Restating Research Findings in Research Articles Discussion Section: A Corpus Analysis of Linguistic Cues and Lexical Bundles

Yasir Bdaiwi Jasim

Abstract


The discussion section is considered one of the most crucial sections of a research article (RA). It is challenging and problematic for both novice and native writers due to its argumentative nature. This section serves various functions such as restating results, interpreting the results, comparing them with the literature, and presenting claims and contributions. However, the focus of this paper is on a particular move function which is Restating Research Findings. Although this communicative move has been found to be obligatory or conventional in recent studies that investigated different disciplines, the present paper is only concerned with medical science discipline. Every communicative move serves a certain function that may be initiated by formulaic expressions, known as ‘lexical bundles’ (LBs) which are realised by the use of certain linguistic devices. This study explores these linguistic devices and the lexical bundles associated with move Restating Research Findings in the discussion section of medical research articles (MRAs). The analysed corpus is 50 discussions of research articles published in high impact journals. The findings showed that this move appeared in all the selected discussions. The move of Restating Research Findings was realised by the employment of reporting verbs (e.g., find, show) and first person plural pronouns (we, our). Also, the move was initiated by a number of 3-word and 4-word LBs such as Our study shows that and Our results revealed that. These findings could guide research writers in the field of medicine to produce a clearly presented discussion section.

 


Keywords


Discussion section; medical science; restating research findings; linguistic devices; lexical bundles

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abdollahpour, Z., & Gholami, J. (2019). Embodiment of Rhetorical Moves in Lexical Bundles in Abstracts of the Medical Sciences. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 37, 339-360.

Alamri, B. M. (2017). Connecting Genre-Based and Corpus-Driven Approaches in Re- search Articles: A Comparative Study of Moves and Lexical Bundles in Saudi and In- ternational Journals. Doctoral Dissertation, University of New Mexico. http://digitalrepository.unm.edu/educlls_etds/81

Al-Shujairi, Y. B. J., & Al-Manaseer, F. A. J. (2022). Backgrounding the Discussion Section of Medical Research Articles. Open Journal of Modern Linguistics, 12(1), 71-88.‏

Al-Shujairi, Y. B. J., Tan, H., Abdullah, A. N., Nimehchisalem, V., & Imm, L. G. (2019). Moving in the Right Direction in the Discussion Section of Research Articles. Journal of Language and Communication (JLC), 6, 459-473.

Amnuai, W. (2017). The Textual Organization of the Discussion Sections of Accounting Research Articles. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 40, 389-394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjss.2017.10.007

Amnuai, W. (2019). Analyses of Rhetorical Moves and Linguistic Realizations in Ac- counting Research Article Abstracts Published in International and Thai-Based Jour- nals. SAGE Open, 9, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018822384

Amnuai, W., & Wannaruk, A. (2012). Investigating Move Structure of English Applied Linguistics Research Article Discussions Published in International and Thai Journals. English Language Teaching, 6, 1-13.

Ansarifar, A., Shahriari, H., & Pishghadam, R. (2018). Phrasal complexity in academic writing: A comparison of abstracts written by graduate students and expert writers in applied linguistics. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 31, 58–71.

Arabi, H. A. (2022). Move analysis of the discussion section in Arabic and English Research Articles. ESP Across Cultures, 9.‏9-25

Arsyad, S., Purwo, B. K., & Adnan, Z. (2020a). The Argument Style in Research Article Discussions to Support Research Findings in Language Studies. Studies in English Language and Education, 7, 290-307. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v7i2.16626

Arsyad, S., Zaim, M., Ramadhan, S., & Lubis, A. A. (2020b). The Argument Style of Re- search Article Discussions by Non-Native Authors of English Published in Interna- tional Journals. Journal of Applied Linguistics & Literature (JOALL), 5, 193-212.

Basturkmen, H. (2012). A Genre-Based Investigation of Discussion Sections of Research Articles in Dentistry and Disciplinary Variation. Journal of English for Academic Pur- poses, 11, 134-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2011.10.004

Biber, D., Connor, U., & Upton, T. A. (2007). Discourse on the move: Using corpus analysis to describe discourse structure. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Biber, D., Conrad, S., & Cortes, V. (2004). If You Look at ...: Lexical Bundles in University Teaching and Textbooks. Applied Linguistics, 25, 371-405. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/25.3.371

Cortes, V. (2013). The Purpose of This Study Is to: Connecting Lexical Bundles and Moves in Research Article Introductions. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 12, 33-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2012.11.002

Diaz, J. A., Griffith, R. A., Ng, J. J., Reinert, S. E., Friedmann, P. D., & Moulton, A. W. (2002). Patients’ use of the internet for medical information. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 17(3), 180–185. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2002.10603.x

Dobakhti, L. (2011). The Discussion Section of Research Articles in Applied Linguistics: Generic Structure and Stance Features (Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).‏

Doró, K. (2013). Selling Their Research: The Linguistic Realization of Rhetoric Moves in English Thesis Abstracts Written by Hungarian Undergraduates. Romanian Journal of English Studies, 10, 181-191. https://doi.org/10.2478/rjes-2013-0016

Dujsik, D. (2013). A genre analysis of research article discussions in applied linguistics.‏ Language Research 49(2), 453-477.

