Research Papers: A deep analysis into abstracts

Research Papers: A deep analysis into abstracts

Abstracts are often used in Research Papers (RP) to help the readers quickly ascertain the paper´s purpose. As Swales and Feak (1994) state “readers of academic journals employ a vast amount of skimming and scanning. If they like your abstract, they may read your paper, or at least part of it” (p. 210). Therefore, it seems important that abstracts attract the readers' attention so that they would be interested in it and continue reading it. The purpose of this paper is to compare four abstracts, two that belong to the educational field: Almerich, Suárez, Orellana, Belloch, Bo, & Gastaldo’s , 2005; King’s, 2002 and two pertaining to the medicine field: Beckett, Peters, Fletcher, Straessen, Liu, Dumitrascu, Stoyanovsky, Antikainen, Nikitin, Anderson, Belhani, Forette, Rajkumar, Tijs, Banya, & Bulpitt’s, 2008; Wijeysundera, Beattie, Elliot, Austin, Hux, & Laupacis’s, 2010, and analyse their characteristics following the principles set by APA (American Psychological Association).

When analyzing abstract types, Swales and Feak (1994) propose that “abstracts will be either informative or indicative (…) Most RP abstracts should aim to be informative (i.e., they should include the main findings)” (p. 211). A close reading of the aforementioned abstracts seems to indicate that the articles which belong to the field of medicine are informative. Wijeysundera et al.’s (2010) and Beckett et al.’s (2008) articles both show their main findings in the conclusions stated in their abstracts. Wijeysundera et al. (Ibid) conclude, “Preoperative non-invasive cardiac stress testing is associated with improved one year survival and length of hospital stay in patients undergoing elective intermediate to high risk non-cardiac surgery” (Abstract). Information about their main findings is also present in Beckett et al. (Ibid), “The results provide evidence that antihypertensive treatment with indapamide (…) in persons 80 years of age or older is beneficial” (Abstract). Conversely, King’s (2002) Research Paper (RP) seems to be an indicative abstract, since it does not provide the results of the research findings. However, it does not seem possible to generalise that all the articles that belong to the educational field are indicative, since Almerich et al.’s (2005) abstract appears to be informative as it states, “The results obtained by means of ANOVA model, indicate that the variable gender is the one that most influences in the knowledge of faculty’s technological resources, while age and type of educational institution present smaller influence” (Abstract).

Concerning structure, Swales (1990) states that articles can be either structured or unstructured depending on their organizational format. The abstracts on medicine show a structured organization as they contain subheadings and follow the IMRAD (Introduction – Methods – Results- And – Discussions) Formula. As far as the articles on education are concerned, their abstracts are unstructured, since they consist of one long, unbroken paragraph. Abstract length and organization vary according to discipline. Therefore, it seems that those articles which belong to the educational field tend to present unstructured abstracts whereas those papers that belong to the field of medicine tend to present structured abstracts. The main reason for this appears to be that scientific papers need to produce more specific information related to the experiments they have carried out.

Some similarities as well as differences have been found as regards the linguistics features of abstracts. Full sentences are used in the four selected abstracts. The researchers of the medicine field make use of past tenses in the methods and results subheadings and are used to refer to findings, variables and tests. Some examples of this include: “11.8 had a history of cardiovascular disease...” (Beckett et al., 2008, Abstract) “Of the 271082 patients in the entire cohort, 23999 (8.9%) underwent stress testing.” (Wijeysundera et al., 2010, Abstract). Present tenses are also used in the abstracts but to refer to conclusions: “The results provide evidence that .....” (Beckett et al., Ibid). According to Swales and Feak (1994), “Choosing the present tense (…) can produce an effect of liveliness and contemporary relevance” (p. 213). Moreover, the use of impersonal passive is a characteristic of the four abstracts since the researchers´ purpose is not to emphasize the doer of the action but the effects of it instead.

When writing RP abstracts, Swales and Feak (1994) claim that there are two approaches. On the one hand, they describe those abstracts that are “results-driven” and therefore, focus on the research findings, and on the other, they describe the “RP summary” abstract. The latter consists of “one- or two-sentence synopses of each of the four sections” (p. 211). Taking into account this classification, it could be contended that none of the abstracts which are being analysed in the present paper are “results-driven.” Nonetheless, the only abstracts which seem to provide a summary of each section of the RP and therefore, could be considered “RP summary” abstracts are those related to medicine and Almerich et al.’s (2005) paper. Even though King’s (2002) RP abstract summarises the characteristics of the research and the purpose of her paper and additionally, provides suggestions, there is no information neither related to the results obtained nor the conclusions reached. In consequence, King’s paper does not seem to have neither “results-driven” nor an “RP summary” abstract.

In conclusion, it seems that abstracts that belong to the medicine field tend to share certain characteristics such us the presentation of information about the participants, methods, results and conclusions reached. Therefore, the layout of medicine abstracts seems to be structured, i.e. organised under specific subheadings. On the other hand, educational abstracts do not seem to follow a special pattern. Whereas some abstracts are structured, such us Almerich et al.’s (2005), other abstracts are unstructured and consist of an unbroken paragraph, for instance, King’s (2002) abstract. Consequently, it appears that in the educational field, researchers have more freedom as regards what information to include.

