C1 (Advanced)Lesson 4: Nominalization & Academic Style
Academic citation markers "segundo" (according to), "conforme" (as per/in accordance with), and "de acordo com" (in accordance with) provide the formal scaffolding for attributing ideas, data, and arguments to their sources, transforming personal opinions into scholarly discourse backed by authoritative voices.
Segundo = according to (most versatile, works with people/sources)
Conforme = as per/as stated (emphasizes conformity with source)
De acordo com = in accordance with (formal agreement/alignment)
Position: Usually sentence-initial, can be mid or final
Segundo + person/source (no article needed)
Conforme/de acordo com + article + source
Critical for academic credibility and avoiding plagiarism
Each has subtle semantic differences affecting interpretation
Want your academic papers to sound authoritative, your business reports to carry weight, or your arguments to stand on giants' shoulders? These citation structures are your credibility credentials! While informal Portuguese might say "o João falou que" (João said that), academic discourse demands "segundo João" or "conforme estabelecido por João" – instantly elevating your text from opinion to scholarship. Master these structures, and you'll navigate the delicate dance of attribution, build arguments that rest on solid foundations, and never accidentally plagiarize by forgetting to properly attribute ideas!
Citation marker (segundo/conforme/de acordo com) + source + , + cited information OR Cited information + , + citation marker + source
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Citation structures serve three critical functions in academic Portuguese:
Attribution: Assigning ideas to sources
Authority: Borrowing credibility from experts
Protection: Avoiding plagiarism accusations
The most versatile and frequently used citation marker in academic Portuguese.
"Segundo Bourdieu (1989), o capital cultural reproduz desigualdades." (According to Bourdieu (1989), cultural capital reproduces inequality.)
"Conforme metodologia proposta por Silva et al. (2020), aplicamos análise fatorial." (Following the methodology proposed by Silva et al. (2020), we applied factor analysis.)
"De acordo com os dados do INEP, a evasão escolar aumentou 15%." (According to the education ministry's data, school dropout rose 15%.)
"A hipótese foi confirmada, segundo análise estatística realizada." (The hypothesis was confirmed, according to the statistical analysis carried out.)
"Segundo a perspectiva pós-estruturalista, o sujeito é construído discursivamente." (From a post-structuralist perspective, the subject is discursively constructed.)
"Conforme argumenta Foucault, o poder disciplinar produz subjetividades." (As Foucault argues, disciplinary power produces subjectivities.)
"De acordo com a teoria da complexidade, sistemas emergem de interações." (According to complexity theory, systems emerge from interactions.)
"Os resultados, conforme previsto pelo modelo teórico, confirmam a hipótese." (The results, as predicted by the theoretical model, confirm the hypothesis.)
✅ "Segundo Paulo Freire"
❌ "Segundo o Paulo Freire"
But: ✅ "Segundo o professor Paulo Freire" (title requires article)
❌ "Conforme relatório" (missing article)
✅ "Conforme o relatório"
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