English phrases for writing papers

Following list may be useful for writing papers, articles, etc.

"In recent years” vs “in the recent years”

Native speakers would generally prefer the second. The article is unnecessary and awkward. Both are correct. Personally, I find them all awkward and am much more likely to say things like "over the last few years" or just "recently".

Ref: https://english.stackexchange.com/a/59603/161843