Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine

Valentyna Borshchovetska

Ph.D in Teaching Foreign Languages

Associate Professor

Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University

Faculty of Law and Linguistics

Structure and Format of the English Research Article for Scientometrics

Bila Tserkva2015

Publishing Abroad ‒ Where?

National journals International journals

based at national universities (Text Matters based at the University of Łódź,

Poland; Journal of Academic Writing based at the

University of Coventry, UK)

International journals published by leading publishers and indexed by Scopus and Web of Science databases

(Cognitive Linguistics, Journal of Pragmatics, Journal of Literary Semantics, Journal of English for Academic Purposes)

Form follows function(Sabatelli)

Functions of research articles for professional organizations and publishers:

generate revenue for the publishing company

generate revenue for professional organizations

enhance the visibility of the professional organization

enhance the standing of the journal

promote values expand the base of

knowledge contribute to the discourse

Functions of research papers for authors:

gain recognition impress others fulfill the requirements of

a doctoral program get tenure get promoted increase merit awards promote values influence the field expand the base of

knowledge contribute to the

discourse

Some Pieces of Advice

Organize your research report articles in accordance with the IMRD model

Pay special attention to your introduction; formulate the purposes of the article as clear as possible

Use standard phrases typical of each research section; do not be afraid to do this – it is not plagiarism!

Make sure your thoughts and arguments are developing linearly

Stick to the norms of academic style

Major Features of English Research Article

Reader-friendly manner of writing Clear organization and structure of the text Linear argumentation Tendency to self-promotion Rather comprehensive up-to-date lists of

references Formal academic style Wide use of meta-text, Latin and logical

connectors Use of visual devices (e.g. tables, graphs or

charts)

Elements and Structural Parts of the English Research Article Title Abstract Keywords Introduction Methods (and Materials) Results Discussion Conclusions List of References Notes Appendix Acknowledgement Bio-data statement

Requirements to Titles The title should indicate the topic of

the study The title should indicate the scope of

the study neither overstating nor understating its significance

The title should be self-explanatory to readers in the chosen area

(Swales & Feak, 1994, Academic Writing for Graduate Students)

Types of abstracts

Descriptive (for journals)Informative (for Congresses and

defence)Indicative (композиційний,

автореферат)Descriptive Abstracts

Communicative Functions of the English Research Article Abstract

serves as a short version of the paper, which provides the most important information

helps, therefore, the potential audience to decide whether to read the whole article or not

prepares the reader for reading a full text by giving him/her an idea of what to expect

serves as a reference after the paper has been read

Informative vs. Indicative Abstracts

The informative abstract includes main findings and various specifics such as measurements or quantities. This type of abstract often accompanies research reports and looks itself like a report in miniature

The indicative abstract indicates the subject of a paper. It provides a brief description without going into a detailed account. The abstracts of this type often accompany lengthy texts or theoretical papers.

The combination of both types of journal abstracts is also possible

Descriptive abstract (for journals)

Presents a general view of your subject, scope, and / or conclusions and recommendations

It includes a brief description of the subject, a complete report of the findings or conclusions, and some recommendations

It incorporates key words found in the text

Descriptive abstracts are usually very short - 100 words or less

Writing Abstracts:Some Pieces of Advice

Write one-paragraph abstracts containing 4-10 full sentences Choose impersonal active constructions (e.g., “This paper reports … ”) and/or passive voice (e.g., “The data were analyzed …”) Do not use negative sentences Use meta-text (e.g.,“This paper focuses on …”) Avoid using acronyms, abbreviations, and

symbols (unless they are defined in the abstract itself) Do not cite by number or refer by number to anything from the text of the paper

Introduction Establishing a territory a) Claiming centrality b)Making topic generalization c)Reviewing items of previous research Establishing a niche a)Problem claiming b)Indicating a niche c)Question raising d)Continuing a tradition Outlining purposes or announcing present research Announcing principal findings Indicating RA structure (the first section will say…;

the second section will analyse…)

Metalanguage for Introduction section

 

 

  

The argument for …is based on….I consider….I argue…. I follow version….I differ by arguing…Taken together…This leads to…

It exhibits….I show….I analyse….Arguments from/about…are presented in…I then move to…I conclude with…

Social Science Discussion Sections (Holmes, 1997 pp. 324-325)