Dujsik, D. (2015). A Genre Analysis of Research Article Discussions in Applied Linguis- tics.‏ Language Research 49, 453-477.

Flowerdew, J., & Wang, S. H. (2016). Author’s editor revisions to manuscripts published in international journals. Journal of Second Language Writing, 32, 39-52

Halliday, M. A., & Hasan, R. (1976). Cohesion in English. Longman, London.

Ebrahimi, S. F., & Heng, C. S. (2018). Grammatical subject in results and discussion section of research articles: Disciplinary variations. Journal of Teaching Language Skills, 37(1), 97-125.

Harwood, N. (2005). ‘We do not seem to have a theory … The theory I present here attempts to fill this gap’: inclusive and exclusive pronouns in academic writing. Applied Linguistics, 26(3), 343–375. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/ ami012

Holmes, R. (1997). Genre Analysis, and the Social Sciences: An Investigation of the Structure of Research Article Discussion Sections in Three Disciplines. English for Spe- cific Purposes, 16, 321-337. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0889-4906(96)00038-5

Hopkins, A., & Dudley-Evans, T. (1988). A Genre-Based Investigation of the Discussion Sections in Articles and Dissertations. English for Specific Purposes, 7, 113-121. https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(88)90029-4

Huang, D. (2014). Genre Analysis of Moves in Medical Research Articles. Stylus, 5, 7-17. Hyland, K. (2005). Stance and Engagement: A Model of Interaction in Academic Discourse. Discourse Studies, 7, 173-192. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445605050365

Hyland, K. (2001). Humble servants of the discipline? Self-mention in research articles. English for specific purposes, 20(3), 207-226.‏

Hyland, K. (2008). As Can Be Seen: Lexical Bundles and Disciplinary Variation. English for Specific Purposes, 27, 4-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2007.06.001

Hyland, K. (2011). Looking though Corpora into Writing Practices. In V. Viana, S. Zyn- gier, & G. Barnbrook (Eds.), Perspectives on Corpus Linguistics (pp. 99-114). Amster- dam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.48.07hyl

Jalali, Z. S., & Moini, M. R. (2018). A Corpus-Based Study of Lexical Bundles in Discus- sion Section of Medical Research Articles. Iranian Journal of Applied Language Stu- dies, 10, 95-124.

Jalali, Z. S., Moini, M. R., & Arani, M. A. (2014). Structural and Functional Analysis of Lexical Bundles in Medical Research Articles: A Corpus-Based Study. International Journal of Information Science and Management (IJISM), 13, 51-69.

Jalilifar, A., Hayati, A., & Namdari, N. (2012). A Comparative Study of Research Article Discussion Sections of Local and International Applied Linguistic Journals. The Jour- nal of Asia TEFL, 9, 1-29.

Jin, B. (2018). Rhetorical Differences in Research Article Discussion Sections of High- and Low-Impact Articles in the Field of Chemical Engineering. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 61, 65-76. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPC.2017.2747358

Jirapanakorn, N., Trakulkasemsuk, W., & Keyuravong, S. (2014). A Move Analysis of English Research Article Introductions in Thai and International Medical Journals. rEFLections, 17, 23-40.

Johnston, K. M. (2017). Lexical bundles in applied linguistics and literature writing: A comparison of intermediate English learners and professionals (Dissertations and Theses. Paper 3482, Portland State University, Oregon, USA). Retrieved from https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/ 3482/

Joseph, R., & Lim, J. M. H. (2018). Background Information in the Discussion Sections of Forestry Journals: A Case Study. GEMA Online® Journal of Language Studies, 18, 198-216.

Kanoksilapatham, B. (2005). Rhetorical Structure of Biochemistry Research Articles. Eng- lish for Specific Purposes, 24, 269-292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2004.08.003

Kashiha, H. (2015). Recurrent formulas and moves in writing research article conclusions among native and nonnative writers. 3L: The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 21(1), 47–59. https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2015-2101-05

Kashiha, H. (2019). An awareness of formulaic clusters in conclusion moves of Applied Linguistics research articles. Journal of new advances in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 1-18.‏

Li, Y. (2014). Chinese medical doctors negotiating the pressure of the publication requirement. Ibérica: Revista de la Asociación Europea de Lenguas para Fines Específicos (AELFE), (28), 107-128.

