A genre analysis of the introduction section of computer science research articles by Malaysian researchers

• Main Author: Ina Suryani, Ab Rahim
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: PN Literature (General); Z004 Books. Writing. Paleography
• Online Access: http://etd.uum.edu.my/6054/

Research article introduction is crucial in determining the chances for publication. Non–native English writers have been reported to face difficulties in structuring rhetorical strategies in the introduction section. Although rhetorical models in writing are available, research articles of different disciplines vary in rhetorical structure and style. Therefore, there is a need to explore the rhetorical strategies in the Introduction sections for non-native writers in Computer Science discipline. This qualitative study explored the moves and steps in 150 Scopus indexed Computer Science research articles written by Malaysian academicians. It also examined the extent to which the writers conformed to Create a Research Space (CARS) model when writing the introduction sections. Move analysis using CARS model was employed to identify the rhetorical structures of the corpus while face-to-face semi- structured interviews were conducted to understand the use of rhetorical strategies through the perspectives of the writers. The findings show that Presenting research questions or hypothesis was not applied by the non-native writers. Five steps were underutilized, namely indicating a gap, Announcing present research descriptively or purposively, Announcing principle outcomes, Stating the value of the present research, and Outlining the structure of the paper. The findings also show that 12 moves and steps need to be included in the introduction section of Computer Science articles. This study contributes to the existing literature on the writing of Scopus indexed Computer Science articles by nonnative writers. The study also produced a set of guidelines that can be used by non-native writers and language instructors in the teaching and learning of research article writing.