A collection of terms that appear so often in essays and academic articles and the bullshit that they are hiding.

‘It has been long known’- I haven’t bothered to check the references

‘It is known’- I believe

‘It is believed’- I think

‘There has been some discussion’- Nobody agrees with me

‘It can be shown’- Take my word for it

‘It is proven’- It agrees with something mathematical

‘Of great theoretical importance’- I find it interesting

‘Of great practical importance’- Justification of my employment

‘Of great historical importance’- This will make me famous

‘Some samples were chosen for study’- The others didn’t make sense

‘Typical results are shown’- The best results are shown

‘The investigations proved rewarding’- My grant has been renewed

‘It is generally believed that’- A couple of other guys think so too

‘It is clear that much additional work will be required before a complete understanding’- I don’t understand it

‘Unfortunately, a quantitative theory to account for these effects has not been formulated’- Neither does anybody else

‘In my experience’- Once

‘In case after case’- Twice

‘In a series of cases’- Thrice