Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine
Bila Tserkva National Agrarian University
Faculty of Law and Linguistics
Structure and Format of the English
Research Article for Scientometrics
Valentyna Borshchovetska
Ph.D in Teaching Foreign Languages
Associate Professor
Bila Tserkva
2015
Publishing Abroad ‒ Where?
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National journals
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International journals
based at national universities
(Text Matters based at the University of Łódź, Poland;
Journal of Academic Writing based at the University of
Coventry, UK)
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International journals published by leading publishers
and indexed by Scopus and Web of Science databases
(Cognitive Linguistics, Journal of Pragmatics, Journal of
Literary Semantics, Journal of English for Academic
Purposes)
Form follows function(Sabatelli)
Functions of research
papers for authors:
 gain recognition
 impress others
 fulfill the requirements of a
doctoral program
 get tenure
 get promoted
 increase merit awards
 promote values
 influence the field
 expand the base of
knowledge
 contribute to the discourse
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Functions of research
articles for professional
organizations and
publishers:
generate revenue for the
publishing company
generate revenue for
professional organizations
enhance the visibility of the
professional organization
enhance the standing of the
journal
promote values
expand the base of
knowledge
contribute to the discourse
Some Pieces of Advice
 Organize your research report articles in accordance with the
IMRD model
 Pay special attention to your introduction; formulate the purposes of the
article as clear as possible
 Use standard phrases typical of each research section; do not be
afraid to do this – it is not plagiarism!
 Make sure your thoughts and arguments are developing linearly
 Stick to the norms of academic style
Major Features of English
Research Article
 Reader-friendly
manner of writing
 Clear organization and structure of the text
 Linear argumentation
 Tendency to self-promotion
 Rather comprehensive up-to-date lists of
references
 Formal academic style
 Wide use of meta-text, Latin and logical
connectors
 Use of visual devices (e.g. tables, graphs or charts)
Elements and Structural Parts of
the English Research Article
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Title
Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
Methods (and Materials)
Results
Discussion
Conclusions
List of References
Notes
Appendix
Acknowledgement
Bio-data statement
Requirements to Titles
 The
title should indicate the topic of the study
 The title should indicate the scope of the study
neither overstating nor understating its
significance
 The title should be self-explanatory to readers
in the chosen area
(Swales & Feak, 1994, Academic Writing for Graduate Students)
Types of abstracts
 Descriptive
(for journals)
 Informative (for Congresses and defence)
 Indicative (композиційний,
автореферат)
 Descriptive Abstracts
Communicative Functions of
the English Research Article
Abstract
serves as a short version of the paper, which provides
the most important information
 helps, therefore, the potential audience to decide
whether to read the whole article or not
 prepares the reader for reading a full text by giving
him/her an idea of what to expect
 serves as a reference after the paper has been read
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Informative vs. Indicative
Abstracts
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The informative abstract includes main findings and
various specifics such as measurements or quantities. This
type of abstract often accompanies research reports and
looks itself like a report in miniature
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The indicative abstract indicates the subject of a
paper. It provides a brief description without going into a
detailed account. The abstracts of this type often
accompany lengthy texts or theoretical papers.
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The combination of both types of journal abstracts is
also possible
Descriptive abstract (for journals)
 Presents
a general view of your subject,
scope, and / or conclusions and
recommendations
 It includes a brief description of the subject,
a complete report of the findings or
conclusions, and some recommendations
 It incorporates key words found in the text
 Descriptive abstracts are usually very short 100 words or less
Writing Abstracts:
Some Pieces of Advice
 Write one-paragraph abstracts
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containing 4-10 full sentences
Choose impersonal active constructions
(e.g., “This paper reports … ”) and/or passive
voice (e.g., “The data were analyzed …”)
Do not use negative sentences
Use meta-text (e.g.,“This paper focuses on …”)
Avoid using acronyms, abbreviations, and symbols
(unless they are defined in the abstract itself)
Do not cite by number or refer by number
to anything from the text of the paper
Introduction
Establishing a territory
a) Claiming centrality
b)Making topic generalization
c)Reviewing items of previous research
 Establishing a niche
a)Problem claiming
b)Indicating a niche
c)Question raising
d)Continuing a tradition
 Outlining purposes or announcing present research
 Announcing principal findings
 Indicating RA structure (the first section will say…; the second
section will analyse…)
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Metalanguage for Introduction
section
argument for …is
based on….
I consider….
I argue….
I follow version….
I differ by arguing…
Taken together…
This leads to…
The
It exhibits….
I show….
I analyse….
Arguments from/about…are
presented in…
I then move to…
I conclude with…
Social Science Discussion Sections
(Holmes, 1997 pp. 324-325)
The following list of moves was adopted for the analysis of Discussion sections:
1. Background Information.
2. Statement of Result, or statement about the significance of the present research.
3. Unexpected Outcome, in which the writer comments on whether the result is expected or not.
4. Reference to Previous Research, in which the writer compares his or her results with those reported
in the literature or compares his or her research procedures, objectives or assumptions with those of
previous writers or refers to previous work to support his or her generalization or refers to a deduction or
hypothesis generated by previous research.
5. Explanation of Unsatisfactory Result, in which the writer suggests reasons for a surprising result or
one different from the results in the literature or gives an example to support his or her explanation. This
includes a single case of a satisfactory result being explained.
6. Generalization, in which the writer makes a claim about the generalizability of the particular results or
limits claims to generalizability or raises, discusses and/or dismisses questions that are indirectly related to
his or her research results.
7. Recommendation, in which the writer makes suggestions for future
research or regarding public policy or justifies the need for such suggestions.
8. Outlining Parallel or Subsequent Developments, in which the writer summarizes data from a
period subsequent to the one covered in the main body of the article or data about a closely related topic.
Moves: Discussion/ Conclusion
Peacock (2002) provides an analysis of 252 RA discussion sections
from physics, biology, enviornmental science, business, language and
linguistics, public and social administration, and law:
1. Information: 42%
2. Statement of result: 42%
3. Finding: 84%
4. (Un)expected outcome: 52%
5. Reference to previous research: 73%
6. Explanation: 33%
7. Claim: 90%
8. Limitation: 43%
9. Recommendation: 59%
Metalanguage for Summary
section
 The
author (or his name) argues /believes
/claims/ describes/ explains/ states that….
 The author (or his name) continuous / goes
on / to say….
 The author (or his name) further states
that….
 The author (or his name) suggests that….
 The chapter has examined
 The chapter thus develops
Lists of References
normally include:
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books
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articles (papers) in journals
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papers in volumes (collections)
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unpublished work (conference presentations,
dissertations, work in press)
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World Wide Web publications and works
on CD-ROM
A List of References
includes the following information:
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author’s last name and initials
title of work
(book or paper in a journal or collection; the distinction
between these two kinds of titles must be shown)
publication date
volume number (for journals)
issue number (for journals)
editor’s last name and initials
(for collections only)
place of publishing (for books and collections)
publisher’s name (for books and collections)
Acknowledgments:
Major Characteristics
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Acknowledgments are usually placed at the end of the
paper, or, in case of books, at the beginning before the
main text
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They are usually written in the first person ‒ I for a
single author and we for co-authors
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Acknowledgments allow the author to demonstrate
that he/she is a member of a certain academic
community
Metalanguage for
Acknowledgements section
I
am indebted to people without whom
this work would not be possible
 I would like to particularly thank…along
with the anonymous reviewers
Bio-data Statements:
Major Characteristics
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They accompany published work and grant
applications
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They are short (approximately 50-100 words)
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Bio-data normally include the following
information:
1) education
2) work experience
3) relevant qualifications and achievements
Latin phrases and abbreviations
commonly used in scientific
publications
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afortiori – першочергово
aposteriori – з останнього
apriori – з попереднього
cf → confer – в порівнянні з
e.g. → exempligratia – наприклад
etal.→ – та інші (вказуючи авторів)
etc.→etcetera – і т.д.
i.e. →idest– іншими словами, тобто
inter– між, серед
interalia– серед інш(их)ого
intra– в межах одного, всередині
ipsofacto– очевидно з фактів
loc. cit. → lococitato – в згаданих місцях
N.B. → notabene – замітьте, зверніть увагу
op.cit. → operecitato – в згаданій роботі
p.a.→per annum– за рік
percapita– на душу населення
post (post-war) – повоєнний
pre (pre-war) – довоєнний
primafacie – на перший погляд
proforma– заради форми, формально
22)
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q.v. → quodvide– відноситься до, може
стосуватись
via – засобом
ceterisparibus – і інші рівні
vis-à-vis – віч-на-віч
expost (analysis, studies, impact) – результат;
виходячи з
exante (demand) – бажаний, очікуваний
quidproquo – одне замість іншого
adhoc– до сих пір, на даний момент
advalorem– за вартістю
perse– у чистому вигляді
utinfra – як зазначено нижче
utsupre– як зазначено вище
adverbum – буквально
ib., ibid., → ibidem – там же
vs→versus – протилежне до
id→idem– те саме
Ca→circa – близько, приблизно
Thank you for the
attention! 
our contacts:
valya03@yahoo.com