documents were retrieved

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "documents were retrieved" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to the act of obtaining or recovering documents, often in a formal or technical context. Example: "After a thorough search, the missing documents were retrieved from the archives."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

24 human-written examples

Materials: a sample of 41 documents were retrieved from the Internet using four ««search engines»».

European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery

Their 2013 trip to Iran was intended for a month but they ended up staying for half a year before their documents were retrieved.

The Guardian

When the text comparisons for a data set were performed, each individual text in the set was compared against all other texts in the set, and the significantly matched documents were retrieved.

Plosone

In total, 198 documents were retrieved.

BMC Public Health

SA documents were retrieved from the MEB SA Database.

European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology

The strategic curriculum documents were retrieved through internet searches in February and March 2013.

BMC Medical Education

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

36 human-written examples

Whereas the first retrieval function primarily addresses recall, ensuring that all potentially relevant documents are retrieved, the second and ensuing function focuses on the ideal ranking of those results, addressing precision at the highest ranks.

Cornell University

Information from patent documents was retrieved using databases, yielding 5474 documents related to 2903 patent families for the last 10 years.

World Patent Information

The prior retrieval stage, by contrast, focuses on high recall, that is, ensuring that all potentially relevant documents are retrieved.

Cornell University

By a different use of relevance feedback (the order in which the relevant documents are retrieved, the terms of the relevant documents, and the terms of the irrelevant documents) in the design of fitness function, and by introducing three different genetic operators, we have developed a new genetic algorithm-based query optimization method on relevance feedback for Web information retrieval.

Applied Mathematics and Computation

Any documents are retrieved as a PDF, ready for printing.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "documents were retrieved", ensure the context clearly indicates who retrieved the documents and from where. This adds clarity and avoids ambiguity.

Common error

While "documents were retrieved" is grammatically correct, overuse of the passive voice can make writing seem vague. Consider using the active voice (e.g., "Researchers retrieved the documents") to make your writing more direct and engaging.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "documents were retrieved" functions as a passive construction, indicating that the documents were the recipients of the action. Ludwig AI confirms that this is a standard and correct grammatical construction. The subject performing the action (retrieval) is either unknown or less important than the fact that the documents were obtained.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

75%

News & Media

13%

Academia

8%

Less common in

Formal & Business

2%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "documents were retrieved" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase, primarily found in scientific, academic, and news contexts. As noted by Ludwig AI, it serves to report the successful recovery or acquisition of documents, emphasizing the action's result. While appropriate for formal settings, writers should be mindful of overusing the passive voice and consider active alternatives for more direct communication. The phrase is versatile, with several semantically similar options available to suit specific nuances and contexts, and is generally considered formal in tone.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

records were obtained

This alternative replaces "documents" with "records" and "retrieved" with "obtained", suggesting a formal acquisition process.

papers were recovered

This alternative uses "papers" instead of "documents" and "recovered" instead of "retrieved", implying retrieval from a lost or hidden state.

files were accessed

This option replaces "documents" with "files" and "retrieved" with "accessed", focusing on the action of gaining entry or availability.

data was extracted

This alternative shifts the focus to the extraction of data from documents, emphasizing a specific type of information retrieval.

materials were gathered

This version uses "materials" instead of "documents" and "gathered" instead of "retrieved", suggesting a collection or compilation process.

information was collected

This option replaces "documents" with "information" and "retrieved" with "collected", highlighting the act of gathering data for analysis or reference.

items were located

This alternative uses "items" instead of "documents" and "located" instead of "retrieved", indicating the finding of specific items.

sources were found

This version focuses on the "sources" of information, suggesting that the origin points were located rather than the specific documents.

evidence was secured

This alternative replaces "documents" with "evidence" and "retrieved" with "secured", implying the gathering of proof or validation.

content was obtained

This option substitutes "documents" with "content", emphasizing the information contained within the documents and focusing on gaining possession of it.

FAQs

What does "documents were retrieved" mean?

The phrase "documents were retrieved" means that documents have been found and recovered, usually after a search or request. It implies a process of locating and obtaining specific documents from a repository or location.

How can I use "documents were retrieved" in a sentence?

You can use "documents were retrieved" in sentences like: "The "missing files" were retrieved from the archive.", or "After a thorough search, the relevant "legal documents" were retrieved.".

What are some alternatives to "documents were retrieved"?

Alternatives include "records were obtained", "papers were recovered", or "files were accessed". The best choice depends on the specific context and the nuance you want to convey. You can explore more options "here".

Is "documents were retrieved" formal or informal?

"Documents were retrieved" is generally considered a neutral to formal phrase, suitable for academic, professional, and news contexts. For more informal situations, you might choose a simpler alternative.