Writing Research Articles Research Articles

Graduate Student Writers

Genre analysis has become an important tool for teaching writing across the disciplines to non-native English-speaking (EL2) and native English-speaking (EL1) graduate students alike. Since the pressing needs of EL2 graduate students have meant that educators often teach them in separate classes, and since genre-based research into teaching higher-level writing has been largely generated in fields such as English for Academic Purposes, we have an insufficient understanding of whether this instructional mode plays out similarly in EL1 and EL2 classrooms. Launching a genre-based course on writing research articles in parallel sections for EL1 and EL2 graduate students provided an opportunity to address this knowledge shortfall. This article qualitatively examines the different classroom behaviors observed in each version of the course when a common curriculum was used and specifically explores three key themes: initial receptivity, nature of student engagement, and overall assessment. Our study shows that although EL2 and EL1 learners have similar needs, the obstacles to their benefitting from genre-based instruction are different; EL2 students must learn to identify themselves as needing writing support that transcends linguistic matters, while EL1 students must learn to identify themselves as needing writing support despite their linguistic competence. Providing the same mode of instruction can benefit both populations as long as educators are sensitive to the specific challenges each population presents in the classroom. The insights gained contribute to the scholarship on genre-based teaching and offer ways of better meeting the needs of EL1 and EL2 students alike.

Why do I publish research articles in English instead of my own language? Differences in Spanish researchers’ motivations across scientific domains

Previous studies have reported the increased use of English as the lingua franca for academic purposes among non-Anglophone researchers. But despite data that confirm this trend, little is known about the reasons why researchers decide to publish their results in English rather than in their first language. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of researchers' scientific domain on their motivation to publish in English. The results are based on a large-scale survey of Spanish postdoctoral researchers at four different universities and one research centre, and reflect responses from 1717 researchers about their difficulties, motivations, attitudes and publication strategies. Researchers' publication experiences as corresponding authors of articles in English and in their first language are strongly related to their scientific domain. But surprisingly, Spanish researchers across all domains expressed a similar degree of motivation when they write research articles in English. They perceive a strong association between this language and the desire for their research to be recognized and rewarded. Our study also shows that the target scientific audience is a key factor in understanding the choice of publication language. The implications of our findings go beyond the field of linguistics and are relevant to studies of scientific productivity and visibility, the quality and impact of research, and research assessment policies.

The role of research-article writing motivation and self-regulatory strategies in explaining research-article abstract writing ability.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of research-article writing motivation and use of self-regulatory writing strategies in explaining second language (L2) research-article abstract writing ability, alongside the L2 literacy effect. Four measures were administered: a L2 literacy test, a research abstract performance assessment, and inventories of writing motivation and strategy. Participants were L2 graduate students in Taiwan (N=185; M age=25.8 yr., SD=4.5, range=22-53). Results of structural equation modeling showed a direct effect of motivation on research-article writing ability, but no direct effect of strategy or indirect effect of motivation via strategy on research-article writing ability, with L2 literacy controlled. The findings suggest research-article writing instruction should address writing motivation, besides L2 literacy.

The Study on Ken Hyland’s Interactional Model in OUP Publications

This study is an attempt to understand how different authors of research articles in diverse fields draw on interactional devices in their writings to convince and interact with their audience. In order to do so seventy research articles from Economics, Humanities, Life Sciences, Social Sciences, Law, Mathematics & Physical Sciences, and Medicine were selected to constitute the data of this study. Then Ken Hyland’s interactional model was applied to find out to what extent writers used interpersonal resources in their writings. The results showed some considerable similarities and variations cross and across the fields. The findings of this study may also provide some useful insights into the teaching of writing research articles and may be helpful for writing teachers and students.

Rhetorical Patterns in the Discussion Sections of Malay Research Articles

The present study examines the communicative purposes (moves) employed in Malay research article discussions in the field of education. The analysis framework is based on the move-structure model proposed by Peacock (2002). The Malay research articles were selected from the Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Melayu – JPBM (Malay Language Education Journal – MyLEJ). In order to provide more comprehensive findings, specialist informants’ views were obtained via email correspondences in relation to their perceptions in writing research article discussions in their discourse community. The present study has pedagogical implications in an EAP (English for Academic Purposes) classroom.

