Towards a Validated Discourse Analysis of Scientific Text

dc.contributor.author Crookes, Graham
dc.contributor.department University of Hawaii at Manoa. Department of English as a Second Language.
dc.date.accessioned 2015-11-19T00:51:49Z
dc.date.available 2015-11-19T00:51:49Z
dc.date.issued 1985
dc.description.abstract This study reviewed analyses of the discourse structure of scientific experimental-article introductions, and subjected a well-known one (Swales 1981) to empirical test. A corpus of 96 articles was selected by stratified random sampling from 12 journals identified according to post-1980 citation frequency. Raters coded one quarter of the corpus according to the original Swales system, and found the system inadequate. Following revision of the system, 75% of a second quarter of the corpus was able to be rated at a satisfactorily high level of interrater agreement. Results were consistent with the existence of four basic units of discourse. Some subject-specific variation in structure was found. Social science article introductions were more complex than others. Implications for EST materials writing are drawn. The importance of empirical validation of discourse analyses is stressed. This study reviewed analyses of the discourse structure of scientific experimental-article introductions, and subjected a well-known one (Swales 1981) to empirical test. A corpus of 96 articles was selected by stratified random sampling from 12 journals identified according to post-1980 citation frequency. Raters coded one quarter of the corpus according to the original Swales system, and found the system inadequate. Following revision of the system, 75% of a second quarter of the corpus was able to be rated at a satisfactorily high level of interrater agreement. Results were consistent with the existence of four basic units of discourse. Some subject-specific variation in structure was found. Social science article introductions were more complex than others. Implications for EST materials writing are drawn. The importance of empirical validation of discourse analyses is stressed.
dc.format.digitalorigin reformatted digital
dc.format.extent 68 pages
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10125/37656
dc.language eng
dc.subject discourse analysis
dc.subject est
dc.subject empirical validity
dc.subject article analysis
dc.subject.fast Discourse analysis
dc.subject.fast Research
dc.subject.fast Speeches, addresses, etc.
dc.title Towards a Validated Discourse Analysis of Scientific Text
dc.type Occasional Paper
dc.type.dcmi Text
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