Quoting articles of laws(ex. usage of "stipulate", "specify")?

Question

> Article 15 of the Korean Constitution states that “all citizens shall > enjoy the freedom of choice of occupation.” Compared to Article 12 of > the Basic Law, which comprises of three clauses, Article 15 of the > Korean Constitution consists of only one sentence and does not ***specify*** > exercise of occupation. When I write a research paper, I frequently quote or refer to articles or provisions (of laws). I feel I use same expressions repetitively and feel sometimes my expression sound weird. For example, in the sentence above, which would be proper expression between "specify" and "stipulate"?

Answer 1

While you may worry about your vocabulary, remember research papers only care about clarity. Repetitiveness should be avoided if possible, but if it is not avoided, it honestly is not a huge deal. As for the difference between specify and stipulate. Stipulations are never explicit and so you would only use the word when referring to something that is not explicit. Specification on the other hand is taking a deep dive into a particular concept or text.