Encouragement of Research Article Writing

Encouragement of Research Article Writing

Metadiscourse Strategies and Citation Patterns as Resources of Authorial Identity in Research Articles across International/Local Journals and Applied Linguistics Subdisciplines

The present study explored the rhetorical representation of authorial identity signaled by interactive/interactional metadiscourse strategies and integral/non-integral citation patterns in international and Iranian local research article discussion sections. The study also explored variation in metadiscourse and citation resources across three subdisciplines of Language Testing, English Language Teaching, and Discourse Analysis. To this end, a representative sample of 60 discussion sections of articles published in three prestigious international journals and three well-accredited Iranian local journals was collected. The comparisons revealed that Iranian local articles used a greater number of interactive metadiscourse strategies, whereas international articles tended to employ more interactional metadiscourse markers. In the interaction between authorial identity and citation perspectives, it was demonstrated that Iranian local articles employed more integral citation resources, while their international counterparts utilized more non-integral citation patterns. Furthermore, the findings showed subdisciplinary variation in the use of interactional metadiscourse strategies and non-integral citation patterns in international RAs. This can be attributed to their distinctive communicative purposes, target readership, scope of investigation, and final research products. The study concludes with some implications for post-graduate students to equip themselves with both macro-level generic and micro-level discoursal properties required for writing research article discussion sections, and, accordingly manifesting their authorial identity.

Development of a Research Article Writing Motivation Inventory

Development of a Research Article Writing Motivation Inventory

Collaborative Work as an Alternative for Writing Research Articles

Academic writing in English in our context is a significant aspect that can be innovative when a convergence model of writing stages is used along with collaborative work. This article reports on a study aimed at analyzing how collaborative work relates to undergraduate electronics students’ academic writing development in English as a foreign language at a Colombian university, following some specific writing stages. Field notes, students’ artifacts, and semi-structured interviews were the instruments used to gather information. The results showed that writing is achievable if students can follow stages and receive feedback from the teacher. Additionally, collaborative work allowed students to write research articles in an easy and dynamic way.

Rhetorical Structures in Academic Research Writing by Non- Native Writers

Writers of research articles are expected to present research information in a structured manner by following a certain rhetorical patterns determined by the discourse community. Failures to keep to the writing standard and rhetorical pattern are likely to lower the acceptance rate. While producing a research article is understandably a complex task, it is even more difficult if one is writing in his or her second or third language. Even if grammatical mistakes can be ironed out by a language editor, researchers are on their own when it comes to rhetorical presentation of their research ideas. The available research writing guidelines constructed in the native speaker context often fall short in addressing rhetorical aspects related to cultural issues that have been known to influence most non native English (NNE) writings. Motivated by the complexity of rhetorical presentation in research articles and the problems on writing research articles by NNE writers, this paper is aimed to explore the rhetorical moves used by the Malaysian writers in the introduction section of Computer Science research articles for journal publication. CARS model (Swales, 2004) is used to analyze the rhetorical moves in the introduction section of Computer Science research articles by the Malaysian writers. The study begins with a corpus compilation of five research articles (RA) by the writers followed by move analysis use in the CARS model (Swales, 2004) was conducted to analyze the articles. The analysis revealed that majority of the writers adopted most of the rhetorical strategies in Swales model (2004). The paper concludes that CARS model is suitable in identifying the rhetorical moves in the RA by Malaysian writers.

Spanish scholars' research article publishing process in English-medium journals: English used as a lingua franca?

Abstract English has become the language of dissemination of research findings for scholars, especially in certain fields, and this is not an exception for Spanish scholars. They are under increasing pressure to write and publish research articles in international English-medium journals to establish their credentials, get academic promotion and rewards, and also to gain professional recognition. It is the aim of this paper to look at the process of writing research articles by a group of Spanish scholars in the field of finance by exploring the role played by “literacy brokers” (Lillis and Curry 2010): “wordface professionals” (Shashok 2008) (i.e., proofreaders and language consultants, who tend to be external community members) and gatekeepers (i.e., journal editors and reviewers). The study is based on eight text histories which contain the subsequent versions of the authors' manuscripts, the editors' letters, and the referees' reports. Referees and editors frequently point out the non-nativeness of the Spanish scholars' discourse, and encourage them to resort to English native wordface professionals. The analysis reveals the most common type of language revision which their manuscripts go through to comply not only with standard linguistic and discursive uses of the language but also with prevailing Anglo-American rhetorical conventions. Through this analysis an insight is gained into the extent to which English is used as a lingua franca (ELF) in this disciplinary academic community for research publication and dissemination.

