The Introductory Sentence in Literature Research Articles Published in High-Impact vs. Predatory Journals

Abstract

The current study discusses the stylistic properties of the introductory sentence with which scholars begin their introduction in the literature field. The study draws upon a dataset of 624 introductory sentences, half of which are collected from high-impact Web of Science indexed journals and the other half are drawn from presumably predatory journals. The study shows that the introductory sentence written by authors of high-impact journals is a work-based sentence with a high number of references whereas that composed by authors of presumably predatory journals is a reference-less author-based sentence. Although Swales (1990, 2004) argues that less experienced writers may begin their introductions with Move 2/3-type sentences, the study shows that there is no difference between the two sets of scholars in terms of the usage of Move 2/3. However, authors of high-impact journals tend to describe their study, state their purpose, indicate research gaps and raise questions in their Move-2/3 sentences whereas authors of presumably predatory journals prefer definitional clarifications the most. The study also reveals that the introductory sentence produced by authors of presumably predatory journals is shorter in word count, full of repetitions and grammatical/punctuation errors and sometimes presented as a full paragraph.