Which part of an academic paper would you find this kind of text?
This is probably an abstract as it includes a summary of the main contents of the paper such as the methodology, main findings, conclusion and recommendations for further research although strangely enough, there is no objective or purpose.
What do you notice about the tense used throughout? Why is this tense used?
The past tense is used throughout as it is an abstract which is used to look back and summarise the research project.
What do you notice about the voice used in this text? Why is this voice used?
The passive voice predominates in order to maintain an objective, balanced stance.
How could this text be presented in a more accessible and reader friendly way?
Compare this abstract with the one in Text 2 and you will see that it can be far more reader friendly if the writer
broke up the text and
used sub-headings
If you were writing a paper on head trauma in sport, do you think this would
be a useful research reference?
Again, this is a valuable starting point but it does not, in itself, provide the whole picture. An abstract presents an overview of an entire document providing the reader with the essential information they require to decide whether or not to delve deeper.