Research funding is not enough

Universities compete for research money but at the risk of neglecting teaching and maintenance of their infrastructure.

Writing Research Articles in English: Insights from Iranian University Teachers’ of TEFL

This study attempts to examine how some writers are more successful than others in writing scientific papers in English, in non-English speaking societies. To do so, interviews were conducted with 10 Iranian university teachers‘of TEFL: 5 junior, 2 middle-ranking and 3 senior researchers. The analysis is concerned not only with their difficulties, but also with their strategies to cope with them. Findings show that identification of their audience may distinguish senior researchers from others. Another important characteristic seems to be their learning strategies, and these strategies are divided into two categories. The first one focuses on reading academic papers in their field to learn typical writing patterns. This strategy was followed by all. The second involves giving direct attention to mastering English speakers’ language use, but these were employed by only 2 junior and 3 senior researchers. Half of these researchers seem to prefer simply to cope with their English. Efforts to adopt the second type, however, would appear to be successful in the long run.

Developing a Writing Template of Research Article Abstracts: A Corpus-Based Method

Writing research article abstracts is not always an easy task for novice researchers who are not fluent in English such as in the context of Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna Tak. Therefore, a writing template with particular language patterns and samples is useful for training staff, students and interested people to prepare their research abstracts in English. The purpose of the present study is to use a corpus-based method to analyze the language of abstracts in engineering, science, technology, business and liberal arts. The analysis focused on four moves: objectives, methodology, results and conclusion. Then, the results were used as guidelines for developing a writing template of research article abstracts.

Research Article Structure of Research Article Introductions in Three Engineering Subdisciplines

This study aims to provide scholars with insight into the task of writing research articles. Research questions: (1) What are the generic structures of research article introductions in three engineering subdisciplines? and (2) What are variations that distinguish the introductions of one subdiscipline from the others? Literature review: Swales's genre analysis method has proved to be an effective textual analysis to identify the structural organization of each section of research articles. Even though there seems to be a pattern in each section, previous genre-based studies also demonstrate that disciplinary variation is discernible. It thus remains to be determined whether research articles of different subdisciplines within a single discipline share the same organizational structure. Methodology: Based on journal impact factors, three datasets of English research article introductions representing three subdisciplines of engineering (civil, software, and biomedical) were compiled, consisting of 180 introductions with 60 from each subdiscipline. Then, the three datasets were analyzed using Swales's genre analysis technique to identify the structural patterns prevalent in the introductions of each subdiscipline. Units of textual analysis called moves and steps were quantified to capture variations among the introductions. Results and discussion: Analysis shows that these introductions generally adhere to a common rhetorical organization across subdisciplines. However, disciplinary variations are also captured, highlighting the unique characteristics and perspectives of each subdiscipline. The findings bear pedagogical implications, allowing English for Specific Purposes practitioners to prepare novice scholars to be able to publish successfully in their fields.

Writing Research Articles for Publication in Early Childhood Education

Published research results in early childhood education contribute to the field’s knowledge, theory, and practice. They also guide future early childhood education research studies. The publication of research articles is an essential requirement for academics. For some researchers, however, writing may be a difficult activity, particularly the process of getting the study published. This article discusses basic issues in scholarly writing and offers guidelines on ways to organize and write scientific research manuscripts that are appropriate for early childhood education and other disciplines. It explains the importance of publishing, defines the meaning of a scientific research publication, and explains the process in manuscript preparation to guide emerging researchers to write research manuscripts that are comprehensible and will have a high probability of being accepted for publication. Finally, it describes the publication process.

