I �m helping somebody by reviewing his paper for university. In this paper he is explaining how he came to invent something (like a computer part). So he is describing how he got the ideas and how he tried out different things which finally led to his invention to work. 

Now, to describe this process he used " we have done" this or that. But I �m not so sure about this. For my ears it sounds better to use the simple past, because they did something, it is finished and now there is the invention. On the other hand I know that you use "have done" when consequences of a behaviour can still be seen now.

(example: we have proposed an alghorism in order to study ...)

Which tense is the right one to use? 

Thanks a million in advance :)

Sara

In most research papers, we usually use different tenses. Your colleague can use past simple for the outcome of the results he found. But for me the most appropriate tense use is present perfect because the findings he obtained are not absolute and they can be disclaimed or falsifiable. Scientific research always improves and new results emerge waiting for others to confirm them.

Bruce