The present participle is like '-ing' in English.

J’écoute de la musique en faisant mes devoirs. – I listen to music while doing my homework. Il s’est cassé la jambe en jouant au rugby. – He broke his leg by/while playing rugby.

One’s tense will vary depending on what one is trying to convey within their paper or section of their paper. For example, the tense may change between the methods section and the discussion section.

The benefits of music in our lives are increasingly acknowledged by researchers and scientist. As human beings, we have taken the existence of music for granted and rarely think critically about music ...