Teaching peers to talk to peers

Scientists should learn to communicate effectively with their colleagues through long-term, sustained training instead of ad hoc, one-off "interventions" that may or may not occur during graduate school or postdoctoral work. Since such training may place unreasonable demands on research advisors, institutions should create career opportunities for "peer-peer communication teachers."

간호학 전공 대학원생들의 연구윤리에 대한 인식, 자기효능감 및 지식수준*

This study aimed to identify the level of awareness, self-efficacy, and knowledge of research ethics among nursing graduate students. A descriptive survey design was used. A total of 102 nursing graduate students were recruited from one nursing school in Korea. Data collection instruments were developed based on the core instructional areas of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) from the Office of Research Integrity at the research team’s institution. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire consisting of questions on research ethics. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics using PASW Statistics 18.0 Window program. Participants (mean age=31 years) consisted of master’s (77.5%) and doctoral (22.5%) level students. Only 25.5% of participants had taken a course in research ethics, and 26.5% of participants had experience conducting research as principle investigators. The level of awareness (mean score 2.91 out of 5) and self-efficacy for good research practice (3.15 out of 5) were moderate. The level of knowledge regarding research ethics was low (10.59 out of 16). The area of lowest awareness was ‘protection of intellectual property and patents,’ followed by ‘justifying authorship’;the area of least knowledge was ‘writing research articles,’ followed by ‘criteria for authorship.’ Statistically significant correlations were found between awareness, self-efficacy, and knowledge of research ethics (all p<0.05). These results support the conclusion that educational programs for enhancing awareness, self-efficacy, and knowledge of research ethics for graduate nursing students are needed in order to help students conduct ethically sound research.

Book Review: Explaining Research: How to Reach Key Audiences to Advance Your Work by Dennis Meredith

Explaining Research: How to Reach Key Audiences to Advance Your Work. Dennis Meredith. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010. 357 pp. $35 pbk.Broader is one of the two key criteria for government agencies in selecting research proposals for funding. But deciding how to create that broader impact is a challenge for many academic researchers, because we are so preoccupied with designing research and with writing research articles that we seldom have the time to think about how to explain and publicize our research to target or wider audiences. Science writer Dennis Meredith's book is a handy reference to busy researchers to create the broader impact for their research work.Explaining Research is also an enjoyable read, not only because the author is a good writer, but because of his understanding of the psychology of his target readers: the researchers. He understands that many researchers, especially scientists and engineers, do not like to be under the spotlight, but they also take great pride in their work. Yet to get funding, get promotion, or establish the impact of the research, researchers need to know how to explain to lay audiences what their research is about, why it is newsworthy to media to gain media coverage and win the support of their peers in the field. To those who are actively seeking funding for their research, chapter 19, Persuade Administrators, Donors and Legislators, is a must-read. Meredith explains the common characteristics of these constituents and how to handle relationships with them.Meredith organizes his chapters by actions, and readers are urged to follow the series of actions he outlines to achieve success in explaining research. For example, in chapter 3, Give Compelling Talks, the suggested actions are (1) free yourself from text, (2) organize your talk to grab and inform, (3) make your talk memorable, (4) use engaging visuals, (5) practice produces power persuasion, (6) use good stagecraft, (7) manage questions, (8) give lay audiences what they want, and (9) synergies your effort.I especially like chapter 21, in which Meredith clearly shows the distinction and commonalities between journalists and academic researchers. He also warned us of a wrong expectation of the journalist to be knowledgeable and well prepared for the topic. Quoting from Sharon Dunwoody's study, he explains the accuracy for news articles is different from academic research because of differences between technical and communicative accuracy. …

How to write research articles in computing and engineering disciplines

This article advocates a general way of presenting research articles on any topic and in any field related to computer science, information technology, and engineering disciplines. The key advice to a successful presentation is to repeat the description of main contribution four times: in the title, abstract, introduction (or chapter 1) and in the text. That is, to make readable, appealing, and as complete as possible versions of the work using the order of 10, 100, 1000 and 10,000 words. This corresponds to the decreasing portion of readers for corresponding parts of the article. To the extent possible, each of these parts should address, in this order: the problem statement, existing solutions, the new solution(s), assumptions and limitations, analysis, simulation and comparison with best competing solutions.