Adverbs are used in academic texts in two important ways.
1) To modify verbs or adjectives:
Reasonably good data is only available for the last thirty years
Decomposition eventually ceases in modern landfills
2) Individually, often at the start of a sentence, to introduce new points or link back to a previous idea:
Currently, the earth's atmosphere appears to be ...
Alternatively, the use of non-conventional renewable energy ...
There are three main groups of adverbs used in the first case:
a) Adverbs of time
The previously published report ...
b) Adverbs of degree
The argument was significantly refined ...
c) Adverbs of manner
Historically speaking ...
In the second case, at the start of sentences, writers must be careful not to use adverbs which reflect the writer's own opinions e.g. luckily, happily, sadly.
The following are usually followed by a comma at the start of a sentence:
Recently, there has been a marked trend ...
Increasingly, women are starting families ...
Originally, tea was drunk from small bowls ...
Currently, over five thousand people work ...
Traditionally the costume was worn on feast days ...
Other common adverbs used in this way are:
Clearly
Obviously
Alternatively
Similarly
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