To avoid monotony, try to vary the language and placement of your signal phrases.
Model signal phrases
In the words of Carmona (2004), “. . .”
As Yanovski and Yanovski (2002) have noted, “. . .”
Hoppin and Taveras (2004), medical researchers, pointed out that “. . .”
“. . .,” claimed Critser (2003).
“. . .,” wrote Duenwald (2004), “. . .”
Researchers McDuffie et al. (2003) have offered an compelling argument for this view: “. . .”
Hilts (2002) answered objections with the following analysis: “. . .”
Verbs in signal phrases
| admitted | contended | reasoned |
| agreed | declared | refuted |
| argued | denied | rejected |
| asserted | emphasized | reported |
| believed | insisted | responded |
| claimed | noted | suggested |
| compared | observed | thought |
| confirmed | pointed out | wrote |
APA requires the past tense or the present perfect tense in phrases that introduce quotations and other source material: Davis (2005) noted that or Davis (2005) has noted that, not Davis (2005) notes that. Use the present tense only for discussing the applications or effects of your own results (the data suggest) or knowledge that has clearly been established (researchers agree).