attention to the paradox in
Debate continues about
Several studies have recently challenged this concept, demonstrating
X found out differences suggesting that

🕳️ A gap in Knowledge Analytical Phrases

Wondering how to introduce a gap in knowledge about your topic? Here are linking words for such situations.

There has been little discussion about
Few studies have been carried out on
Little attention has been paid to
It is still not known whether
[…] much less is known about X
Research to date has not yet identified/ determined/ found out
The impact of X on Y is not clear yet
Causal factors leading to X remain debatable/ unreliable/ speculative
This claims about a need to understand the various existing angles of X
The problem of X has not been investigated/ considered in any of the reviewed resources
Prior studies have failed to evaluate/ identify/ reveal/ state

📊 Analytical Words for Data from Tables/Charts

Now let’s see how to use analytical words and phrases to describe data from tables and charts.

As shown in Table 1
Figure 1 clearly shows/ extrapolate/ presents
Figure A illustrates/ compares/ evidences
Figure A exhibits an overview of
Table A provides the experimental data on X
In this table, you can see the summary statistics for
This diagram demonstrated the results obtained from the preliminary analysis of X
The results of correlational/ comparative/ descriptive analysis are presented in Table A

📈 Analytical Words and Phrases to Describe Trends

For a more in-depth analysis of the data from your visualization, try using these academic phrases.

The graph shows that there has been a gradual increase in
The number of Xs is likely to grow after steadily
X peaked (reached a low) in 1993
The amount of X is expected to remain steady
The graph shows that there has been a slight/ sharp/ gradual/ steady decline/ drop/ rise/ increase in
What stands out/ is striking/ can be clearly seen in this table is
The rate of X will probably/ is likely to decline steadily

📜 Analytical Words and Phrases for Classifications and Listings

You may use classifications and listings in your text for different purposes. These are some options to include listings in the paper.

X may be divided into three main categories
This system of classification needs a revision
There are three main approaches currently being used in investigating X
The critical aspects of X can be listed as follows: A, B, and C
There are three reasons why the X has become so important. These are:
The section has been included for several reasons: it is …; it illustrates …; and it describes…
To better understand X’s mechanisms, the author classified it into three distinct types, based on
X is generally classified into two main types

↔️ Cause & Effect Analysis Words for Essays

If you are writing a cause-effect essay, this part is for you. However, not only cause-effect papers discuss causal relations.

👉 X	may cause can lead to can give rise tocan result in affects/ shapes predicts/ determines increases/ influences	Y
X is 👈	stemming from caused by a result of resulting from a problem caused by associated with linked to	Y

Don’t miss our amazing Cause-Effect Essay Topics Compilation!

↪️ Concluding Words to Use in Analytical Essays

And finally, it’s time to write a good conclusion. Look at these phrases to use in your work.

This study set out to/ has argued that/ discussed the reasons for
In this paper, the aim/ goal was to assess/ to examine/ to determine
This study identified/ showed that
Another major finding was
These experiments confirmed that
A, B, and C emerged as reliable factors of
The findings reported in this work shed new light on
The study contributes to our understanding of X in multiple ways
This project can be seen as the first comprehensive investigation of X
The empirical findings in this study provide a new understanding of

Use this collection as a starting point or inspiration for your work.

Needless to say, the English language is richer and more flexible than this list. Try to find new word combinations and uncommon usages. However, don’t overplay – it’s still academic writing that requires certain formalities.

That’s all!

Check more useful resources for academic phrases below in the list of references.

Good luck 😊

🔗 References