Rhetorical Functions in English Review Articles’ Conclusions

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Assistant professor in applied linguistics, Kosar University of Bojnord. Iran

2 Assistant professor, Department of English Language, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

Genre analysis studies have refined our understanding of the rhetorical organization of scientific articles. The present paper reports on a study which investigated the rhetorical organization of the conclusion section of English conceptual review articles in linguistics and applied linguistics fields. Drawing on a move-based genre analysis approach, the study was based on a corpus of more than 500 English conceptual review articles. The analysis involved detecting the generic moves and sub-moves that writers use to achieve communicative purposes. The results showed that first, conclusions in English conceptual review articles differ from conclusions in research papers in terms of primary communicative purposes. Second, conclusions of review articles contain a set five moves, including 1) territory, 2) purpose, 3) structure, 4) conclusion, and 5) suggestion. Third, conclusions of review articles feature a cyclic pattern in the last two moves, as the writer reports main findings of prior research, interprets them, relates them to educational practice, and recommends further research based on what is felt most necessary. Last but not least, unlike research papers conclusions, review articles conclusions contain ‘suggestion’ as a core feature of their rhetorical organization. The results of the study benefit both theoreticians and practitioners.

Keywords

References

  1. Adel, M. R., & Ghrorbani Moghadam, R. (2015). A comparison of moves in conclusion sections of research articles in psychology, Persian literature and applied linguistics. Teaching   English Language, 9(2), 167-191. https://dx.doi.org/10.22132/tel.2015.53729
  2. Amnuai, W., & Wannaruk, A. (2013). Move analysis if the conclusion sections of research articles published in international and Thai journals. The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 19(2), 53-63. http://journalarticle.ukm.my/6519/
  3. Basturkmen, H. (2012). A genre-based investigation of discussion sections of research articles in Dentistry and disciplinary variation. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 11(2),134-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2011.10.004
  4. Berkenkotter, C., & Huckin, T. N. (1995). Genre knowledge in disciplinary communication: Cognition /culture /power. Lawrence Erlbaum.
  5. Brett, P. (1994). A genre analysis of the results section of sociology articles. English for Specific Purposes, 13(1), 47-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(94)90024-8
  6. Bunton, D. (2005). The structure of PhD conclusion chapters. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4(3), 207-224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2005.03.004
    Connor, U., Davis, K., & de Rycker, T. (1995). Correctness and clarity in applying for overseas jobs: a cross-cultural analysis of U.S. and Flemish applications. Text, 15(4), 457-475. https://doi.org/10.1515/text.1.1995.15.4.457
  7. Cooley, L., Lewkowicz, J., 1997. Developing awareness of the rhetorical and linguistic conventions of writing a thesis in English: addressing the needs of EFL/ESL postgraduate students. In Duszak, A. (Ed.), Culture and styles of academic discourse (pp. 113-129). Mouton de Gruyter.
  8. Ding, H. (2007). Genre analysis of personal statements: analysis of moves in application essays to medical and dental schools. English for Specific Purposes, 26(3), 368-392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2006.09.004
  9. Dochy, F. (2006). A guide for writing scholarly articles or reviews for the educational research review. Educational Research Review, 4(1-2), 1-21.
  10. Gravetter, F. J., & Forzano, L. B. (2016). Research methods for the behavioral sciences 6th edition. Cengage Learning.
  11. Hill, S. S., Soppelsa, B. F., & West, G. K. (1982). Teaching ESL students to read and write experimental research papers. TESOL Quarterly, 16(3), 333-347. https://doi.org/10.2307/3586633
  12. Hyland, K. (2004). Disciplinary discourses: Social interactions in academic writing. The University of Michigan Press.
  13. Hyland, K. (2016). Academic publishing and the myth of linguistic injustice. Journal of Second Language Writing, 31(1), 58-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2016.01.005
  14. Jiang, K., & Hyland, K. (2017). Metadiscursive nouns: Interaction and cohesion in abstract moves. English for Specific Purposes, 46(3), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2016.11.001
  15. Kanoksilapatham, B. (2005). Rhetorical structure of biochemistry research articles. English for Specific Purposes, 24(3), 269-292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2004.08.003
  16. Lim, J. M. H. (2006). Method sections of management research articles: a pedagogically motivated qualitative study. English for Specific Purposes, 25(3), 282-309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2005.07.001
  17. Lim, J. M. H. (2010). Commenting on research results in applied linguistics and education: a comparative genre-based investigation. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 9(4),  280-294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2010.10.001
