Background Information in the Discussion Sections of Forestry Journals: A Case Study

Renu Joseph, Jason Miin-Hwa Lim

Abstract


The Discussion section constitutes a powerful closing argument used by a researcher to highlight key findings in relation to the existing knowledge with the aim of facilitating readers’ comprehension of the entire study. As previous research has yet to identify the frequencies of the different types of background information and the language resources used to present them, this study sought to identify the types of background information employed by expert writers, ascertain the frequencies and positions of the information concerned, and explore how expert writers use lexico-grammatical resources to present such information in the Discussion sections of Forestry research reports. Using a genre-based analytical framework, 60 Discussion sections in Forestry journals were studied. The findings revealed that provision of essential background information is a principal communicative move appearing in 95% of Forestry Discussion sections. This section comprises (i) contextual and theoretical information aimed at facilitating readers’ comprehension of the findings to be presented, and (ii) a reiteration of objectives, methods and/or hypotheses of the research. Based on the findings, it is suggested that background information be highlighted to learners as a segment that serves a promotional function which emphasises the significance of their research topic in relation to the plenitude of past studies. Using the language resources identified in this study, it is recommended that lecturers teaching English for Research Purposes (ERP) focus on the use of (i) adjectives denoting prominence, (ii) investigative and procedural verbs, (iii) means and purposive adjuncts, and (iv) infinitive clauses describing expected behaviours in order to help learners clearly furnish relevant background information.

 


Keywords


research articles; genre analysis; Discussion sections; background information; Forestry

Full Text:

PDF

References


Annesley, T. M. (2010). The Discussion Section: Your Closing Argument. Clinical Chemistry. Vol. 56(11), 1671-1674.

Basturkmen, H. (2009). Commenting on Results in Published Research Articles and Masters Dissertations in Language Teaching. Journal of English for Academic Purposes. Vol. 8, 241-251.

Basturkmen, H. (2012). A Genre-based Investigation of Discussion Sections of Research Articles in Dentistry and Disciplinary Variation. Journal of English for Academic Purposes. Vol. 11(2), 134-144.

Basturkmen, H. & Bitchener, J. (2005). The Text and Beyond: Exploring the Expectations of the Academic Community for the Discussion of Results Section of Masters Theses. New Zealand Studies in Applied

Linguistics. Vol. 11(1), 1-20.

Bawarshi, A. & Reiff, M. J. (2010). Genre: An Introduction to History, Theory, Research, and Pedagogy. Fort Collins, CO: WAC Clearinghouse and Parlor Press.

Bhatia, V. K. (1993). Analysing Genre: Language Use in Professional Settings. London: Longman.

Chan, S. H. & Ebrahimi, S. F. (2012). Marked Themes as Context Frames in Research Article Abstracts. GEMA Online® Journal of Language Studies. Vol. 12(4), 1147-1164.

Connor, U. & Mauranen, A. (1999). Linguistic Analysis of Grant Proposals: European Union Research Grants. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 18(1), 47-62.

Corder, G. W. & Foreman, D. I. (2009). Nonparametric Statistics for Nonstatisticians: A Step-by-Step Approach. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Flowerdew, L. (2016). A Genre-inspired and Lexico-grammatical Approach for Helping Postgraduate Students Craft Research Grant Proposals. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 42, 1-12.

Holmes, R. (1997). Genre Analysis, and the Social Sciences: an Investigation of the Structure of Research Article Discussion Sections in Three Disciplines. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 16(4), 321-337.

Hopkins, A. & Dudley-Evans, T. (1988). A Genre-based Investigation of the Discussion Sections in Articles and Dissertations. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 7, 113-121.

Huang, J. C. (2017). What Do Subject Experts Teach About Writing Research Articles? An Exploratory Study. Journal of English for Academic Purposes. Vol. 25, 18-29.

Hyland, K. (2004). Genre and Second Language Writing. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

Hyland, K. (2006). English for Academic Purposes. New York: Routledge.

Hyland, K. (2007). Genre Pedagogy: Language, Literacy and L2 Writing Instruction. Journal of Second Language Writing. Vol. 16, 148-164.

Joseph, R., Lim, J. M. H. & Nor, N. A. M. (2014). Communicative Moves in Forestry Research Introductions: Implications for the Design of Learning Materials. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences. Vol. 134, 53-69.

Kanoksilapatham, B. (2005). Rhetorical structure of biochemistry research articles. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 24(3), 269-292.

