Article published In:
Pragmatics: Online-First Articles

Move combinations in the conclusion section of applied linguistics research articles

ORCID logo | Doshisha University

Genre analyses of research articles (RAs) have identified types of communicative purposes or moves achieved in different sections. However, very few studies have explored why moves are sequenced in specific manners. This study examines how writers relate moves to be coherent in the conclusion section of fifty applied linguistics RAs. The analysis shows that the writers achieved different types of moves in a relational manner for specific rhetorical intentions. The majority presented a summary of the study or previous research trends as background information to guide readers to acknowledge the significance of the study or the findings they later indicated. Some writers drew implications from findings of their studies they presented earlier to demonstrate the usefulness of the findings. Others provided recommendations for future studies based on the limitations of their studies that they indicated earlier to draw readers’ attention away from the limitations as potential weaknesses.

Keywords: genre analysis, research article, conclusion section, moves, coherence relations, Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST)
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Genre structure and coherence structure
    • 2.2Why (separate) conclusions?
  • 3.Methods
    • 3.1How to analyse coherence relations between conclusion moves
    • 3.2Data selection
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Overall results
    • 4.2Move combinations that utilise Background
      • 4.2.1Move 1 Background Move 2–1
      • 4.2.2Move 2–1 Background Move 3
      • 4.2.3Move 2–2 Background Move 3–1
    • 4.3Move combinations that utilise Concession or List
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusions
  • References
Published online: 9 January 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.22070.kaw
References
Abdollahzadeh, Esmaeel
2011 “Poring over the Findings: Interpersonal Authorial Engagement in Applied Linguistics Papers.” Journal of Pragmatics 43 (1): 288–297. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bublitz, Wolfram
1999 “Introduction: Views of Coherence.” In Coherence in Spoken and Written Discourse: How to Create It and How to Describe It, ed. by Wolfram Bublitz, Uta Lenk, and Eija Ventola, 1–7. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Candlin, Christopher, Guenter Plum, Sue Spinks, and National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research
1998 Researching Academic Literacies. Sydney: Macquarie University.Google Scholar
Deng, Liming, and Jing Liu
2023 “Move–Bundle Connection in Conclusion Sections of Research Articles across Disciplines.” Applied Linguistics 44 (3): 527–554. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gruber, Helmut, and Peter Muntigl
2005 “Generic and Rhetorical Structures of Texts: Two Sides of the Same Coin?” Folia Linguistica 39 (1–2): 75–114. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gruber, Helmut
2006 “Rhetorical Structure Theory and Quality Assessment of Students’ Texts.” Information Design Journal 14 (2): 114–129. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hyland, Ken
2003 “Genre-Based Pedagogies: A Social Response to Process.” Journal of Second Language Writing 12 (1): 17–29. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kawase, Tomoyuki
2019 “Coherence Relations in Research Article Discussions: How Are Sentences Organised to Realise Genre Moves?” English Text Construction 12 (2): 235–264. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
2022 “How Do Applied Linguistics Researchers Structure Coherence Relations in the Process of Establishing a Niche for Their Research?” Text & Talk 42 (2): 233–254. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kong, Kenneth C.
1998 “Are Simple Business Request Letters Really Simple? A Comparison of Chinese and English Business Request Letters.” Text 18 (1): 103–141. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lautamatti, Lisa
1990 “Coherence in Spoken and Written Discourse.” In Coherence in Writing: Research and Pedagogical Perspectives, ed. by Ulla Connor, and Ann M. Johns, 29–40. Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.Google Scholar
Lewin, Beverly, Jonathan Fine, and Lynne Young
2001 Expository Discourse. London: Continuum.Google Scholar
Lillis, Theresa, and Mary Jane Curry
2015 “The Politics of English, Language and Uptake: The Case of International Academic Journal Article Reviews.” AILA Review 28 (1): 127–150. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lim, Jason Miin-Hwa
2012 “How Do Writers Establish Research Niches? A Genre-Based Investigation into Management Researchers’ Rhetorical Steps and Linguistic Mechanisms.” Journal of English for Academic Purposes 11 (3): 229–245. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lin, Ling, and Stephen Evans
2012 “Structural Patterns in Empirical Research Articles: A Cross-Disciplinary Study.” English for Specific Purposes 31 (3): 150–160. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Loi, Chek-Kim, Jason Miin-Hwa Lim, and Sue Wharton
2016 “Expressing an Evaluative Stance in English and Malay Research Article Conclusions: International Publications versus Local Publications.” Journal of English for Academic Purposes 211: 1–16. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mann, William C., and Maite Taboada
2023 The RST Site: Relation Definitions. [URL]
Mann, William C., and Sandra A. Thompson
1988 “Rhetorical Structure Theory: Toward a Functional Theory of Text Organization.” Text 8 (3): 243–281. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mann, William C., Christian M. I. M. Matthiessen, and Sandra A. Thompson
1992 “Rhetorical Structure Theory and Text Analysis.” In Discourse Description: Diverse Linguistic Analyses of a Fund-Raising Text, ed. by William C. Mann, and Sandra A. Thompson, 39–78. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
McCagg, Peter
1990 “Toward Understanding Coherence: A Response Proposition Taxonomy.” In Coherence in Writing: Research and Pedagogical Perspectives, ed. by Ulla Connor, and Ann M. Johns, 111–127. Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.Google Scholar
Moreno, Ana I.
2022 “An Intercultural Approach to ‘Bad News’ Reporting as an Embedded Part-Genre.” Ibérica 441: 101–126. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Nwogu, Kevin N.
1997 “The Medical Research Paper: Structure and Functions.” English for Specific Purposes 16 (2): 119–138. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
O’Brien, Teresa
1995 “Rhetorical Structure Analysis and the Case of the Inaccurate, Incoherent Source-Hopper.” Applied Linguistics 16 (4): 442–482. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
O’Donnell, Mike
2002 RST Tool – An RST Markup Tool. Retrieved from [URL]
Östman, Jan-Ola
1999 “Coherence through Understanding through Discourse Patterns: Focus on News Reports.” In Coherence in Spoken and Written Discourse: How to Create It and How to Describe It, ed. by Wolfram Bublitz, Uta Lenk, and Eija Ventola, 77–100. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Peacock, Matthew
2002 “Communicative Moves in the Discussion Section of Research Articles.” System 30 (4): 479–497. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Posteguillo, Santiago
1999 “The Schematic Structure of Computer Science Research Articles.” English for Specific Purposes 18 (2): 139–160. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Redeker, Gisela, and Helmut Gruber
2014 “Introduction: The Pragmatics of Discourse Coherence.” In The Pragmatics of Discourse Coherence, ed. by Helmut Gruber, and Gisela Redeker, 1–20. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Redeker, Gisela
2000 “Coherence and Structure in Text and Discourse.” In Abduction, Belief, and Context in Dialogue: Studies in Computational Pragmatics, ed. by Harry Bunt, and William Black, 233–263. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Skoufaki, Sophia
2020 “Rhetorical Structure Theory and Coherence Break Identification.” Text & Talk 40 (1): 99–124. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Swales, John. M.
1990 Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Swales, John. M., and Christine B. Feak
2012 Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills, 3rd edn. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Taboada, Maite, and Julia Lavid
2003 “Rhetorical and Thematic Patterns in Scheduling Dialogues: A Generic Characterization.” Functions of Language 10 (2): 147–178. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Yang, Ruiying, and Desmond Allison
2003 “Research Articles in Applied Linguistics: Moving from Results to Conclusions.” English for Specific Purposes 22 (4): 365–385. DOI logoGoogle Scholar