Rethinking citations: proposing a new model for analyzing stance and rhetorical functions of citations in interdisciplinary discourse

Abstract

ABSTRACT The current study investigates citation practices in publications published in the journal Global Environmental Change. Twenty papers were selected to cover the period from 1990 to 2010. The model was applied to the selected papers, which included hundreds of in-block citations, to identify categories at different levels and compare clause- and block-level findings for each citation. The proposed model is considered a triangular system that integrates as well as aligns the chosen categories of the functions, stance, and form of citation. A comparison between the block-level analysis of citation functions and the clause-level analysis of stance categories demonstrates how citations work and their role in citation texts. By combining functional categories and stance, we gain an understanding of both conventional and unconventional patterns of citation. The article argues that starting with the block-level analysis, as a recently discovered level of analysis, is most useful for understanding students’ awareness of the block and how it affects the execution of citation practices by researchers or writers—specifically, the position of each citation. The suggested system can be extended to interdisciplinary discourse to investigate heterogeneity in citation practices.