11 Formal Ways to Say “As Mentioned Previously”

“As mentioned previously” pops up in formal essays from time to time. It helps you to link information back to something that you already wrote about. This article will explore some good alternatives you may be able to use to replace it so that you don’t sound repetitive.

The preferred synonyms are “as I said before,” “further to my previous comments,” and “as previously stated.” These phrases are great inclusions in formal writing. They show that you’re linking something back to a previous statement to remind the reader of what was said.

As I Said Before

“As I said before” is a great choice for formal writing. It shows that you have already spoken about something, but you might want to reiterate some points to show people how things work.

It’s a good one to show that you’ve already made something clear. It’ll help your readers to recall what was previously stated.

• As I said before, I really think we need to be more mindful of this. The only way we’ll improve is if we consider all factors.
• As I said before, I did not believe this was correct. That’s why I took it upon myself to experiment again to check.
• As I said before, some issues were never addressed here. That’s most likely why this project didn’t go according to plan.

Further To My Previous Comments

“Further to my previous comments” is a very good formal choice. You can use it to show that you have more information to provide. If you recently made some comments, “further to my previous” shows that you’re linking back to them directly before exploring them in detail.

• Further to my previous comments, I believe it’s futile to continue the efforts that fight against this machine. They will never prevail.
• Further to my previous comments, you need to understand a few things about what’s happening here. I’ll explain what I can.
• Further to my previous comments, I have not found a concise way to manage these expectations. They will not go well.

As Previously Stated

“As previously stated” is one of the best synonyms for “as mentioned previously.” This time, the adverb “previously” comes before the verb “stated.” This is a style choice, but it emphasizes that something appeared earlier in your writing.

This phrase works well if you want to remind someone of what you might have said. “Stated” is more familiar and formal than “mentioned” in writing because “stated” implies that you have written something out that’s very important.

• As previously stated, someone has already looked into the issues in the system. Nothing worth reporting came out of it.
• As previously stated, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do next. That’s why I escalated it to let my boss handle it.
• As previously stated, you have got to focus more on the problems at hand. Stop letting your mind drift to irrelevant information.

Before

“Before” is a simple choice, but it’s also quite effective. It shows that you mentioned something before that you deemed relevant to the current context you’re writing about. You can include extra information after “before” to be more specific.

For example, you might say, “before I stated these facts.” This shows that you stated the facts previously, but you still want to discuss more about them.

• Before, I mentioned what happened to the case study. Now, it seems things have only turned out for the worst.
• Before I stated this information, I clarified that certain things had to change. Unfortunately, nobody wanted to listen to my warnings.
• Before, there were some things that I discussed with them. It seems they did not like how I spoke to them about this.

As Previously Explained

“As previously explained” is a great choice in many cases. It’s a good synonym because it shows that you have already talked through the reasoning behind something. It acts as an “explanation,” but you want to review it again to ensure everyone is on board.

Explanations can be tricky. If you’re worried that people may not have understood what you were saying the first time around, it could be wise to include a new explanation to reiterate your points.

• As previously explained, you can’t get away with things like these anymore. It’s far too risky to test yourself.
• As previously explained, someone is going to have to control these variables. For the sake of the experiment, it must be done.
• As previously explained, this work did not get peer-reviewed. It will not be reviewed for another few months yet.

As Above

“As above” is a great choice, but it works best when you can refer to a set of figures or pictures in your formal writing. It’s most common when you have something specific to refer to (like a table or data).

If the specific item comes directly above the sentence, you can use “as above” to show that information is already present. You can then use “as above” to interpret the information however you want.

• As above, I made it clear that we did not want to take on any new staff members. That’s why you’re receiving this answer from me.
• As above, I pointed out that things weren’t working out. That’s why such drastic changes were taken to try and correct the faults.
• As above, you will notice that there are errors here. You have got to find a way to fix these before they worsen.

Referring Back To

“Referring back to” is a simple alternative. It shows that you are going straight back to a previous point made. “Referring” is used here to show that you are including something that can link back to a previous statement.

• Referring back to what I said before is easy enough. It helps me explain why things are going how they are now.
• Referring back to what I said earlier, you should find it much easier to figure these things out if you look in the right places.
• Referring back to the information I shared will allow you to get to the bottom of this. There are loads of things to debunk.

Following My Earlier

“Following my earlier” is a great choice in formal writing. It acknowledges that you raised a point earlier that’s worth circling back to. You can include any noun after “earlier” to show the specific thing you’re talking about.

For example, you might say “following my earlier admission” or “following my earlier statement.” It depends on the context you’re looking for and what you’re trying to write about.

• Following my earlier announcement, I do not see how we can continue working at this pace. Something needs to change.
• Following my earlier statement, is there anything here that you might want to fix? I think it’s time that we discuss these plans.
• Following my earlier statement, it is clear that this experiment was destined to fail. The variables will need to be controlled moving forward.

Let’s Back Up To

“Let’s back up to” is a good choice, but it’s not the most formal. Most people would rather use this phrase in informal writing because it shows that you’re relating back to a point without being too formal about the situation.

“Back up” is an informal verb choice here. It shows that you want to relate something back to a previous statement.

• Let’s back up to when I mentioned his name before. I told you a lot about him, but I didn’t give you the full story.
• Let’s back up to a previous passage to learn more about what’s happening. You should remember a few of the things I wrote.
• Let’s back up to discuss more of this. We all must try to figure out the facts before we make up our own stories.

Prior To This

“Prior to this” is a good choice that works slightly differently. You should use this phrase as an introductory clause when there is something similar to discuss from a previous entry in your writing. Generally, it means that something has happened to change the previous outcome.

• Prior to this, I mentioned that things were going well. Unfortunately, that isn’t the truth. It was easy for me to lie to you.
• Prior to this, there have only been three incidents like this one. It’s a good time to start looking into preventative measures now.
• Prior to this, I told you about the case study. Hopefully, I will learn more about those studies’ results as we continue.

To Recap

“To recap” is a great alternative in many cases. It’s a fairly informal option that people use, as it uses “recap” to relate back to things that have already been written about.

“To recap” isn’t a good choice in formal writing. If you’re writing an essay, it’s definitely wise to avoid using this phrase if you can.

• To recap, you can’t do anything like this without specific permission from those in your circle. Does that make sense to you?
• To recap, I have made it clear what my intentions are. I hope that’s good enough for you, as I will not reiterate them.
• To recap, there are some issues that have to be sorted out. You cannot run a business model like this without sorting them.