Journal Article Abstracts Analysis of Unstructured Abstracts

Increasing globalization is thought to be impacting business communications around the world (e.g. Connor, 2004). To assess possible impacts in one developing country, we examine contemporary written business communications in Turkey. So far so good. Now for the Move 3 (Method etc). So far they have reduced their long methods section to the following summary: The primary data used consist of approximately 300 memoranda (internal correspondence) and 150 fax messages (external correspondence) associated with four different Turkish companies selected to represent a range of sectors, sizes and management styles. Analysis of the primary data was supported by interviews with executives from these four companies. (50 words). “ Still too long”, they conclude. So each of the three members attempts a further reduction. Task Seven Which of the three alternatives do you prefer, and why? Work in pairs if possible. Can you come up with an even better fourth version (of no more than 25 words)? Sunil’s version The primary data consist of internal and external correspondence (faxes) from four very different Turkish companies. Secondary data comes from interviews with selected executives. (24 words). Didar’s version The main data consists of 300 memoranda and 150 faxes associated with four Turkish companies representing a range of different types of enterprise. (22 words) Cengiz’s version Internal memoranda and external faxes were collected from four Turkish companies of different size and management style. This primary data was supported by secondary interviews. (25 words) (Commentary on Task 7) Task Eight Now how would you reduce this methods summary? It comes from a study on workplace ergonomics. allow yourself no more than 30 words. In a 14-week experiment, a total of 78 workers were asked to test keyboarding in alternating positions (between sitting and standing). There were two types of modified workstation (ALT1 and ALT2) in contrast to the sit-only position of their original workstations. ALT1 allowed keying in both sitting and standing positions, while ALT2 allowed only a standing position. (59 words) (Commentary on Task 8.) Moving on: Main results and “that” clauses in unstructured abstracts In 2006, Ken Hyland and Polly Tse published an article on “that” clauses in RA abstracts. This study was based on 240 abstracts spread across six fields covering a wide spectrum of disciplines. They found that, on average, that clauses occurred 1.2 times per abstract. More relevantly, as many as 88% of the 272 clauses found were used to describe the article authors’ own findings. Indeed, this remarkable percentage might have been higher if Hyland & Tse had included statements like: The analyses indicate: 1) learning opportunities vary across school sector; and 2) private sector advantage was largely lost by 10th grade. In this case, of course, the that has been suppressed. In effect, the abstract writers were using these that clauses to give the major details of their results while prefacing them with an evaluative main clause. And here there was a strong tendency to use an inanimate subject (The results...The findings of this study) rather than a human subject (We...I). Secondly, there was a preference for a reporting verb (demonstrate that, suggest that, indicate that) rather than an adjective (it is clear that) or noun (one conclusion is that). The use of such sentences operates powerfully to highlight and promote the importance of the study, while allowing authors, with their choice of reporting verb, to indicate the strength of claim from strong (e.g. prove) to weak (e.g. suggest) . As Hyland & Tse 1 In Hyland and Tse’s data, the computer science abstracts constituted an exception to this generalization, where personal pronoun subjects were common. themselves propose, these sentences are designed to encourage the reader to look through the accompanying full article. We can sense how this operates in these three examples: • This research shows that junior scholars often need help with their abstracts. • The results offer clear evidence that global warming is a reality. • The data strongly suggest that democracies are flourishing in Latin America. Task Nine Convert five of these noun phrases into appropriate that clauses. Here is an example: The results offer clear evidence of the reality of global warming The results offer clear evidence that global warming is a reality. 1. Results confirm the influence of year of study and academic discipline on student information choices. 2. The evidence shows a primary association between the word elderly and discourses of care and disability. 3. The analysis indicates the dependence of the peak pressure of shock waves on the deformation speed of the overlays. 4. The findings generally support the idea of a profitable introduction of structured abstracts into research journals. 5. Our investigations indicate the greater probability of a future decline in the U.S. home construction. 6. Numerical results are presented as a demonstration of the efficiency of the algorithms from two points of view: mesh quality and computational effort. 7. Results show the higher R-value of transparent composites panels over that of current glazing systems. 8. I argue in favor of a constructivist theory of truth in opposition to other theories. As you can see, the that clause variants give a somewhat greater emphasis to the findings than their noun-phrase equivalents. They may also allow authors to be a little more specific about their key findings. The Bigger Picture Let us now consider some more data from Hyland, this time from eight fields (Hyland, 2000). Table 1. Percentage of abstracts containing particular moves (rounded %) 198