“According to” vs. “in accordance with”
Note the difference between these two expressions.
Perhaps it’s easiest to think of “according to” as a synonym for “says”, and “in accordance with” as a synonym for “in conformity with”.
1) According to Sarah, the party was fabulous.
In Sarah’s opinion, the party was fabulous.
Sarah reports that the party was fabulous.
I have it from the horse’s mouth that the party was fabulous.
Usually, there’s a flesh-and-blood, literal speaker with “according to.”
2) Searching online for “in accordance with” + “party” yields results like (i.e. similar to):
“In accordance with subsection 7, each party will pay his/her share of the rental.”
Usually, “in accordance with” pertains to a document or theory.
“According to Smith (2012) and Novak (2007), it is impossible to make hot dogs out of wool. In accordance with their theory, our wool – in spite of the loose affiliation with mutton – could not be turned into a hot dog or sausage of any variety.”
Jason Blake and Monika Kavalir
All tips to date…
http://www2.arnes.si/~bjason/tips%20-%202014%202015.pdf