Li, L. J., & Ge, G. C. (2009). Genre Analysis: Structural and Linguistic Evolution of the English-Medium Medical Research Article (1985-2004). English for Specific Purposes, 28, 93-104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2008.12.004

Li, L., Franken, M., & Wu, S. (2020). Bundle-Driven Move Analysis: Sentence Initial lexi- cal Bundles in PhD Abstracts. English for Specific Purposes, 60, 85-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2020.04.006

Lieungnapar, A., & Todd, R. W. (2011, April). Top-down versus bottom-up approaches toward move analysis in ESP. Paper presented at International Conference on Doing Research in Applied Linguistics (pp. 1-10), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand. Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/

Liu, Y., & Buckingham, L. (2018). The Schematic Structure of Discussion Sections in Ap- plied Linguistics and the Distribution of Metadiscourse Markers. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 34, 97-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.04.002

Lubis, A. H. (2019). The argumentation structure of research article ‘findings and discussion’sections written by non-native English speaker novice writers: a case of Indonesian undergraduate students. Asian Englishes, 22(2), 143-162. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2019.1669300

Mbodj-Diop, N. B. (2016). Lexical Bundles in Medical Research Articles: Structures and Functions. Doctoral Dissertation, Michigan State University. http://libguides.lib.msu.edu/az.php

Mizumoto, A., Hamatani, S., & Imao, Y. (2017). Applying the bundle-move connection approach to the development of an online writing support tool for research articles: Using bundle-move connection for tool development. Language Learning, 67(4), 885–921. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12250

Moyetta, D. (2016). The Discussion Section of English and Spanish Research Articles in Psychology: A Contrastive Study. ESP Today-Journal of English for Specific Purposes at Tertiary Level, 4, 87-106.

Nguyen, T. T. L. (2018). Rhetorical structures and linguistic features of English abstracts in Thai Rajabhat university journals. 3L: Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 24(4), 71-84.‏ https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2018-2404-06

Nwogu, K. N. (1997). The Medical Research Paper: Structure and Functions. English for Specific Purposes, 16, 119-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0889-4906(97)85388-4

Patel, V., & Johnson, C. (2018). Individuals’ use of online medical records and technology for health needs. ONC Data Brief, 40, 1-17.‏

Peacock, M. (2002). Communicative Moves in the Discussion Section of Research Ar- ticles. System, 30, 479-497. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0346-251X(02)00050-7

Pho, P. D. (2008). Research Article Abstracts in Applied Linguistics and Educational Technology: A Study of Linguitic Realizations of Rhetorical Structure and Authorial Stance. Discourse Studies, 10, 231-250. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445607087010

Qin, J. (2014). Use of formulaic bundles by non-native English graduate writers and published authors in applied linguistics. System, 42, 220–231.

Ruiying, Y., & 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

Sayfouri, N. (2009). Iranian ISI and Non-ISI medical research articles in English: A comparative ESP/EAP move analysis. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 1(212), 135–160.

Sheldon, E. (2013). The Research Article: A Rhetorical and Functional Comparison of Texts Created by Native and Non-Native English Writers and Native Spanish Writers. Doctoral Dissertation, University of New South Wales. http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/

Suntara, W. (2018). Linguistic realisations of rhetorical structure in research articles abstracts: an analysis based on food technology journals. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 26(3), 1283 - 1300.‏

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

Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2012). Academic writing for graduate students: A course for nonnative speakers of English (3rd ed.). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press

Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2004). Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills (2nd ed.). The University of Michigan Press.

Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. (1994). Academic Writing for Graduate Students: A course for nonnative speakers of English. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Taboada, M. T. (2004). Building coherence and cohesion: Task-oriented dialogue in English and Spanish (Vol. 129). John Benjamins Publishing.‏

Thomas, S., & Hawes, T. P. (1994). Reporting Verbs in Medical Journal Articles. English for Specific Purposes, 13, 129-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(94)90012-4

Tovar-Viera, R. (2019). Rhetorical organization and linguistic realizations of moves in English research article abstracts. International Congress on the Didactics of the English Language Journal, 3, 1-23. Retrieved from http://revistas. pucese.edu.ec/ICDEL/index

Vassileva, I. (2001). Commitment and Detachment in English and Bulgarian Academic Writing. English for Specific Purposes, 20, 83-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0889-4906(99)00029-0

Wang, J., Liang, S. L., & Ge, G. C. (2008). Establishment of a Medical Academic Word List. English for Specific Purposes, 27, 442–458.

Yuan, H. F., Xu, W. D., & Hu, H. Y. (2013). Young Chinese doctors and the pressure of publication. The Lancet, 381(9864), e4.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/gema-2023-2301-12

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


 

 

 

eISSN : 2550-2131

ISSN : 1675-8021