Application of Swales' model in research papers by non-native authors

This paper reports the investigation of the organisational structure of introductory sections of research papers written by Polish authors in English and Polish. The aim of the study was to test whether in view of cultural differences, reflected in the Anglo-American and Polish intellectual styles, the rhetorical pattern of research papers would vary between the two cultures. The selected texts were analysed in terms of Swales' Creating a Research Space (CARS) model (Swales 1990). On application of the model in the analysis of articles from the English corpus, it was found that it could only be employed in very generic terms. The analysis of the Polish corpus revealed that the Variation between Anglo-American and Polish schematic patterns was too significant to justify the implementation of the same investigative tool.

The association between television viewing and preschool child body mass index : a systematic review of english papers published from 1995 to 2010

This paper is a conceptual and methodological review of the literature on the impact of TV on preschoolers' weight status. A systematic search, of papers published between January 1995 and January 2010, identified twenty-six relevant studies. Fifteen of these were cross-sectional in design and eleven adopted a prospective design; a positive association between hours of TV and child adiposity was found in all but three studies. Although assessed in a limited number of studies, diet may mediate the relationship between TV viewing and BMI. Another likely mediator may be the content of TV programs watched; only three studies examined this association and findings were inconsistent. Our review revealed that research examining mediating effects is limited, focusing more on simple cross-sectional or prospective relationships between TV habits and child body mass index. Further investigation of the mechanisms by which TV viewing affects preschool weight gain is needed.

Developing robust assessment criteria for postgraduate research oriented papers

Assessment criteria designed to fully evaluate prescribed learning outcomes is a significant aid to both student and staff alike. For the student, it allows them to fully understand the requirements for a specific grade and for staff, it simplifies marking (grading) and minimises the likelihood of student appeals against assessment. Whilst criterion referencing is common place in the more traditional analytical type taught papers common in the Engineering degree curriculum it is perhaps less commonly utilised for research based papers. Presented here is a case study where both learning outcomes and achievement criteria have been proposed for a postgraduate research methodology paper which prepares students for their thesis. It has significant cross over to a descriptor for the thesis paper itself and is considered a template which could be equally applied to other subject domains where research methodology is taught.

Using molecular level modification to tune the conductivity of graphene papers

Graphene's excellent electrical conductivity benefits from its highly conjugated structure. Therefore, the manipulation of graphene's electronic and mechanical properties should be realized by controlled destruction of its in-sheet conjugation. Here, we r

Focused ion beam milling of carbon nanotube yarns and bucky-papers : correlating their internal structure with their macro-properties

Focused ion beam (FIB) milling through carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns and bucky-papers followed by scanning electron microscopy has recently emerged as a powerful tool for eliciting details of their internal structure. The internal arrangement of CNTs in bucky-papers and yarns directly affects their performance and characteristics. Consequently this information is critical for further optimisation of these structures and to tailor their properties for specific applications. This chapter describes in detail FIB milling of CNT yarns and bucky-papers and gives a range of examples where FIB milling has enabled a better understanding of how processing conditions and treatments affect the internal structure. Emphasis is placed on how FIB milling elucidates the influence of fabrication conditions on the internal arrangement of CNTs and how this influences the material's macroscopic properties.

Elaborativeness in academic writing. A study of three research papers

This paper investigates the employment of elaborative rhetorical strategies in threeresearch papers written in English and published in international sociologicaljournals: the first authored by native speakers of English, the second by a Polishwriter working in an Anglophone discourse community, and the third by a Polishwriter from the Polish discourse community. Elaboration relations are discussedwith respect to their textual function, frequency of employment, hierarchicallocation and recursiveness, and discoursal prominence. I explore how the authorselaborate their texts through amplification, extension, explanation, instantiation,reformulation and addition strategies. The analysis reveals that Elaboration is aprominent feature of the examined texts. It is proposed that the similarities inthe employment of Elaborations across the corpus result from the shared stylisticconventions and traditions of the disciplinary research community of sociologywhile variations in the mode of employment of elaborative structures may becaused by the writers’ differing linguistic backgrounds and discourse communitymemberships.

Writing scientific papers, with special reference to evolutionary ecology

© 2015, Springer International Publishing Switzerland. The advancement of science, as well as scientific careers, depends upon good and clear scientific writing. Science is the most democratic of human endeavours because, in principle, anyone can replicate a scientific discovery. In order for this to continue, writing must be clear enough to be understood well enough to allow replication, either in principle or in fact. In this paper I will present data on the publication process in Evolutionary Ecology, use it to illustrate some of the problems in scientific papers, make some general remarks about writing scientific papers, summarise two new paper categories in the journal which will fill gaps that appear to be expanding in the literature, and summarise new journal policies to help mitigate existing problems. Most of the suggestions about writing would apply to any scientific journal.