A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of Applied

Linguistics and Chemistry Research Articles:

The Case of Discussions1
Hassan Soodmand Afshar2, Mehdi Doosti3, & Hossein Movassagh4
Received: 25/08/2017 Accepted: 25/12/2017
Abstract
This genre-based study investigated the cross-disciplinary variations in the rhetorical
structure of the Discussion sections of 104 applied linguistics and chemistry
research articles (RAs), drawing upon Basturkmen’s (2009, 2012) framework and
taking into account the new insights proposed by Bhatia (2004), Shehzad (2008),
and Lim (2012). To this end, in addition to collecting quantitative data and
conducting frequency and chi-square analyses, a number of semistructured
interviews were also conducted with some distinguished chemistry scholars and
applied linguistics experts to triangulate the data and get a fuller understanding of
the quantitative results. Results of the chi-square analyses revealed significant
variations in the way the authors in the 2 disciplines employed moves, steps, and
substeps to realize the purpose of the Discussion sections. Findings might prove
fruitful for postgraduate students and novice researchers in chemistry and applied
linguistics to help them write more effective Discussion section in their research
articles.
Keywords: Applied Linguistics; Chemistry; Genre Analysis; Discussion; Move
Structure; Research Articles (RAs)

1
Please cite this paper as follows:
Soodmand Afshar, H., Doosti, M., & Movassagh, H. (2018). A comparative study
of generic structure of applied linguistics and chemistry research articles: The case
of discussions. Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics, 9(1), 28-56.
2 Corresponding
author, Department of English Language, Faculty of Humanities,
Bu-Ali Sina university, Hamedan, Iran; [email protected]
3Department
of English Language, Faculty of Humanities, Bu-Ali Sina University,
Hamedan, Iran; [email protected]
4Department
of English Language, Faculty of Humanities, Bu-Ali Sina University,
Hamedan, Iran; [email protected]
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 29

1. Introduction
Over the past few decades, researchers in various disciplines have been
interested in publishing the results of their research articles (RAs) in international
English-medium journals (Curry & Lillis, 2004), which might be due to the fact that
they intend to share their findings with their international disciplinary community
and “to gain international recognition” (Martin, Rey-Rocha, Burgess, & Moreno,
2014, p. 57). In fact, publishing in high-impact English-medium journals is one of
the important evaluation criteria for professional promotion and salary raise in many
countries (Curry & Lillis, 2004) and is a prerequisite to Ph.D. graduation in some
countries (Huang, 2010). Nevertheless, due to unfamiliarity with RA genres and
conventions of publication, researchers might experience difficulties to meet the
expectations of journal reviewers and members of their disciplinary community
(Matrin et al., 2014). Therefore, it seems imperative that researchers, particularly
novice researchers and students, become familiar with the rhetorical structure of
RAs in their disciplines to be able to write each section of the RA as expected.
Since the introduction of the term genre by Swales (1981), who studied the
discourse structure of RA Introductions, genre analysis of academic texts,
particularly RAs in various disciplines, has increasingly become popular. Genre
analysis has concentrated mostly on English for academic purposes (EAP),
particularly on academic articles as a specific genre (Dudley-Evans, 1994). A review
of the literature in the field reveals that several genre-based studies and move
analyses have been conducted on various sections of RAs. However, the Discussion
section of RAs, which is believed to be of crucial importance by genre analysts
probably due to the fact that it is considered to be rhetorically complex (Uzuner,
2008) and the most challenging part to write (Li, 2002, 2007; Martin et al., 2014),
has not received due attention. In fact, the Discussion section is believed to be of
crucial importance in RAs in many disciplines (Basturkmen, 2012), probably
because Discussion is the place where researchers strive to support their claims by
providing explanations for their results and/or by referring to an explanation
provided in the literature (Basturkmen, 2012; Kanoksilapatham, 2012). Therefore,
this section determines the extent to which an RA has been successful in attracting
readers and meeting the expectations of the research community (Kanoksilapatham,
2012). These issues might be the reasons why Discussion sections are meticulously
reviewed and harshly criticized by journal editors and reviewers. In other words, the
effectiveness of writing the Discussion section is most likely to determine whether
the RA is likely to be published or not. Accordingly, postgraduate students and
novice researchers in any discipline who wish to publish their work and share their
theories and thoughts with their research community are required to get familiar as
30 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

much as they can with the rules and conventions of writing various sections of an
RA, particularly the Discussion section.
Genre awareness-raising, which involves raising students’ awareness of
text features (i.e., lexicogrammatical features, organization, communicative
function, disciplinary conventions; Hyland, 2006; Stoller & Robinson, 2013), is a
technique that teachers can employ in EAP courses offered to students and novice
researchers to make them aware of the actual communicative practices of their
disciplines in order to produce better writers. In fact, to become an independent
writer and develop a personal and idiosyncratic way of writing within the framework
of a discipline, one first needs to become familiar with the disciplinary conventions
and expectations of their discourse community (Hyland, 2006). Therefore, due to its
complex nature and importance, this genre-based study investigated the rhetorical
structures (moves, steps, and substeps) of RA Discussions (RADs) in the two
disciplines of applied linguistics (ALs) and chemistry with the aim of helping
students and novice researchers write more effective Discussion sections.
1.1. Theoretical Framework of the Study and Literature Review
A number of frameworks (e.g., Basturkmen, 2009, 2012; Holmes, 1997;
Hopkins & Dudley-Evans, 1988; Yang & Allison, 2003) have been proposed for
analyzing RADs. Holmes (1997), for instance, analyzed the disciplinary variations
in the move structure of the Discussion section of RAs from the disciplines of
history, political sciences, and sociology. Holmes observed that the most common
moves in the Discussion section of all the three disciplines were ‘Generalization’
and ‘Statement of Results.’ Furthermore, the most common moves used to open a
Discussion section were reported to be ‘Statement of Results,’ ‘Background
Information,’ and ‘Generalization,’ respectively, and those used to close the section
were observed to be ‘Recommendation’ and ‘Generalization,’ respectively. Also.
Hopkins and Dudley-Evans (1988) introduced a list of moves for the Discussion
section of RAs, which they considered as the main options for the writers, although
they did not claim that their framework was exhaustive. Their framework consists of
11 moves as follows (Hopkins & Dudley-Evans, 1988, p. 118):
1. Background Information,
2. Statement of Result (S.O.R.),
3. (Un)expected Outcome in which the writer comments on whether the
result is expected or not,
4. Reference to Previous Research (Comparison) in which the writer
compares his or her result with those reported in the literature,
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 31

5. Explanation of Unsatisfactory Result in which the writer suggests

reasons for a surprising result or one different from those in the
literature,
6. Exemplification in which the writer gives an example to support his or
her explanation,
7. Deduction in which the writer makes a claim about the generalizability
of the particular results,
8. Hypothesis in which the writer makes a more general claim arising
from his or her experimental results,
9. Reference to Previous Research (Support) in which the writer quotes
previous work to support his or her deduction or hypothesis,
10. Recommendation in which the writer makes suggestions for future
work,
11. Justification in which the writer justifies the need for the future work
recommended.
However, reviewing Hopkins and Dudley-Evans’ (1988) framework and
criticizing it for its adoption of single-level scheme of analysis (move), Yang and
Allison (2003) proposed a two-level account (moves and steps) of RADs analyzing a
corpus of 20 RAs in ALs. They, thus, proposed a hierarchical seven-move
framework with a number of steps realizing some of the moves, which, as they
claimed, still included all the features identified by Hopkins and Dudley-Evans
(1988). They observed that the move ‘commenting on results’ had a frequent
occurrence in RADs and was an obligatory move, whereas the moves ‘reporting
results’ and ‘summarizing results’ occurred less frequently and were regarded as
quasi-obligatory. However, they found the move ‘reporting results’ was an
obligatory move in the Results section of the ALs RAs. They identified three
optional moves in the Discussion section, as well, ‘summarizing the study,’
‘evaluating the study,’ and ‘deductions from the research,’ which are mainly moves
also found in the Conclusion section of RAs.
Drawing upon Yang and Allison’s (2003) framework as the point of
departure, Basturkmen (2009) investigated how expert and novice writers in the
field of language teaching commented on the results of their research, focusing
specifically on M4 ('commenting on results') of the framework. She argued that
providing background information (M1) was followed by summarizing the results
(M2), reporting a result (M3), and commenting on the result (M4). She found that
the majority of the RAs included sequences of M3 (‘reporting results’) and M4
(‘commenting on (the) results’). She termed this sequence, which “was repeated for
32 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

as many results as the writers wished to discuss” (p. 245), Result-Comment

Sequence. That is, the writers of the RAs focused and dealt with the results of their
research one by one, reporting a result, discussing it, then reporting another result
and commenting on it. In terms of M4 (‘commenting on (the) results’), she reported
that the writers selected three possible steps to comment on a result including
‘explaining a result,’ ‘comparing a result to a result reported in the literature,’ and
‘evaluating a result.’ In Yang and Allison’s (2003) model, this move is realized
through four steps. However, Basturkmen (2009) argued that distinguishing
‘interpreting results’ from ‘accounting for results’ “proved problematic” (p. 245).
Accordingly, she condensed the two steps into one (‘explaining the results’) by
using the verb ‘explain’ as a synonym for both ‘interpret’ and ‘account for.’ Finally,
she argued that “commenting on results” had a crucial role in the Discussion
sections of ALs RAs, as also emphasized by Yang and Allison (2003).
In a more recent analysis, Basturkmen (2012), drawing upon her previous
framework (Basturkmen, 2009), scrutinized ten RADs in the field of dentistry and
discussed the findings in terms of disciplinary variation. She asserted that although
some disciplinary variations were observed in the generic structure of ALs and
dentistry RAs, the framework could generally be applied to the RADs in Dentistry.
In most of the RAs analyzed, she observed the use of M1 and M2 of the framework.
The three steps realizing M4 (‘commenting on (the) result’) were also observed in
dentistry RADs. Furthermore, the Result-Comment Sequences (repeated sequences
of M3 and M4) were observed in most of the RAs. However, she found two
additional moves which were termed ‘evaluation of the study’ (M5) and
‘implications for further research, clinical practice or policy’ (M6).
Similarly, Stoller and Robinson (2013) analyzed the organizational features
of chemistry and ALs RAs and converted them into some easy-to-interpret move
structures to be effectively used in classrooms as a pedagogical tool to raise
chemistry and ALs students’ consciousness about the predominant organizational
patterns in the RAs they read and help them improve their writing. In their study, a
team of Chemists and Applied Linguists selected nearly 60 chemistry RAs from six
high-impact journals (10 RAs from each) in the field to be analyzed. After analyzing
the RAs, they found that chemistry RAs “fall on a continuum bounded by fully
separated Results and Discussion sections at one end and fully integrated Results
and Discussion sections at the other” (p. 51). In case of RAs following stand-alone
Discussions, they found that the Discussion section of the RAs consisted of two
moves with one briefly reminding the reader which results would be discussed (M1)
and the other signaling the conclusion (M2). They also found a submove for M1
which proceeded with an interpretation of results connecting the work with the
literature by offering explanations and comparing the work with other works. They
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 33

also found two submoves for M2 with the first submove providing a brief summary
of the work and the other offering implications and/or applications of the work.
Fallahi and Erzi (2003) examined the move structure of the Discussion
sections of 61 RAs selected from high-impact international language teaching
journals (e.g., Applied Linguistics, TESOL Quarterly) and found 11 moves including
‘background information,’ ‘presenting a result,’ ‘presenting a finding,’ ‘explaining
unexpected outcomes,’ ‘making reference to previous research,’ ‘explaining the
results,’ ‘making generalizations from the results,’ ‘introducing the limitations,’
‘making suggestions for further research,’ ‘restating the problem,’ and ‘restating the
procedure.’ They merged the 11 moves and introduced a three-part Discussion,
including Introduction, Evaluation, and Conclusion, which is consistent with
Dudley-Evans' (1994) three-part framework. However, they found that the move
order of language teaching RADs was partly different from the order followed by
natural sciences, as proposed by Hopkins and Dudley-Evans (1998). Moreover, they
found that the moves of RADs in language teaching occurred with different
frequencies with ‘presenting a finding’ and ‘making generalizations from the results’
appearing more frequently in RADs than other moves did.
The reliability and dependability of the results obtained through the genre
analysis of different sections of RAs depend on how the rhetorical structure of RAs
is analyzed and interpreted. Analyzing the rhetorical structure of RAs, genre
analysts pay attention mostly to move sequences as well as the frequency of
occurrence of each move, step, and substep (Lim, 2012). However, a few genre
studies (e.g., Lim, 2012; Shehzad, 2008) seem to have considered the supporting
linguistic features of the moves, as well. Lim (2012), for instance, argued that
identifying prominent linguistic features (i.e., lexical items and syntactic structures)
used to perform the various communicative functions provides information on how
writers use strategies in various situations related to their discipline, which can help
novice researchers write articles acceptable to disciplinary gatekeepers (e.g., journal
editors and reviewers).
Going beyond the lexicogrammatical and functional features of the text,
Bhatia (2004) proposes an ethnographic approach to genre analysis involving
features which “constrain the construction of genre from the point of view of factors
such as the impressions, beliefs, and perceptions of experts associated with a
particular genre, the processes of its construction, choice of modes available, etc.”
(pp. 132-133). He argues that discourse as genre accounts for both the way text is
constructed and the way it is interpreted, used, and exploited in specific professional
contexts to achieve specific disciplinary goals. As Bhatia (2004) puts it, given
today’s interdisciplinary and dynamic world of work, it is virtually impossible to
keep the individual generic boundaries intact. Therefore, taking Bhatia’s (2004)
34 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

ethnographic perspective into consideration, it appears essential that the beliefs and
perceptions of experts be carefully taken into account by genre analysts when
discussing the common rhetorical structure of a specific genre.
1.2. Objectives, Significance of the Study, and Research Questions
The present study was designed to investigate cross-disciplinary variations
in the rhetorical structure of Discussion sections of ALs and chemistry RAs,
drawing on Basturkmen’s (2009, 2012) framework. This framework was used
because it is comparatively comprehensive and is a commonly used framework
which has accounted for the structural organization of RADs in such diverse
disciplines as ALs and dentistry. Nevertheless, to utilize the new insights proposed
by recent related research, the suggestions and findings of Bhatia (2004), Lim
(2012), and Shehzad (2008) were also taken into account.
In this study, we selected one discipline from humanities and one from
natural sciences, each with its own requirements and expectations, so that we could
delve deeply into the possible variations in the rhetorical structure of their RAs. ALs
was chosen as an appropriate representative of humanities because it draws upon
such diverse feeder disciplines as linguistics, psychology, sociology, and other
branches. Moreover, the authors of the present study are all ALs experts and, thus,
familiar with the rhetorical structure and organization of the RAs written in this
field—a fact which makes the analyses and interpretation of the data more
dependable. On the other hand, it should be noted that we could have chosen any
discipline from natural sciences (e.g., biology, botany, etc.) for analysis because we
did not intend to generalize the results beyond the disciplines under investigation. In
this regard, chemistry was chosen mainly because we had easier access to
internationally well-known, distinguished chemistry scholars/researchers whose
insightful comments we used in the analysis of the data and in the interpretation of
the results through the interviews we conducted with them.
Another rationale behind the study was that although several studies have
been conducted to investigate the generic structure of ALs RADs, only a few of
them have taken into consideration recent research findings on the rhetorical
structures of RADs (e.g., Basturkmen, 2009, 2012; Bhatia, 2004; Lim, 2012;
Shehzad, 2008). Furthermore, to our knowledge, very few studies so far have
investigated the generic structure of chemistry RADs, which means less is known
about the rhetorical structure of this section in chemistry. This study is, thus,
significant in the field in that it employs the triangulation of the data by drawing
upon Bhatia’s (2004) ethnographic perspective to genre analysis and contributes
significantly to the knowledge of the topic under investigation. Unlike most previous
genre-based studies which based all their conclusions upon the analyses and
interpretation of the quantitative data, the present study also employed several
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 35

semistructured interviews with experts in both disciplines in order to enhance the

dependability of the results and to get a fuller understanding of the quantitative data
by exploring why the differences existed between the two disciplines. Thus, we
expect that this genre-based study furthers our understanding of the generic
structures of ALs RADs and offers new insights into the generic structures of
chemistry RADs. Additionally, the study might be of significance in that, in
comparison to previous studies (e.g., Basturkmen, 2009, 2012; Yang & Allison,
2003), it draws upon a relatively large corpus (104 RAs).
Thus, we sought answers to the following research questions in the present
study:
1. What are the differences between the generic structures of RADs in the two
disciplines of chemistry and applied linguistics?
2. Why are some specific moves and/or steps used less frequently in
chemistry and more in applied linguistics or vice-versa?
2. Method
2.1. Data Collection and Analysis
To collect a rather large sample representing the move structures used in
the RADs, a total of 104 RAs from ALs and chemistry published between 2000 and
2015 comprised the corpus for the present study. The ALs journals from which we
selected the articles to be scrutinized in the study were all recognized high-impact
journals which were mostly devoted to problems of foreign language teaching and
learning and mainly published full-length quantitative research studies. The
chemistry journals from which we selected the articles were also recognized high-
impact journals which were mostly devoted to empirical studies in the field and
mainly published full-length quantitative research studies. Thus, 52 empirical RAs
(13 RAs per journal) were randomly selected from four accredited journals in ALs,
namely Language Learning (LL), The Modern Language Journal (MLJ), Second
Language Research (SLR), and System. Moreover, 52 RAs (13 RAs per journal)
were randomly chosen from four well-established high-impact journals in chemistry,
namely Applied Catalysis B: Environmental (ACBE), Electrochemistry
Communications (ECC), Journal of Power Sources (JPS), and Electrochimica Acta
(ECA). The length of the ALs RAs analyzed ranged from 3,000 to 12,000 words,
whereas the length of chemistry RAs analyzed ranged from nearly 2,000 to 10,000
words. All the RAs selected for the analysis were empirical studies which followed
the conventional Introduction-Method-Results-Discussion (IMRD) structure
(Swales, 1990). The reason for confining the scope of research to only empirical
RAs was that other types of RAs (e.g., review articles or state-of-the-art papers) are
believed to be different genres and were not, thus, included in the study. It should be
36 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

noted that all the articles analyzed included a Conclusion section in addition to the
Discussion section. The reason for selecting these types of articles was that those
articles were more likely to include all the relevant moves, steps, and substeps to
realize the objectives of their Discussions.
The data were analyzed through counting and tabulating the frequency of
the occurrence of each move and (sub)steps realizing them. Then, chi-square
analyses were run in SPSS to explore the interdisciplinary variations in the generic
structures of the RADs in ALs and chemistry. It should also be mentioned that all
the three researchers of the present study analyzed the data separately to identify the
moves, steps, and substeps in all the selected RADs by considering not only their
communicative functions but also their linguistic realizations (Lim, 2012; Shehzad,
2008). Due attention was especially paid to the identification of discourse markers,
lexical items, linguistic cues, boundaries between move and steps, and their
sequencing and patterning. Besides, to make sure of the dependability of the
analyses, the three researchers compared their results obtained and discussed them in
a series of group discussion sessions. The discrepancies (less than 5%) were
negotiated until final compromise was reached. However, in order to minimize the
likelihood of error in the analysis of the RAs and to get a deeper understanding of
the results, eight distinguished chemistry professor researchers who were faculty
members at Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, and had prolifically published in
peer-reviewed, high-impact international journals were consulted. Three of the
chemistry professors interviewed were, in fact, world-renowned researchers who had
been selected as the world's top 1% ‘scientists’ by Essential Science Indicators (ESI)
of Thomson Reuters. Besides, eight ALs professor researchers who were Faculty
members of various Iranian universities (e.g., Bu-Ali Sina University, Razi
University, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, etc.) were interviewed
separately. The interviews were, in fact, conducted based on Bhatia’s (2004)
ethnographic approach in order to ensure the dependability of the results. It took 30
to 45 min to interview each professor. After obtaining the professor researchers’
permission and consent, the interviews were audiorecorded for further transcription
and content analysis.
3. Results
3.1. Results of Move Analysis of Applied Linguistics RADs
Table 1 indicates the frequency of the occurrence of the moves and steps
used to realize them in ALs RADs:
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 37

Table 1. Frequency of Occurrence of Moves and Steps Realizing Them in ALs RADs

Moves and Steps realizing Them Frequency of Occurrence Total Percent

in RADs (Out of
52)
System MLJ LL SLR
(Out of (Out of (Out of (Out of
13) 13) 13) 13)
(M1)
background information: review 10 2 7 4 23 44.23%
of research purposes, theory,
methodology
(M2) 5 9 7 3 24 46.15%
summarizing results: integration
of no. of specific results
M3 13 13 13 13 52 100%
reporting a result
M4 13 13 13 13 52 100%
commenting on (the) result
Step A ‘explaining the result’ 13 13 13 13 52 100%
Ai) providing alternative 10 8 10 11 39 75%
explanations for the same result,
A1, A2, A3 etc.)
Aii) referring to an explanation 8 7 6 5 26 50%
provided in the literature
Aiii) evaluating an explanation 3 1 1 0 5 9.61%
Step B ‘comparing with result in 13 13 12 12 50 96.15%
literature’
Step C ‘evaluating the result’ 2 6 4 1 13 25%
Ci) ‘importance of the result’ 1 3 2 1 7 13.46%
Cii) ‘reliability of the result’ 1 0 0 0 1 1.92%
Ciii) ‘evaluating a result, claim 2 3 2 0 7 13.46%
or recommendation in the
literature, in view of the present
result’
(M5) 3 5 6 1 15 28.84%
evaluating the study
(M6) 2 11 9 4 26 50%
implications for further research
and pedagogic implications

As Table 1 indicates, M1 (‘background information’) and M2

(‘summarizing results’) were optional moves used by less than half of the ALs
writers. Excerpts 1 and 2 below show how M1 was used by the ALs authors, mostly
at the opening paragraph of the Discussion sections to remind readers of the research
purpose, research questions, and/or research methodology:
(1) This experiment was designed to test whether the interpretation of
subject pronouns in intrasentential contexts by near-native adult speakers
38 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

of Italian is different from that of native Italian speakers. (Second

Language Research, 22, 2006, 339-368)
(2) The main purpose of this study was to examine the connections
between positive goal interdependence and positive resource
interdependence among learners and their perceptions of the degrees of
social support and selected aspects of class climate, namely, valuing
heterogeneity, alienation from school, and fairness of grading. (System, 35,
2007, 229-240)
Excerpts 3 and 4 indicate how M2 was utilized by the ALs writers to give
the readers a brief summary of the findings before fully reporting and explaining
them:
(3) The results reveal that the role played by LAA depended on a
combination of three factors- the type of corrective feedback provided (DF
or ME), whether the learners were required to revise the corrected text
(+Revision/-Revision), and the target structure. (article/hypothetical
conditional; System, 49, 2015, 110-119)
(4) To summarize the above result of different testing measures in terms
of their support for the different hypotheses, the sentence combination test
and the grammaticality judgment test partially supported the prediction of
the NPAH, . . . . (Language Learning, 53, 2003, 285-323)
M3 (‘reporting a result’) and M4 (‘commenting on (the) result’) were found
to be obligatory moves used by all the ALs writers. Excerpts 5, 6, and 7 indicate
how M3 is realized by the ALs authors in their RADs:
(5) Experiment 1 showed that the minimal processing effort assumption of
Relevance Theory constrained both groups of speakers’ processing of
ambiguous sentences. (Second Language Research, 20, 2004, 232-255)
(6) The results of this study indicate that task difficulty is an important
variable in writing, particularly at the beginning levels. The novice
secondary school learners in this study performed better on descriptive
than on narrative or expository tasks. It should be noted, however, that the
present-tense narrative tasks were within the capabilities of both level 1
and level 2 students. As expected, performance on the expository task was
poorer for students at both levels. (The Modern Language Journal, 84,
2000, 171-184)
(7) Our main finding is that ICF is more effective in the short term for
improving comprehensibility than listening only interventions. Whereas
the difference between the two groups is large and significant, the overall
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 39

effect was relatively small. Only 22% of participants in the Listening only-
group and only 44% in the ICF-group improved their comprehensibility in
the short term. (System, 41, 2013, 25-37)
In relation to M4, it was observed that the majority of the writers dealt with
their findings one by one via a series of Results-Comments Sequences (Basturkmen,
2009). That is, they reported one finding and explained why that particular result
was obtained making a reference to an explanation provided in the literature and/or
providing an alternative explanation. Then, they reported another finding and
provided explanations for it. This sequence was observed to be repeated for all the
results singled out by the writers to be discussed (as also reported by Basturkmen,
2009). M4 was mostly realized through Step A (100%), ‘explaining the result’ and
Step B (96.15%), ‘comparing the result with results reported in previous studies in
the literature.’ The authors commented on their results by either ‘providing an
explanation using their common sense’ (i.e., Step Ai, see excerpts 8, 9, and 10) or
‘referred to an explanation provided in the literature’ (i.e., Step Aii) to justify the
results (see excerpts 11 and 12):
(8) The reason may be that the learners’ parsing of the single sentences in
Experiment 1 did not appear to be affected by their English proficiency
levels. (Second Language Research, 20, 2004, 232-255)
(9) One explanation is that, given a multiple-choice vocabulary test with
options in English, males and females benefit equally from a CALL lesson
that gives them the opportunity to look up the correct meaning of the L2
text. (The modern Language Journal, 84, 2000, 214-224)
(10) Transfer may be responsible for the nonnative speakers’ low scores
on the aspiration stimuli, since a glottal stop occurs in emphatic speech in
Spanish while aspiration does not occur in Spanish. (Second Language
Research, 21, 2005, 325-358)
(11) Posited by Bialystok (1993), two cognitive components of language
processing—analysis of knowledge and control of processing—can
account for the improvement of the explicit group in the present study.
(System, 33, 2005, 463-480)
(12) The second reason for the difference may have to do with language
attitudes, which have well-documented effects on comprehension (Dalton-
Puffer et al., 1997; Gill, 1994; Mackey & Finn, 1997; Pihko, 1997;
Plakans, 1997; Toro, 1997), that is, the more prestige accorded to a
language or dialect, the better the comprehension of it. (Language
Learning, 54, 2005, 37-69)
40 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

Excerpts 13, 14, and 15 demonstrate how authors in the two disciplines
applied Step B of M4 to compare the results with those reported in previous studies
in the literature:
(13) The findings of the present study compare favorably to the results
of previous studies of language-skill-specific anxiety and its relationship
to certain language skills, for example, reading in Spanish (Sellers, 2000),
reading in Japanese (Saito & Samimy, 1996), and speaking and writing in
English (Cheng et al., 1999). (The Modern Language Journal, 89, 2005,
206-220)
(14) This result is, however, in agreement with that of Burnham and
Francis (1997) for the discrimination of some tone pairs. (Language
Learning, 54, 2004, 681-712)
(15) Although the results of this study support the order of tasks implied
by the ACTFL Guidelines (1986), they cast doubt on the Guidelines’
characterization of the novice and intermediate levels. (The Modern
Language Journal, 84, 2000, 171-184)
Furthermore, one fourth (25%) of the writers offered ‘evaluations for their
explanations’ (Step C, see excerpt 16) mostly by underscoring the importance of the
result (Step Ci) and/or ‘evaluating a result, claim, or recommendation in the
literature, in view of the present result’ (Step Ciii):
(16) These and previous findings encourage teachers to enhance the
cultural aspect of the first-and second-year FL college programs by using a
curriculum that includes an authentic video component. This message is
especially important for teachers . . . . (The Modern Language Journal,
86, 2002, 36-53)
Finally, it was observed that M5 (‘evaluating the study’) and M6
(‘implications for further research’) had been used by more than one fourth of the
authors in the Discussion section of the RAs we analyzed. The presence of such
moves was not reported by Basturkmen (2009) for the ALs RAs, but was observed
by Basturkmen (2012) in dentistry RADs. As indicated in Table 1, 28.84% of the
ALs authors evaluated their research in terms of a weakness in the design, a
limitation, or significance of their study (excerpts 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22):
(17) The present study is unique among RC studies in SLA for its use
and analyzes of both reception and production tasks in assessing the
difficulty of different RC sentence types. (Language Learning, 53, 2003,
285-323)
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 41

(18) The results of the present study add to the literature on the
connections of cooperation among learners to social support and positive
classroom climate. (System, 35, 2007, 229-240)
(19) Before drawing conclusions from this study, we stress that any
implications should be interpreted cautiously in light of the following
constraints.... Keeping the above limitations in mind, we suggest the
following conclusions in response to the research questions. (The Modern
Language Journal, 86, 2002, 36-53)
(20) Thus, the present study may be added to the wealth of promising
experimental SLA studies in which real languages, semiartificial, or
artificial languages are used in testing SLA theory in the laboratory (e.g.,
Hulstijn, 1997; de Graaff, 1997), in the classroom (e.g., Doughty &
Williams. 1998), or in a naturalistic setting (e.g., Lin & Hedgcock, 1996),
all of which bring us a step closer to understanding adult L2 acquisition
process. (The modern Language Journal 85, 2001, 226-243)
(21) The experimental design of the study results in several limitations.
One is generalizability. … However, it is clear that our study has limited
generalizability because of the limited number of dialects within each
category. (Language Learning, 54, 2005, 37-69)
(22) One obvious weakness with this research is the low number of
learners.... A second potential weakness is that any differential learning of
inflections for tense compared to inflections for person and number
remains to be teased out from the data. (Language Learning, 56, 2006,
507-566)
Table 1 also shows that half of the ALS writers suggested further research
was needed to alleviate the limitations in their research or to answer a question
which was not the main focus of their study (excerpts 23, 24, and 25). Moreover,
some of them offered pedagogical implications based on the results of their research
in the Discussion section of the RAs (see excerpts 26, 27, 28, and 29):
(23) Further research targeting the use of translations and guessing
strategies by males and females, as well as their vocabulary retention,
should replicate this study with these variables in mind. (The Modern
Language Journal, 84, 2000, 171-184)
(24) Deep vs. surface transfer, however, still needs to be further
investigated. (Second Language Research, 22, 2006, 339-368)
(25) Further research should target means to promote correct inferences
and verification of meaning through the L2 only, replicating the present
42 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

study with such means of verifying meaning in order to determine whether

the results persist. (The modern Language Journal, 84, 2000, 214-224)
(26) The evidence cited has implications for SLA theories, as it offers
another alternative to the view that providing input, whether explicitly or
implicitly, constitutes the main method of language acquisition ... . (System
41, 2013, 443-461)
(27) The results may have practical teaching implications, as well. First,
classroom instruction could with relative ease create opportunities for
language students to experience learning in a communicative setting where
the emphasis is explicitly on meaningful interaction (Long, 1996) and
implicitly on form. (The Modern Language Journal, 84, 2001, 226-243)
(28) The pedagogical implications of these findings suggest that positive
goal and positive resource interdependence should be structured among
learners to promote cross and multicultural understanding and
appreciation; whereas, teacher and peer personal support should be
provided in order to decrease feelings of alienation among learners, thereby
enabling them to persist and complete their academic programs. (System,
35, 2007, 229-240)
(29) This specific finding has implications for CAI materials development
and its perhaps excessive focus on developing the right feedback to the
detriment of quality practice. (Language Learning, 54, 2004, 35-78)
3.2. Results of Move Analysis of Chemistry RADs
The frequency of the occurrence of the moves and steps realizing them in
the chemistry RADs is shown in Table 2:
Table 2. Frequency of Occurrence of Moves and Steps Realizing Them in Chemistry RADs

Moves and Steps Frequency of Occurrence Total Percent

realizing Them in (Out of
RADs 52)
JPS ECC ECA ACBE
(Out of (Out of (Out of (Out of
13) 13) 13) 13)
M1
5 6 6 5 22 42.30%
M2 1 0 0 0 1 1.92%
M3 13 13 13 13 52 100%
M4 13 13 13 13 52 100%
Step A 12 13 13 13 51 98.07%
Ai) 10 11 13 12 46 88.46%
Aii) 6 9 9 8 32 61.53%
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 43

Aiii) 1 1 0 1 3 5.76%
Step B 4 9 6 7 26 50%
Step C 8 4 3 3 18 34.61%
Ci) 8 3 1 3 15 28.84%
Cii) 0 0 0 0 0 0%
Ciii) 2 3 1 3 9 17.30%
(M5) 1 0 0 0 1 1.92%
(M6) 3 2 0 1 6 11.53%

As Table 2 suggests, M1 (‘background information’) was found to be used

by less than half of the chemistry authors (42.30%). Excerpts 30 and 31 show how
M1 was utilized by the chemistry authors at the opening paragraph of the Discussion
sections to remind readers of the research purpose, research questions, and/or
research methodology:
(30) The main goal of our study is to electrochemically prepare silver
nanostructured materials by growth of the metal in the presence of strongly
absorbing molecules—thiols. (Electrochemistry Communications, 6, 2004,
400-403)
(31) To explore the effects of molecular gas adsorption on Li (bcc)
substrates, we considered three Li (bcc) surfaces with different surface-
energy [68]. (Journal of Power Sources, 296, 2015, 150-161)
M2 (‘summarizing results’) was observed in only one of the RAs analyzed,
so was M5 (‘evaluating the study’). M3 (‘reporting a result’) and M4 (‘commenting
on (the) result’), which are the obligatory moves in Basturkmen’s (2009, 2012)
framework, were found to be also obligatory in chemistry RADs. Excerpt 32
indicates how M3 is realized by the chemistry authors:
(32) The results indicated that there was no strongly adsorbed species
formed on the surface of Pd–NiO/C electrocatalyst to block the active sites
for ethanol oxidation. (Electrochimica Acta, 52, 2006, 1087-1091)
It should be noted that the Results-Comments Sequences (Basturkmen,
2009) were observed in only a few of the RAs, probably due to the fact that in
chemistry, one single experiment is usually carried out which will commonly lead to
one single outcome. M4 was realized by Step A (98.07%), ‘explaining the result’
(see excerpts 33, 34, 35, and 36), and Step B (50%), ‘comparing the result with
results reported in previous studies in the literature’ (see excerpts 37, 38, 39, and
40), and Step C (34.61%), ‘evaluating the result’ (see excerpt 41):
(33) The drastic increase in the potential at 12mAcm−2 on Pd–NiO/C
electrocatalyst is most probably due to the concentration polarization of
ethanol. (Electrochimica Acta, 52, 2006, 1087-1091)
44 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

(34) The sluggish kinetics of interfacial reaction and increased diffusion

current for zinc in the SDBS containing electrolyte seem to be conflict, but
this could be explained by the formation of a loose and porous passive
film on the zinc surface in the existence of SDBS. (Journal of Power
Sources, 128, 2004, 97-101)
(35) For the majority of metal nanoparticles reported in the literature
the dominant surfaces are (1 1 1) planes due to their highest
thermodynamic stability [34]. Following this lines [mistake original] we
could suggest that silver nanorods and nanoflakes are bounded by (1 1 1)
facets and the growth occurs at (1 1 0) and (1 0 0) walls. (Electrochemistry
Communications, 6, 2004, 400-403)
(36) Three sets of peaks can be seen at 210 mV, 100 mV, and 35 mV.
These peaks can be attributed to three successive electrochemical
processes as shown in the following [17,18]. (Electrochemistry
Communications, 8, 2006, 1179-1184)
(37) During anodic sweep, two anodic current peaks appear at−1.1 and
−1.0V for zinc anode in blank solution, which is similar to those
previously reported in [15, 16]. (Journal of Power Sources, 128, 2004,
97-101)
(38) The high frequency semicircle observed in this work is analogous to
that reported previously and has been already assigned to the charge
transfer behavior of zinc electrode in literature [17]. (Journal of Power
Sources, 128, 2004, 97-101)
(39) These results are consistent with those from previous studies on
(carbon-supported) Pt and bimetallic Pt-based electrodes in acid media
[16,28,59–61]. The similar behavior of the Tafel plots of the two catalysts
suggested that the reaction pathway and the rate-determining step are the
same on both catalysts. (Electrochimica Acta, 55, 2010, 4506-4511)
(40) Conductivity values upon first heating are consistent with those
reported by Wright’s group of ∼10−4 S/cm at 110 ◦C for polymer
I:LiClO4 electrolytes with an EO:Li ratio 5:1[12,13]. Conductivity data
upon subsequent cooling were not reported in these previous studies.
(Electrochimica Acta, 52, 2007, 1983-1989)
(41) The above all being stated, the main point of this paper, in the
Author’s opinion, is to introduce a potentially interesting alternative
aluminum anode structure, rather than focusing too closely on details of the
present test electrodes. The general results of the test data, of course, are
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 45

necessary for proof of concept. (Journal of Power Sources, 130, 2004,

309-314)
Finally, as shown in Table 2, M6 (‘implications for further research’) was
found to be used less frequently (11.53%) in chemistry.
3.3. Comparing and Contrasting Results of Move Analyses of Applied Linguistics
and Chemistry RADs
In order to investigate the disciplinary variation in the move structure of the
Discussion sections in the two disciplines, chi-square analyses were run, the results
of which are presented in Table 3:
Table 3. Chi-Square Analysis Comparing Move Structure of ALs and Chemistry RADs
Chi-Square Analysis
Moves and Percentage p Cramer’s
Steps in RAs ALs Chemistry Value V Value
M1 44.23% 42.30% .03 .84 .01
M2 46.15% 1.92% 27.85 .00 .51
M3 100% 100% - - -
M4 100% 100% - - -
Step A 100% 98.07% 1.01 .31 .09
Ai 75% 88.46% 3.15 .07 .17
Aii 50% 61.53% 1.40 .23 .11
Aiii 9.61% 5.76% .54 .46 .07
Step B 96.15% 50% 28.15 .00 .52
Step C 25% 34.61% 1.14 .28 .10
Ci 13.46% 28.84% 3.69 .05 .18
Cii 1.92% 0% 1.01 .31 .09
Ciii 13.46% 17.30% .29 .58 .05
M5 28.84% 1.92% 14.47 .00 .37
M6 50% 11.53% 18.05 .00 .41
Total 17.86 .00 .40

As shown in Table 3, similar results were obtained for M1 (‘background

information’) in the two disciplines. That is, despite the fact that this move is not
obligatory, approximately half of the authors in both disciplines tended to start the
Discussion section by providing readers with some background information. As
indicated in the excerpts 1, 2, 30, and 31 above, authors mainly used phrases
containing nouns such as goal, purpose, and aim or sentences containing verbs such
as address, test, focus, design, examine, conduct, investigate, explore, and compare
in both active and passive voices and in both present and past tenses (e.g., This study
was conducted to investigate ...) to realize the move. It is worth mentioning that the
distribution of this move was not balanced in the corpus analyzed in ALs. Whereas
46 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

most (10 out of 13) of the RAs in System included this move, only two occurrences
were observed in MLJ, suggesting some internal generic conventions in some
journals within the same discipline.
Likewise, M3 (‘reporting a result’) and M4 (‘commenting on (the) result’)
were found to be obligatory moves in both disciplines and were employed by all the
authors. As is evident in excerpts 5, 6, 7, and 32 above, we found that authors in
both disciplines often utilized verbs such as show, indicate, and reveal to report their
results. Such phrases as A central finding of the study is ..., In this study, we found
that..., and Our main finding is that… are also examples of how M3 is realized. In
relation to M4, it was found that all the authors in ALs and almost all in chemistry
commented on their results by explaining them in various ways included in Step A.
They either ‘provided an explanation using their common sense’ (i.e., Step Ai) or
‘referred to an explanation provided in the literature’ (i.e., Step Aii) to justify the
results. Excerpts 8, 9, 10, 33, 34, 35, and 36 show how the authors use their common
sense to provide explanations for their findings using discourse markers showing
reason as in ... is probably due to, the reason may be that, ... may be responsible for,
There are several explanations ..., it could be that ..., It is quite possible that ..., and
could be explained by … . Another interesting point observed regarding the use of
discourse markers in the explanation of results was that the majority of the authors
used hedging when they justified their results employing lexical items such as likely,
may, might, probably, and possible. However, as is evident in excerpts 11, 12, 37,
38, 39, and 40, the authors in both disciplines sometimes referred to an explanation
provided in the literature to justify their results.
However, the chi-square analysis found significant disciplinary variations
between the ALs and chemistry RADs, specifically in the use of M2 (‘summarizing
results’; p = .00, V = .51). Whereas this move featured in almost half of the RADs in
ALs, it occurred only once in those of chemistry. Moreover, a significant difference
between the RADs in the two disciplines was observed in the use of Step B of M4
(‘comparing with result in literature’; (p = .00, V = .52). In fact, whereas it seemed
obligatory for the ALs researchers to compare their results with those reported in the
literature (96.15%), it was an optional practice for the chemistry authors and was
used in half of the RADs (50%). The two disciplines also showed variations in the
use of substep ci of Step C of M4 (‘importance of the result’; p = .05, V = .18). In
fact, the chemistry authors emphasized the importance of their findings (28.84%)
twice as much as the ALs authors did (13.46%).
We also found significant disciplinary variations between the ALs and
chemistry RADs in the use of M5 (‘evaluating the study’; p = .00, V = .37), which
authors generally use to evaluate their studies (i.e., ‘mention a merit or limitation’).
Whereas this move seemed to be optional, but common, in ALs RADs, they were
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 47

rarely, if ever, used in the chemistry RADs. As displayed in excerpts 17, 18, 19, and
20, the ALs authors made use of such verb phrases as is unique, add to the
literature, and may be added to the wealth of related studies to mention a merit of
their studies. On the other hand, as shown in excerpts 21 and 22, the ALs authors
used noun phrases such as several limitations, one obvious weakness, and a potential
weakness to refer to a limitation in their work.
The chi-square analysis also found significant disciplinary variations
between the ALs and chemistry RADs in the use of M6 (‘implications for further
research and pedagogic implications’; p = .00, V = .41). As indicated in excerpts 23,
24, and 25, the ALs authors used either the noun phrase future research followed by
such phrases as should replicate this study and should target … or a noun phrase
mentioning the topic under investigation followed by a passive verb phrase such as
needs to be further investigated to suggest future research directions. Moreover, as
shown in excerpts 26, 27, and 29, they mostly utilized such verb phrases as has
implications for … and have practical teaching implications to offer pedagogical
implications for their research.
3.4. Results of Interviews With Applied Linguistics and Chemistry Experts
In order to get a fuller understanding of the results and explain why the
differences existed across the two disciplines and, thus, to answer the second
research question of the study, a number of semistructured interviews were
conducted with both chemistry experts (CEs) and applied linguistics experts (ALEs).
The interviews included a number of domain-specific questions, requiring the
experts to explain why some moves/steps occur more frequently in one discipline
(e.g., ALs) and are less likely to be used in another (e.g., chemistry) and clarify
some deductions we had made based on the analyses of the quantitative data. The
results of the content analysis of the responses provided by both CEs and ALEs are
presented in Table 4:
Table 4. Results of Content Analysis of Responses to Domain-Specific Questions
Experts Interview Questions and Responses
1- What is the most challenging section of an RA in terms of writing?
Introduction Results Discussion
CEs 2(25%) 1(12.5%) 5(62.5%)
ALEs 1(12.5%) 1(12.5%) 6(75%)
2- What are the most important moves that should be included in RADs?
M1 M3 M4 M6
CEs 3(37.5%) 8(100%) 8(100%) 1(12.5%)
ALEs 4(50%) 8(100%) 8(100%) 5(62.5%)
3- How important is 'summarizing the results' in RADs?
48 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

Very Important Important Not Very Important Not Important

at All
CEs 0(0%) 1(12.5%) 4(50%) 3(37.5%)
ALEs 2(25%) 4(50%) 2(25%) 0(0%)
4- How important is comparing the results with those previously found in the
literature?
Very Important Important Not Very Important Not Important
at All
CEs 2(25%) 3(37.5%) 3(37.5%) 0(0%)
ALEs 2(25%) 5(62.5%) 1(12.5%) 0(0%)
5- What do you think of 'evaluating the study' by authors in their RADs?
Evaluation Evaluation Readers It should be It should be Readers
should be is done only must be mentioned mentioned must be
left to if the work informed of in the in informed
readers. is novel and the merits Introduction the of how the
contributes and section. Conclusion results add
remarkably limitations section. to the
to the of the related
knowledge study. knowledge
base. base.
CEs 3(37.5%) 2(25%) 1(12.5%) 1(12.5%) 1(12.5%) 0(0%)
ALEs 0(0%) 0(0%) 3(37.5%) 1(12.5%) 1(12.5%) 3(37.5%)
6- What do you think of the inclusion of 'implications for further research' in RADs?
Researchers Authors This move is Research in an area This move
prefer to should inform usually used must be continued is usually
continue the prospective in theses and until a clearer used in the
line of researchers of dissertations. picture of the Conclusion
research the limitations phenomenon under section.
themselves. that need to investigation be
be eliminated presented.
in future
research.
CEs 3(37.5%) 1(12.5%) 3(37.5%) 0(0%) 1(12.5%)
ALEs 0(0%) 4(50%) 1(12.5%) 2(25%) 1(12.5%)

As shown in Table 4, regarding question # 1, the experts in both disciplines

argued that the Discussion and the Introduction sections, particularly the former, are
the most challenging sections of an RA in terms of writing. The majority maintained
that it is probably because in the Discussion section, researchers are required to
present and discuss their findings and persuade the reader that their work actually
adds to what is already known.
In relation to question # 2, M3 and M4 were reported by all the experts in
both disciplines as obligatory moves expected to be included in RADs, which
corroborates the results of the quantitative data analysis. Another important move
was found to be M1, mentioned by 37.5% of the CEs and 50% of the ALEs.
Confirming the results of the quantitative data analysis, the experts interviewed
asserted that authors often use this move to remind readers of the research purpose,
research questions, and/or research methodology before presenting and discussing
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 49

the results. However, M6 was mentioned only by ALEs (62.5%) as essential in

realizing the aims of RADs (see the paragraph discussing Question 6 for further
detail).
In relation to question # 3, the majority (87.5%) of the CEs asserted that the
use of M2 in RADs is unnecessary. As one of the CEs stated, in chemistry, authors
often seek answers to a single question which generally yields a single result. He
maintained that chemistry writers often do not see the need to repeat what they have
already reported in the Results sections of their RAs, which might be the reason why
only one of the chemistry RAs analyzed contained this move. On the other hand,
almost half of the ALs RAs analyzed in this study included this move in their
Discussion sections. Also, 75% of the ALEs interviewed emphasized the importance
of using M3 in RADs. In this regard, as one of the ALEs argued, because in
humanism, in general, and ALs, in particular, researchers often seek to find answers
to more than one research question (probably due to the variable and extensive
nature of human behavior), the findings are naturally multiple and various. As a
result, summarizing the results in the Discussion section is likely to contribute to
better comprehensibility of the discussions. However, as another ALE asserted,
when space limitations do not allow the author(s) to provide such information, no
harm will be done to the value of the work.
The responses to question # 4 helped us understand why the chemistry
authors tended ‘to compare their results with those of previous studies’ (i.e., M4,
Step B) less frequently (50%) than their ALs counterparts (96.15%). As one of the
CEs asserted, comparison is not a necessity in chemistry RADs and it is considered
as an optional rhetorical step’ probably because most chemistry RAs report the
results of an almost novel experiment which has not been conducted before.
However, most CEs maintained that it is important to compare the results with those
obtained in previous studies if one intends to show the advantage of their findings
over previous ones. On the other hand, most ALEs argued that because researchers
in humanities study human behavior and attributes, each time from a different
perspective usually obtaining various and sometimes contradictory results, they are
obliged to compare and contrast their findings with those in the literature in order to
support their claims.
The results of our genre analysis of the RADs in chemistry and ALs
revealed that the chemistry authors displayed much less tendency (1.92%) ‘to
evaluate their study’ (M5) than their ALs counterparts (28.84%). Because it was
important for us to understand why this disciplinary variation existed, we again
referred to the interviews conducted with the experts to consider their responses to
question # 5. Three of the experts asserted that researchers should not judge the
value of their research themselves and that they should leave this to readers. Two of
50 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

the CEs and two of the ALEs believed researchers do not use M5 in RADs, and that
they might evaluate their studies either in the Introduction or Conclusion section.
However, two of the CEs asserted that they focus on the value of their study in
RADs only if their work is novel and contributes remarkably to the knowledge of
issues in the field. On the other hand, most ALEs considered it essential that the
readers be informed of the merits and limitations of the study and that they be
informed of how the results of the work add to the knowledge base in their field.
Finally, regarding the element ‘suggestions for further research’ (question #
6), the results of the quantitative data analysis showed that the chemistry authors
tended to use it less frequently than the ALs researchers did. In this regard, some of
the CEs interviewed maintained that it is not common for chemistry authors to make
suggestions to others for further research because chemistry researchers commonly
continue the given line of research themselves. As a result, as the CEs explained,
they tend to use sentences such as ‘the issue is still under investigation’ to tell the
readers that they intend to continue the line of research themselves. One of the CEs
and one of ALEs reported that further research might be suggested in the Conclusion
section of RAs. Also, three of the CEs and one of the ALEs believed that this
element is more common in writing theses and dissertations than RAs. However,
most ALEs believed that authors, sometimes, use this move to inform prospective
researchers of the limitations that need to be eliminated in future research. As two of
the ALEs argued, unlike pure sciences, social sciences do not deal with absolute
facts, so research in a particular area must be continued until a clearer picture of the
phenomenon under investigation is presented.
4. Discussion
Combining both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and
analysis, this genre-based study investigated the cross-disciplinary variations in the
generic structure of the Discussion sections of 52 ALs and 52 chemistry RAs,
drawing upon Basturkmen’s (2009, 2012) framework and taking into account the
new insights proposed by recent related research and the suggestions and findings of
Bhatia (2004), Lim (2012), and Shehzad (2008). The results of the interviews
revealed that the most challenging section of an RA in terms of writing is the
Discussion section. As the expert informants interviewed in this study maintained,
this is probably because in RADs researchers are required to present and discuss
their findings and persuade the reader that their work adds to what is already known.
This argument is, in fact, consistent with that of the idea that the Discussion section
is the place where researchers strive to support their claims (Basturkmen, 2012;
Kanoksilapatham, 2010), and that it is the effectiveness of this section that
determines the extent to which an RA has been successful in attracting readers and
meeting the expectations of the research community (Kanoksilapatham, 2010).
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 51

As shown above, significant generic differences were observed in the

structure of the RADs in ALs and chemistry. In fact, the differences were seen
mainly in the optional moves (i.e., M2, M5, and M6). Regarding M1 (‘background
information’); rather, similar results were obtained in the two disciplines. As the
results indicated, authors often use M1 to remind readers of the research purpose,
research questions, and/or research methodology before presenting and discussing
the results. This move was also observed in half of the RAs in social sciences
analyzed by Holmes (1997) and more than half of the RAs in dentistry analyzed by
Basturkmen (2012), suggesting that authors in various disciplines often make use of
this move in the opening paragraphs of their RADs.
With regard to M2 (‘summarizing results’), a significant difference was
observed between the two disciplines. Whereas this move featured in almost half of
the RADs in ALs, it occurred only once in those of chemistry. Likewise,
Basturkmen (2012) showed that 'summarizing results' did not occur frequently in the
dentistry RADs. This difference might be due to the fact that in ALs, as the expert
informants argued, authors often aim to answer several research questions in a single
study; thus, they integrate their findings to give a general overview of the results. On
the other hand, in chemistry, authors often seek answers to a single question which
generally yields a single result. Therefore, they often do not see the need to repeat
what they have already reported in the Results section.
The results obtained for M3 revealed that all the chemistry and ALs RAs
analyzed included ‘reporting a result,’ which indicates that this move is obligatory in
both disciplines. Also, several studies (e.g., Basturkmen, 2009, 2012; Hopkins &
Dudley-Evans, 1988; Stoller & Robinson, 2013) found the centrality of this move in
RADs in various disciplines, which was also corroborated by the findings of the
present study. Another obligatory move which occurred in all of the RADs in both
disciplines was M4 (‘commenting on results’). In fact, as also highlighted by
Basturkmen (2009), the Result-Comment Sequence was found to be a common
feature of the RADs in both disciplines, specifically in ALs. This finding seems to
be in line with the results of most of the studies conducted in this regard (e.g.,
Basturkmen, 2009, 2012; Stoller & Robinson, 2013; Yang & Allison, 2003). In fact,
this move appears to be essential because it allows the authors to build arguments
and confirm the soundness of their claims (Basturkmen, 2009). All the authors in
ALs and almost all in chemistry commented on their results by either providing an
explanation using their common sense or referring to an explanation provided in the
literature to justify the results.
One area in which the chemistry RADs differed significantly from their
counterparts in ALs was the frequency with which they compared their results with
those obtained by previous researchers (i.e., M4, Step B). As observed, almost all
52 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

