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EVALUATIVE FUNCTIONS OF REPORTING VERBS IN THE INTRODUCTIONS OF MASTER THESES
Corresponding Author(s) : Muna Abdualhussein Swear
Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews,
Vol. 7 No. 6 (2019): November
Abstract
Purpose of the study: This study has unearthed the serious challenges faced postgraduate students in the University of Technology in either over-using or miss-using of some reporting verbs which make their work monotonous and repetitive
Methodology: The study is based on a small corpus consisting of the Introduction (henceforth LR) in 3 master theses written by students from the University of Technology who finished their Master's degree in engineering. It is important to mention here that the term†writer†is used to refer to the master student who is reporting information and ideas of the previous studies written in the same field and the term “source†refers to the person who is being reported as a reference in the study.
Results: The analysis revealed the students' preference to use factive verbs more than non-factive verbs; however, they are non-willing to use counter-factive verbs in writing the Introductions. This indicates their inability to challenge existing knowledge in the field effectively.
Applications of this study: This research can be used for the universities, teachers, and students.
Novelty/Originality of this study: In this research, the model of the Evaluative Functions of Reporting Verbs in the Introductions of Master Theses is presented in a comprehensive and complete manner.
Keywords
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- Gray, B. E. (2011). Exploring academic writing through corpus linguistics: When discipline tells only part of the story (Doctoral dissertation, Northern Arizona University).
- Hyland, K. (1999). Academic attribution: Citation and the construction of disciplinary knowledge. Applied linguistics, 20(3), 341-367. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/20.3.341 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/20.3.341
- Hyland, K. (2014). Activity and evaluation: Reporting practices in academic writing. In Academic discourse (pp. 125-140). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315838069-15
- Mansourizadeh, K., & Ahmad, U. K. (2011). Citation practices among non-native expert and novice scientific writers. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 10(3), 152-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2011.03.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2011.03.004
- Mapako, F. P. (2013) The art of attribution in academic writing at university level: A case study of Great Zimbabwe University.
- Thompson, G., & Yiyun, Y. (1991). Evaluation in the reporting verbs used in academic papers. Applied linguistics, 12(4), 365-382. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/12.4.365 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/12.4.365
- Loan, N. T. T., & Pramoolsook, I. (2015). Citation in Vietnamese TESOL: Analysis of master’s thesis introduction chapters. The Asian ESP Journal, 2(1), 95-120.
- Petrić, B. (2007). Rhetorical functions of citations in high-and low-rated master's theses. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 6(3), 238-253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2007.09.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2007.09.002
- Samraj, B. (2013). Form and function of citations in discussion sections of master's theses and research articles. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 12(4), 299-310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2013.09.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2013.09.001
- Loan, N. T. T., & Pramoolsook, I. (2015). Reporting Verbs in Literature Review Chapters of Tesol Master’s Theses Written by Vietnamese Postgraduates. ESP TODAY-JOURNAL OF ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES AT TERTIARY LEVEL, 3(2), 196-215.
- Xie, J. (2016). Direct or indirect? Critical or uncritical? Evaluation in Chinese English-major MA thesis literature reviews. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 23, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2016.05.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2016.05.001
- Williams, I. A. (1996). A contextual study of lexical verbs in two types of medical research report: clinical and experimental. English for Specific Purposes, 15(3), 175-197. https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(96)00010-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(96)00010-5
- Loan, N. T. T. Reporting Verbs in TESOL Master’s Theses Written by Vietnamese Postgraduate Students.
- Santos, J. A. L. (2018). On Political Science Students’ Academic Prose: Reporting Verbs in the Undergraduate Thesis Literature Review. Veridian E-Journal, Silpakorn University (Humanities, Social Sciences and arts), 11(5), 248-259.
- Swales, J. M. (2014). Variation in citational practice in a corpus of student biology papers: From parenthetical plonking to intertextual storytelling. Written Communication, 31(1), 118-141. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088 313515166 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088313515166
- Gol, A. K., Hezareh, B. G., & Soghondikolaei, E. M. (2014). A contrastive study of rhetorical functions of citation in Iranian and international ELT Scopus journals. Linguistics and Literature Studies, 2(6), 155-165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13189/lls.2014.020601
- Hu, G., & Wang, G. (2014). Disciplinary and ethnolinguistic influences on citation in research articles. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 14, 14-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2013.11.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2013.11.001
- Sawaki, T. (2014). On the function of stance-neutral formulations: Apparent neutrality as a powerful stance constructing resource. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 16, 81-92. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.jeap.2014.10.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2014.10.001
- Doró, K. (2014). Citation practices in EFL undergraduate theses: a focus on reporting verbs. UPRT 2013: Empirical Studies in English Applied Linguistics, 32.
- Olohan, M., & Baker, M. (2000). Reporting that in translated English. Evidence for subconscious processes of explicitation?. Across languages and cultures, 1(2), 141-158. https://doi.org/10.1556/Acr.1.2000.2.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1556/Acr.1.2000.2.1
- Suntara, W., & Usaha, S. (2013). Research Article Abstracts in Two Related Disciplines: Rhetorical Variation between Linguistics and Applied Linguistics. English Language Teaching, 6(2), 84-99. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n2p84 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n2p84
References
Gray, B. E. (2011). Exploring academic writing through corpus linguistics: When discipline tells only part of the story (Doctoral dissertation, Northern Arizona University).
Hyland, K. (1999). Academic attribution: Citation and the construction of disciplinary knowledge. Applied linguistics, 20(3), 341-367. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/20.3.341 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/20.3.341
Hyland, K. (2014). Activity and evaluation: Reporting practices in academic writing. In Academic discourse (pp. 125-140). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315838069-15
Mansourizadeh, K., & Ahmad, U. K. (2011). Citation practices among non-native expert and novice scientific writers. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 10(3), 152-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2011.03.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2011.03.004
Mapako, F. P. (2013) The art of attribution in academic writing at university level: A case study of Great Zimbabwe University.
Thompson, G., & Yiyun, Y. (1991). Evaluation in the reporting verbs used in academic papers. Applied linguistics, 12(4), 365-382. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/12.4.365 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/12.4.365
Loan, N. T. T., & Pramoolsook, I. (2015). Citation in Vietnamese TESOL: Analysis of master’s thesis introduction chapters. The Asian ESP Journal, 2(1), 95-120.
Petrić, B. (2007). Rhetorical functions of citations in high-and low-rated master's theses. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 6(3), 238-253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2007.09.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2007.09.002
Samraj, B. (2013). Form and function of citations in discussion sections of master's theses and research articles. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 12(4), 299-310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2013.09.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2013.09.001
Loan, N. T. T., & Pramoolsook, I. (2015). Reporting Verbs in Literature Review Chapters of Tesol Master’s Theses Written by Vietnamese Postgraduates. ESP TODAY-JOURNAL OF ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES AT TERTIARY LEVEL, 3(2), 196-215.
Xie, J. (2016). Direct or indirect? Critical or uncritical? Evaluation in Chinese English-major MA thesis literature reviews. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 23, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2016.05.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2016.05.001
Williams, I. A. (1996). A contextual study of lexical verbs in two types of medical research report: clinical and experimental. English for Specific Purposes, 15(3), 175-197. https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(96)00010-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(96)00010-5
Loan, N. T. T. Reporting Verbs in TESOL Master’s Theses Written by Vietnamese Postgraduate Students.
Santos, J. A. L. (2018). On Political Science Students’ Academic Prose: Reporting Verbs in the Undergraduate Thesis Literature Review. Veridian E-Journal, Silpakorn University (Humanities, Social Sciences and arts), 11(5), 248-259.
Swales, J. M. (2014). Variation in citational practice in a corpus of student biology papers: From parenthetical plonking to intertextual storytelling. Written Communication, 31(1), 118-141. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088 313515166 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088313515166
Gol, A. K., Hezareh, B. G., & Soghondikolaei, E. M. (2014). A contrastive study of rhetorical functions of citation in Iranian and international ELT Scopus journals. Linguistics and Literature Studies, 2(6), 155-165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13189/lls.2014.020601
Hu, G., & Wang, G. (2014). Disciplinary and ethnolinguistic influences on citation in research articles. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 14, 14-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2013.11.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2013.11.001
Sawaki, T. (2014). On the function of stance-neutral formulations: Apparent neutrality as a powerful stance constructing resource. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 16, 81-92. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.jeap.2014.10.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2014.10.001
Doró, K. (2014). Citation practices in EFL undergraduate theses: a focus on reporting verbs. UPRT 2013: Empirical Studies in English Applied Linguistics, 32.
Olohan, M., & Baker, M. (2000). Reporting that in translated English. Evidence for subconscious processes of explicitation?. Across languages and cultures, 1(2), 141-158. https://doi.org/10.1556/Acr.1.2000.2.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1556/Acr.1.2000.2.1
Suntara, W., & Usaha, S. (2013). Research Article Abstracts in Two Related Disciplines: Rhetorical Variation between Linguistics and Applied Linguistics. English Language Teaching, 6(2), 84-99. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n2p84 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n2p84