Home Linguistics & Semiotics Chapter 5. Asserting research status, values and relevance in thesis abstracts of Science and Engineering
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Chapter 5. Asserting research status, values and relevance in thesis abstracts of Science and Engineering

  • Maryam Mehrjooseresht and Ummul K. Ahmad
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Intercultural Perspectives on Research Writing
This chapter is in the book Intercultural Perspectives on Research Writing

Abstract

This study examines the use of evaluation in thesis abstracts written by Malaysian novice research writers from Science and Engineering fields. Different linguistic features performing three different functions of evaluation were identified and categorised into status, value and relevance. Lexico-grammatical analysis has shown variations in terms of the overall preferences for status over value and relevance in the two fields. Science writers were more inclined to include status markers expressing certainty while summarising their research findings in the Product section of abstracts whereas Engineering writers appeared less assertive. Results from this study offer L2 research writers insights into specific linguistic choices to be made for writing efficient and persuasive research abstracts.

Abstract

This study examines the use of evaluation in thesis abstracts written by Malaysian novice research writers from Science and Engineering fields. Different linguistic features performing three different functions of evaluation were identified and categorised into status, value and relevance. Lexico-grammatical analysis has shown variations in terms of the overall preferences for status over value and relevance in the two fields. Science writers were more inclined to include status markers expressing certainty while summarising their research findings in the Product section of abstracts whereas Engineering writers appeared less assertive. Results from this study offer L2 research writers insights into specific linguistic choices to be made for writing efficient and persuasive research abstracts.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Three-fold intercultural analysis
  6. Chapter 1. A contrastive (English, Czech English, Czech) study of rhetorical functions of citations in Linguistics research articles 15
  7. Chapter 2. How to internationalise and empower academic research? 39
  8. Chapter 3. The power of English 59
  9. Part II. Two-fold intercultural analysis
  10. Chapter 4. “This dissonance” 83
  11. Chapter 5. Asserting research status, values and relevance in thesis abstracts of Science and Engineering 105
  12. Chapter 6. Chinese writers of English RAs as creators of a research space in a national context 129
  13. Chapter 7. Conference abstracts in English 151
  14. Part III. Intercultural analysis on the move
  15. Chapter 8. Hybrid rhetorical structure in English Sociology research article abstracts 175
  16. Chapter 9. Epistemic stance and authorial presence in scientific research writing 195
  17. Chapter 10. Publishing in English 217
  18. Chapter 11. Not the same, but how different? 237
  19. Chapter 12. Evaluation in research article introductions in the Social Sciences written by English as a lingua franca and English native users 255
  20. Chapter 13. Exploring ELF manuscripts 277
  21. Afterword 299
  22. About the Authors 303
  23. Index 307
https://doi.org/10.1075/aals.18.05meh

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Three-fold intercultural analysis
  6. Chapter 1. A contrastive (English, Czech English, Czech) study of rhetorical functions of citations in Linguistics research articles 15
  7. Chapter 2. How to internationalise and empower academic research? 39
  8. Chapter 3. The power of English 59
  9. Part II. Two-fold intercultural analysis
  10. Chapter 4. “This dissonance” 83
  11. Chapter 5. Asserting research status, values and relevance in thesis abstracts of Science and Engineering 105
  12. Chapter 6. Chinese writers of English RAs as creators of a research space in a national context 129
  13. Chapter 7. Conference abstracts in English 151
  14. Part III. Intercultural analysis on the move
  15. Chapter 8. Hybrid rhetorical structure in English Sociology research article abstracts 175
  16. Chapter 9. Epistemic stance and authorial presence in scientific research writing 195
  17. Chapter 10. Publishing in English 217
  18. Chapter 11. Not the same, but how different? 237
  19. Chapter 12. Evaluation in research article introductions in the Social Sciences written by English as a lingua franca and English native users 255
  20. Chapter 13. Exploring ELF manuscripts 277
  21. Afterword 299
  22. About the Authors 303
  23. Index 307
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