  18. Martín-Martín, P., Rey-Rocha, J., Burgess, S., & Moreno, A. I. (2014). Publishing research in English-language journals: Attitudes, strategies and difficulties of multilingual scholars of medicine. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 16(1), 57-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2014.08.001
  19. Mayer, P. (2009). Guidelines for writing a review article.  http://www.plantscience.ethz.ch/education/Masters/courses/Scientific_Writing.
  20. Moreno, A. I., Rey-Rocha, J., Burgess, S., Martín-Martín, P., Gea-Valor, MaL., López-Navarro, I., Garzón, B., & Sachdev, I. (2011, June 9–11). Spanish researchers publishing in   scientific journals: Motivations, views, strategies, experiences and training needs (Conference presentation). 2nd International PRISEAL Conference, The University of Silesia, Sosnowiec/Katowice, Poland.
    Moreno, A. I., & Swales, J. M. (2018). Strengthening move analysis methodology towards bridging the function-form gap. English for Specific Purposes, 50(1), 40-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2017.11.006
  21. Moritz, M. W., Meurer, J. L., & Dellagnelo, A. (2008). Conclusions as components of research articles across Portuguese as a native language, English as a native language and English as a foreign language: A contrastive genre study the. Specialist, 29(2), 233-253.
  22. Nwogu, K. N. (1997). The medical research paper: Structure and function. English for Specific Purposes, 16(2), 119–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0889-4906(97)85388-4
  23. Paltridge, B. (1993). Writing up research: a systemic functional perspective. System, 21(2), 175-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/0346-251X(93)90040-N
  24. Peacock, M. (2002). Communicative moves in the discussion section of research articles. System, 30(4), 479-497. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0346-251X(02)00050-7
  25. Petticrew M, & Roberts H. (2006). Systematic reviews in the social sciences: A practical guide. Blackwell Publishing.
  26. Pho, P. D. (2008). Research article abstracts in applied linguistics and educational technology: A    study of linguistic realizations of a study of rhetorical structure and authorial stance. Discourse Studies, 10(2), 231-250. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1461445607087010
  27. Posteguillo, S. (1999). The schematic structure of computer science research articles. English for Specific Purposes, 18(2), 139-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0889-4906(98)00001-5
  28. Santos, M.B. (1996). The textual organization of research paper abstracts in applied linguistics.Text, 16(4), 481-499. https://doi.org/10.1515/text.1.1996.16.4.481
  29. Sheldon, E. (2019). Knowledge construction of discussion/conclusion sections of research articles written by English L1 and L2 and Castilian Spanish L1 writers. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 37 (1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.11.002
  30. Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings.   Cambridge University Press.
  31. Swales, J. M. (2004). Research genres: Explorations and applications. Cambridge University Press.
  32. Swales, J., & Feak, C. (1994). Academic writing for graduate students. A course for nonnative peakers of English. University of Michigan Press.
  33. Tankó, G. (2017). Literary research article abstracts: An analysis of rhetorical moves and their linguistic realizations. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 27(1), 42-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2017.04.003
  34. Tognini-Bonelli, E. (2001). Corpus linguistics at work. John Benjamins.
  35. Uman, L. S. (2011). Systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 20(1), 57-59.
  36. Webster, J., & Watson, R. T. (2002). Analyzing the past to prepare for the future: Writing a literature review. MIS Quarterly, 26(2), xiii-xxiii.    https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1461445607087010
  37. Yang, R., & Allison, D. (2003). Research articles in applied linguistics: Moving from results to conclusions. English for Specific Purposes, 22(4), 365-385. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0889-4906(02)00026-1
  38. Yang, R., & Edwards, C. (1995). Problems and solutions for trainee teachers reading academic articles in English. In M. L. Tickoo (Ed.), Reading and writing: Theory into practice (pp.366-382). Regional Language Centre.
  39. Zamani, G., & Ebadi, S. (2016). Move analysis of the conclusion sections of research papers in Persian and English. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science, 11(1), 09-20.
  40. Zare, J., Mahmoudi-Gahrouei, V., Ketabi, S., & Keivanlou-Shahrestanaki, Z. (2016). English for research publication purposes: The case of scholarly peer review comments. Iberica, 32(1), 153-178.
  41. Zare, J., & Naseri, Z. S. (2021). Communicative moves in English conceptual review article abstracts: A genre-based corpus-driven discourse analytic approach. Language Related Research, 12(5), 489-520. http://dx.doi.org/10.52547/LRR.12.5.19
Journal of Language Horizons
Volume 6, Issue 4 - Serial Number 14
February 2023
Pages 27-50

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics