Title: Legitimising Space for New Knowledge: Disciplinary Differences
Abstract: Introductory sections of research articles across disciplines in the sciences, social sciences and humanities share a common generalised social purpose, that is, to construct a legitimising platform from which the writer can proceed to report in detail on their own study and the contribution they make to knowledge. In Chapter 2, I referred to the genre as a warrant for the writer's own study. Very frequently the research warrant will include some evaluative representation of the object of study, functioning to persuade the reader of the worthiness or legitimacy of the topic or focus. Typically it will include an evaluative representation of other research in the field and/or informing theoretical frameworks to persuade the reader that there is space for new knowledge, and also a brief preview representation of the writer's own study by way of transition to a more detailed account. These sub-component genres constitute a macro-genre. In addressing this common generalised function individual writers may choose to give greater or lesser emphasis to one or other of the sub-generic components, or in some cases may omit one or other altogether. Variations may reflect differences in the nature of the object of study and/or the writer's interpretation of how best to position their own research. Variations also arise in response to disciplinary differences. In Chapter 2, for example, it was noted that while writers in the sciences and social sciences favour the sub-genres of report or description in constructing representations of their object of study, writers in the humanities are found to employ a wider range of genres to serve this function, including a variety of story genres such as narratives, recounts, anecdotes, observation-comments or news stories (Martin & Rose 2008). This issue of variation across disciplines in the construction of the research warrant is the focus of this final chapter.
Publication Year: 2010
Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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