Kanoksilapatham, B. (2015). Distinguishing Textual Features Characterizing Structural Variation in Research Articles Across Three Engineering Sub-discipline Corpora. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 37, 74-86.

Kuteeva, M. (2013). Graduate Learners' Approaches to Genre-analysis Tasks: Variations Across and Within Four Disciplines. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 32(2), 84-96.

Lim, J. M. H. (2005). How Do Writers Highlight and Explicate Main Findings: a Qualitative Genre-based Study of Empirical Research Articles on Business Management. ESP Malaysia. Vol. 11, 33-49.

Lim, J. M. H. (2007). Crosslinguistic Influence Versus Intralingual Interference: a Pedagogically Motivated Investigation Into the Acquisition of the Present Perfect. System. Vol. 35(3), 368-387.

Lim, J. M. H. (2008a). Analysing Recommendations for Future Research: An Investigation Into a Hybrid Sub-genre. In R. Wilkinson and V. Zegers (Eds.). Realizing Content and Language Integration in Higher Education

(pp. 131-154). Maastricht: Maastricht University.

Lim, J. M. H. (2008b). Indicating Significance of Current Research: Pedagogical Implications of a Genre Analysis for Dissertation Writing. The Open Applied Linguistics Journal. Vol. 1, 46-55.

Lim, J. M. H. (2011). Recounting and Justifying Data Analysis Procedures in Experimental Studies: an Investigation Into Research Reports on Language Education. International Conference on Humanities, Society and Culture. 127-135.

Lim, J. M. H. (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. Vol. 11(3), 229-245.

Lim, J. M. H. (2014). Formulating Research Questions in Experimental Doctoral Dissertations on Applied Linguistics. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 35, 66-88.

Lim, J. M. H. (2017). Writing Descriptions of Experimental Procedures in Language Education: Implications for the Teaching of English for Academic Purposes. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 47, 61-80.

Lim, J. M. H., Loi, C. K., Hashim, A. & Liu, M.S.M. (2015). Purpose Statements in Experimental Doctoral Dissertations Submitted to U.S. Universities: an Inquiry Into Doctoral Students' Communicative Resources in Language Education. Journal of English for Academic Purposes. Vol. 20, 69-89.

Loi, C. K., Evans, M. S., Lim, J. M. H. & Akkakoson, S. (2016). A Comparison Between Malay and English Research Article Discussions: a Move Analysis. Sage Open. Vol. 6(2), 1-11.

Miles, M. B. & Huberman, M. A. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Mur Dueñas, P. (2009). Logical Markers in L1 (Spanish and English) and L2 (English) Business Research Articles. English Text Construction. Vol. 2(2), 246-264.

Nwogu, K. N. (1997). The Medical Research Paper: Structure and Functions. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 16(2), 119-138.

Ong, W. A. (2016). Using Genre-based Writing Instruction to Teach the Writing of Literary Criticism. GEMA Online® Journal of Language Studies. Vol.16(1), 35-48.

Peacock, M. (2002). Communicative Moves in the Discussion Section of Research Articles. System. Vol. 30(4), 479-497.

Saldaña, J. (2013). The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. London: SAGE.

Samraj, B. (2002). Introductions in Various Disciplines: Variations Across Disciplines. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 21(1), 1-17.

Soler-Monreal, C., Carbonell-Olivares M. & Gil-Salom, L. (2011). A Contrastive Study of the Rhetorical Organisation of English and Spanish PhD Thesis Introductions. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 30(1), 4-17.

Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Swales, J. M. (2004). Research Genres: Exploration and Applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Tessuto, G. (2015). Generic Structure and Rhetorical Moves in English-language Empirical Law Research Articles: Sites of Interdisciplinary and Interdiscursive Cross-over. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 37, 13-26.

Thomson Reuters. (2011). Journal Citation Reports: Science Edition. Philadelphia: Thomson Reuters.

Wong V. F. & Lim, J. M. H. (2014). Linking Communicative Functions With Linguistic Resources in Short Stories: Implications of a Narrative Analysis for Second Language Writing Instruction. System. Vol. 45, 147-162.

Yang, R. & Allison, D. (2003). Research Articles in Applied Linguistics: Moving From Results to Conclusions. English for Specific Purposes. Vol. 22, 365-385.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/gema-2018-1801-12

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


 

 

 

eISSN : 2550-2131

ISSN : 1675-8021