The following list of moves was adopted for the analysis of Discussion sections:1. Background Information. 2. Statement of Result, or statement about the significance of the present research.3. Unexpected Outcome, in which the writer comments on whether the result is expected or not.4. Reference to Previous Research, in which the writer compares his or her results with those reported in the literature or compares his or her research procedures, objectives or assumptions with those of previous writers or refers to previous work to support his or her generalization or refers to a deduction or hypothesis generated by previous research.5. Explanation of Unsatisfactory Result, in which the writer suggests reasons for a surprising result or one different from the results in the literature or gives an example to support his or her explanation. This includes a single case of a satisfactory result being explained.6. Generalization, in which the writer makes a claim about the generalizability of the particular results or limits claims to generalizability or raises, discusses and/or dismisses questions that are indirectly related to his or her research results.7. Recommendation, in which the writer makes suggestions for futureresearch or regarding public policy or justifies the need for such suggestions.8. Outlining Parallel or Subsequent Developments, in which the writer summarizes data from a period subsequent to the one covered in the main body of the article or data about a closely related topic.

Peacock (2002) provides an analysis of 252 RA discussion sections from physics, biology, enviornmental science, business, language and linguistics, public and social administration, and law:

1. Information: 42%

2. Statement of result: 42%

3. Finding: 84%

4. (Un)expected outcome: 52%

5. Reference to previous research: 73%

6. Explanation: 33%

7. Claim: 90%

8. Limitation: 43%

9. Recommendation: 59%

Moves: Discussion/ Conclusion

Metalanguage for Summary section

The author (or his name) argues /believes /claims/ describes/ explains/ states that….

The author (or his name) continuous / goes on / to say….

The author (or his name) further states that….

The author (or his name) suggests that….

The chapter has examinedThe chapter thus develops

Lists of Referencesnormally include:

books

articles (papers) in journals

papers in volumes (collections)

unpublished work (conference presentations, dissertations, work in press)

World Wide Web publications and works on CD-ROM

A List of References includes the following

information: author’s last name and initials title of work (book or paper in a journal or collection; the

distinction between these two kinds of titles must be shown)

publication date volume number (for journals) issue number (for journals) editor’s last name and initials (for collections only) place of publishing (for books and collections) publisher’s name (for books and collections)

Acknowledgments:Major Characteristics

Acknowledgments are usually placed at the end of the paper, or, in case of books, at the beginning before the main text

They are usually written in the first person ‒ I for a single author and we for co-authors

Acknowledgments allow the author to demonstrate that he/she is a member of a certain academic community

Metalanguage for Acknowledgements section

I am indebted to people without whom this work would not be possible

I would like to particularly thank…along with the anonymous reviewers

Bio-data Statements:Major Characteristics

They accompany published work and grant applications

They are short (approximately 50-100 words)

Bio-data normally include the following information:

1) education

2) work experience

3) relevant qualifications and achievements

Latin phrases and abbreviations commonly used in scientific publications

1) afortiori – першочергово2) aposteriori – з останнього3) apriori – з попереднього4) cf → confer – в порівнянні з5) e.g. → exempligratia – наприклад6) etal.→ – та інші (вказуючи авторів)7) etc.→etcetera – і т.д.8) i.e. →idest– іншими словами, тобто9) inter– між, серед10) interalia– серед інш(их)ого11) intra– в межах одного, всередині12) ipsofacto– очевидно з фактів13) loc. cit. → lococitato – в згаданих місцях14) N.B. → notabene – замітьте, зверніть увагу15) op.cit. → operecitato – в згаданій роботі16) p.a.→per annum– за рік17) percapita– на душу населення18) post (post-war) – повоєнний19) pre (pre-war) – довоєнний20) primafacie – на перший погляд21) proforma– заради форми, формально22) q.v. → quodvide– відноситься до, може стосуватись23) via – засобом24) ceterisparibus – і інші рівні25) vis-à-vis – віч-на-віч26) expost (analysis, studies, impact) – результат; виходячи з 27) exante (demand) – бажаний, очікуваний28) quidproquo – одне замість іншого29) adhoc– до сих пір, на даний момент30) advalorem– за вартістю31) perse– у чистому вигляді32) utinfra – як зазначено нижче33) utsupre– як зазначено вище34) adverbum – буквально35) ib., ibid., → ibidem – там же36) vs→versus – протилежне до 37) id→idem– те саме38) Ca→circa – близько, приблизно

Thank you for the attention!

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