Article published In:
Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada/Spanish Journal of Applied LinguisticsVol. 27:2 (2014) ► pp.405–432
Vol. 27:2 (2014) ► pp.405–432
Variability in the rhetorical structure of research article introductions
The case of civil engineering
Previous genre studies have mostly examined article introductions either in the Introduction-Method-Results-Discussion (IMRD) context or without specifying whether they are followed by a Literature Review section. This paper presents a detailed structural analysis of 30 article introductions, which are all followed by a Literature Review, in an applied discipline (i.e., civil engineering). The analysis identifies different types of introductions based on their major communicative functions, structural flows, and the nature and orientations of the studies reported. Among them, the two major categories of introductions were systematically studied and compared (i.e., the “Two-move Orientation” type and the “Research-oriented Traditional Creating a Research Space” type). They were found to differ greatly concerning their length, functions and organization. However, generally, when there is a subsequent Literature Review, the introductions are fairly flexibly yet simply structured with no dense use of sub-moves. The findings help to inform genre-based EAP writing instruction and materials writing.
Keywords: research writing, introductions, research articles, genre
References
Adnan, Z
(2008) Discourse structure of Indonesian research article introductions in selected hard science. In S. Burgess & P. Martin-Martin (Eds.), English as an additional language in research publication and communication (pp. 39–64). Berlin: Peter Lang.
Anthony, L
(1999) Writing research article introductions in software engineering: How accurate is a standard model? IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 421, 38–46. 
Bhatia, V.K
(1993) Analyzing genre: Language use in professional settings. New York: Longman.
(2001) Analyzing genre: Some conceptual issues. In M. Hewing (Ed.), Academic writing in context: Implications and applications: Papers in honour of Tony Dudley-Evans (pp. 79–92). Birmingham: University of Birmingham Press.
Biber, D., Connor, U., & Upton, T.A
(2007) Discourse on the move: Using corpus analysis to describe discourse structure. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Braine, G
(1995) Writing in the natural sciences and engineering. In D. Belcher & G. Braine (Eds.), Academic writing in a second language: Essays on research and pedagogy (pp. 113–134). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Del Saz-Rubio, M.M
(2011) A pragmatic approach to the macro-structure and metadiscoursal features of research article introductions in the field of agricultural sciences. English for Specific Purposes, 30(4), 258–271.
Feak, C.B., & Swales, J.M
(2011) Creating contexts: Writing introductions across genres. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Golebiowski, Z
(1999) Application of Swales’ model in the analysis of research papers by Polish authors. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 371, 231–247.
Kanoksilapatham, B
(2005) Rhetorical structure of biochemistry research articles. English for Specific Purposes, 24(3), 269–292.
(2012) Research article structure of research article introductions in three engineering subdisciplines. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 55(4), 294–309.
Kuteeva, M., & McGrath, L
in press). The theoretical research article as a reflection of disciplinary practices: The case of pure mathematics. Applied Linguistics.
Kwan, B.S.C
(2006) The schematic structure of literature reviews in doctoral theses of applied linguistics. English for Specific Purposes, 251, 30–55.
Kwan, B.S.C., Chan, H., & Lam, C
(2012) Evaluating prior scholarship in literature reviews of research articles: A comparative study of practices in two research paradigms. English for Specific Purposes, 311, 188–201.
Lee, S
(2001) A contrastive rhetoric study of Korean and English research paper introductions. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Hawaii.
Lin, L
(2013) The use of reporting verbs in mechanical engineering articles: A cross-generic study. The Asian ESP Journal, 9(2), 75–98.
Lin, L., & Evans, S
(2012) Structural patterns in empirical research articles: A cross-disciplinary study. English for Specific Purposes, 31(3),150–160.
Loi, C.K
(2010) Research article introductions in Chinese and English: A comparative genre-based study. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 9(4), 267–279.
Loi, C.K., & Evans, S.M
(2010) Cultural differences in the organization of research article introductions from the field of educational psychology: English and Chinese. Journal of Pragmatics, 42(10), 2814–2825.
Najjar, H
(1990) Arabic as a research language: The case of the agricultural sciences. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Michigan.
Nwogu, K.N
(1997) The medical research paper: Structure and functions. English for Specific Purposes, 16(2), 119–138.
Ozturk, I
(2007) The textual organization of research article introductions in applied linguistics: Variability within a single discipline. English for Specific Purposes, 26(1), 25–38.
Posteguillo, S
(1999) The schematic structure of computer science research articles. English for Specific Purposes, 18(2), 139–160.
Roldán-Riejos, A., Santiago López, J., & Úbeda Mansilla, P
(2011) The language of architecture and civil engineering. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Samraj, B
(2002) Introductions in research articles: Variations across disciplines. English for Specific Purposes, 21(1), 1–17.
(2005) An exploration of a genre set: Research article abstracts and introductions in two disciplines. English for Specific Purposes, 24(2), 141–156.
Sheldon, E
(2011) Rhetorical differences in RA introductions written by English L1 and L2 and Castilian Spanish L1 writers. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 10(4), 238–251.
Skulstad, A.S
(2005) The use of metadiscourse in introductory sections of a new genre. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 15(1), 71–86.
Stoller, F.L., & Robinson, M.S
(2013) Chemistry journal articles: An interdisciplinary approach to move analysis with pedagogical aims. English for Specific Purposes, 321, 45–57.
Swales, J.M
(1981) Aspects of article introductions. Birmingham: The University of Aston, Language Studies Unit.
(1990) Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge /New York: Cambridge University Press.
(2004) Research genres: Explorations and applications. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press.
Swales, J.M., & Feak, C.B
(2000) English in today’s research world. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Swales, J.M., & Najjar, H
(1987) The writing of research article introductions. Written Communication, 41, 175–191.
Yang, R., & Allison, D
(2003) Research articles in applied linguistics: Moving from results to conclusions. English for Specific Purposes, 221, 365–385.
(2004) Research articles in applied linguistics: Structures from a functional perspective. English for Specific Purposes, 23(3), 265–279.
Cited by
Cited by 5 other publications
Khaw, Li Lian
2017. 2017 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), ► pp. 119 ff. 
Khaw, Li Lian
2020. 2020 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), ► pp. 78 ff.
Khaw, Li Lian & Wei Wu Tan
2018. Establishing a Territory in the Introductions of Engineering Research Articles Using a Problem-Solution Patterns Approach. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 61:2 ► pp. 133 ff.
Khaw, Li Lian & Wei Wu Tan
2020. Creating Contexts in Engineering Research Writing Using a Problem-Solution-Based Writing Model: Experience of Ph.D. Students. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 63:2 ► pp. 155 ff.
Padula, Malena, Carolina Panza & Verónica L. Muñoz
2020. The pronoun this as a cohesive encapsulator in engineering semi-popularization articles written in English. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 44 ► pp. 100828 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 13 april 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.