the ALs RAs compared their results with those reported by previous researchers,
whereas this step seemed to be optional in chemistry as it occurred in nearly half of
the articles analyzed. The results of Basturkmen’s (2009) study also showed that, in
nearly half of the RADs in ALs, the authors compared their results with those
reported in the literature. Therefore, it can be concluded that ‘comparing the findings
of a study with the results of similar studies in literature' might be a generic
convention in ALs. As argued by the expert informants, most chemistry articles
report the results of almost novel experiments which have not been conducted
before. On the other hand, most ALEs argued that because researchers in
humanities, in general, and ALs, in particular, study human behavior and attributes
achieving various and sometimes contradictory results, they are bound to compare
and contrast their results with those in the literature in order to support their
position.
Furthermore, the authors in both ALs and chemistry rarely evaluated the
results obtained. In other words, they did not frequently apply Step C of M4
(‘evaluating the result’). Among the three substeps proposed for this step, discussing
the importance of the study occurred more frequently than the other two in both ALs
and chemistry. The results of the study indicated that the ALs authors used this step
to persuade the readers that a specific result obtained in their study was essential to
prove a concept or theory or to be used by a particular group (e.g., teachers,
curriculum designers, teacher trainers, etc.) to improve their performance or
effectiveness. In fact, most ALEs considered it essential that the readers be informed
of the merits and limitations of the study and that they be informed of how the
results of the work contribute to the already-existing knowledge base in their field.
Nevertheless, the CEs believed it is the readers who should judge the value of the
research done and not the authors themselves.
The two disciplines also showed significant differences regarding M5
(‘evaluating the study’), which authors generally use to evaluate their studies (i.e.,
‘mention a merit or limitation’) and M6 in which the authors discuss the
implications and make suggestions for future research. Whereas these moves
seemed to be optional but common in the ALs RADs, they were rarely, if ever, used
in the chemistry RADs. This finding is in line with that of Lim (2010) in which only
2 out of 15 the RAs in ALs and none of the RAs in education made
‘recommendations for future research.’ On the contrary, Basturkmen (2012) found
that 70% of the RADs in dentistry included this move. Similarly, Holmes’ (1997)
genre analysis of the RAs in social sciences showed that the majority of the authors
(17 out of 30) included this move in their Discussion sections. Furthermore, our
findings in relation to the use of M5 and M6 by the ALs authors are in contrast with
those of Basturkmen (2009) who reported no instances of the moves in the ALs RAs
 A Comparative Study of Generic Structure of . . . | 53

she analyzed. However, the finding for M6 confirms Yang and Alison’s (2003)
assertion that in RAs where there are no Conclusion and Pedagogical Implications
sections, the element ‘drawing pedagogical implications’ occurs in the Discussion
section and that the frequency of occurrence of the moves depends on the
organizational structure of the article. Supporting Yang and Alison’s (2003)
assertion, some of the expert informants emphasized that this move might occur in
the Conclusion section of RAs. Others believed that this element is more common in
writing theses and dissertations than RAs. As the ALs experts argued, unlike pure
sciences, social sciences do not deal with absolute facts. Thus, research in a
particular area must be continued until a clearer picture of the phenomenon under
investigation be presented; accordingly, authors sometimes use this move to inform
prospective researchers of the limitations that need to be eliminated in future
research.
5. Conclusion and Implications
In this genre study, we concluded that Basturkmen’s (2009, 2012)
framework is successful not only in describing the overall framework of the
Discussion sections of RAs in both disciplines, but also in the detailed definition and
description of the individual steps and substeps realizing the moves. Another
conclusion was that the use of the qualitative data (e.g., obtained via interviewing
expert informants in a particular discipline) can be not only a support for the results
obtained through the quantitative genre analysis of the RAs, but also a way of
understanding and accounting for why authors in a given discipline might use a
specific move/step more than others or why a move/step is frequently used by
authors in one discipline but is totally absent in another. It was also concluded that
variation in the generic structures of various disciplines might not be identified by
merely comparing the moves alone, but meticulous analysis of steps and substeps as
well as their combination also needs to be conducted and considered. Accordingly,
we might be able to argue that the general structure of the Discussion section
appears to be almost the same in such various disciplines as chemistry and ALs;
however, the analyses of the details (i.e., steps and substeps realizing the moves) and
the results of the interviews revealed that each discipline has its own way of
organizing and emphasizing details within the general framework of RADs. These
differences might be attributed not only to the different natures of the two
disciplines but also to different requirements and expectations of their academic
communities.
The present study might yield a number of implications: One implication
might be directed to postgraduate students and novice researchers in the disciplines
of chemistry and ALs who wish to share their research findings internationally with
their discourse community. It is, thus, deemed mandatory that postgraduate students
54 | RALs, 9(1), Spring 2018

and novice researchers get acquainted with the RA genre, rhetorical moves, and
steps commonly used by authors in their fields to better realize the purpose of each
section of RAs, particularly the Discussion section which is perceived by the
scholars to be rhetorically complex and challenging to write. Accordingly, they are
recommended to get thoroughly familiar with the conventions of writing in their
disciplines as well as the expectations of the discourse community to which they
belong and pay attention to the genre and move structure delicacies specific to their
discipline.
To be more precise, it seems essential that novice researchers in both ALs
and chemistry be trained to report a result of their study and comment on it by
referring to an explanation provided in the literature or providing alternative
explanations for the same result. Moreover, the cross-disciplinary variations should
be highlighted for the novice researchers, in particular, to get acquainted with the
genre and move structure features unique to their discipline if they expect to readily
share their research findings with an international community. For instance, novice
researchers in both disciplines, particularly ALs researchers, are recommended to
summarize their results in the Discussion section in order to remind the reader of
their findings and, in turn, contribute to better comprehensibility of their discussions,
although sometimes space limitations do not allow the author(s) to provide such
information. In addition, based on the results of the present study, comparing the
results with those reported in the literature appears to be vital mainly for ALs
researchers if they want to support their claims and persuade the reader that their
research has been carried out based on an extensive review of the related literature
and that their findings add to what is already known.

Acknowledgements
We would like to sincerely thank all the participants of the interview, especially
Professor Zolfigol (the Secretary General of the Chemical Society of Iran), Professor
Iloukhani, and Dr. Bayat (the members of the Faculty of Chemistry, Bu-Ali Sina
University, Hamedan) who provided us with fruitful information on the genre of
chemistry articles.
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