An analysis into results, discussions and conclusions of research arcticles

Claiming centrality: An analysis into results, discussions and conclusions of research articles

Research articles provide a method for researchers to communicate the characteristics and results of a certain investigation. Typically, researchers use a standard format to organize and present the information. This format comprises: a title, an abstract, an introduction, a literature review, information about the methods used in the research, the results obtained, a discussion of the implications and limitations of the results, a conclusion, references and occasionally, appendixes. However, some research articles do not follow the same format. The purpose of this paper is to compare two research articles (RA), one in the educational field (Reupert, Hemming & Connors, 2010), and the other one, in the medicine field (Warmerdam, van Straten, Twisk, Riper & Cuijpers, 2008), and analyze their results, discussion and conclusion sections.

When analyzing the results section of a RA, it could be concluded that researchers tend to describe and compare the results obtained without interpreting their meanings. As Swales (1998) states, “the results section should summarize the data with text, tables, and/or figures. Researchers do not present the raw data they collected but they use the text to state the results of their study” (as cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010, p. 18). After a deep analysis into the research articles mentioned in the introduction, it could be contended that the authors seem to comply with Swales’ (Ibid) statement. For instance, Warmerdam et al.’s (2008) results section presents statistical information but does not offer any interpretation of the results. “Attrition rates for the full sample were 30% (n =  79) at the 5-week assessment, 34% (n = 90) at 8 weeks, and 43% at 12 weeks (n = 112)” (Results, para. 1). Similarly, Reupert, et al. (2010) seem to have followed the same rule. As they state, “All the lecturers interviewed unreservedly identified themselves as inclusive educators within a tertiary setting” (Self-image as an inclusive educator, para. 1).

As far as similarities are concerned, the results sections of both articles have been described in the past tense. Some examples of this include: “No differences were found in quality of life scores between CBT [Cognitive Behavioural Therapy] and PST [Problem Solving Therapy] at each assessment” (Warmerdam, et al., 2008, Effects of the interventions, para. 3). And,  “The following themes and related sub-themes were identified (…)” (Reupert, et al., 2010, p. 124). Additionally, another similarity that could be drawn from both papers is that the data in the results sections is organized under different headings. Nevertheless, the use of tables and figures is a characteristic that differentiates the medicine article from the paper on education. Whereas Reupert, et al. present an explanation of the results obtained followed by examples, Warmerdam, et al. (2008) use tables, graphics of hierarchy and scatter plots to present specific data, statistical information and make comparisons. As regards the inclusion of figures and tables, Warmerdam, et al’s article seems to comply with the standards set by the American Psychological Association (APA), which asserts:

An informative table supplements –instead of duplicates- the text. In the text, refer to every table and tell the reader what to look for. (…) Each table should be an integral part of the text but also should be intelligible without reference to the text.  (APA, 2004, p. 154).

Moreover, every table in the medicine research paper is numbered and has an individual title, “positioned flush left with the table margin” (Pintos & Crimi, 2010, p. 23). Tables are referenced as follows: “Table 2 reports the estimated means ….” (Warmerdam, et al., 2008, Effects on Intervention, para. 1). As regards format, all the elements of the tables are double spaced and columns have a corresponding heading and report comparable values down all rows. Notes, which are in smaller font, are used to explain a particular item in the table: “Note: data is presented as a n (%) of participants unless otherwise indicated” as specified in Warmerdam, et. al. (Ibid).

According to Swales and Feak (1994), it is commonly believed that the results section of a research paper should concentrate exclusively on the present results. However, they claim that “research shows that [the] distinction between Results and Discussion is not as sharp as commonly believed” (p.170). With regard to the discussion section, there seem to be differences between both articles. On the one hand, the paper on medicine shows the discussion separately from the conclusion whereas in the article on education the conclusions are included in the discussion section. As characterized in Pintos and Crimi (2010), “Discussions can be written in isolation or together with the conclusions” (p.20).

As regards the use of modals in the discussion sections, “might” “may” and “could” are included in both papers to show possibility. Warmerdam, et al., (2008) make use of “may” when explaining the results of their study: “ the results may not apply to all depressed people” (Limitations, para. 2). The use of “could” is seen on the paper on education: “Another reason could be a lack of time for lecturers to collaborate with disability supports” (Reupert, et al., 2010, p. 130). Concerning the past literature, the researchers of both articles compare it to the present outcomes. But whereas Reupert, et al. integrate the reference to previous literature with the general discussion,  “This result is similar to other studies of lecturers in social work faculties (Cole & Cin, 1996)” (p. 129); Warmerdam, et al. present the previous literature under the subheading Comparison with prior work. Similarly, Reupert, et al. discuss the limitations of their research in the last paragraph of their discussion section by stating “An obvious limitation of the current study is that the views and practices of the interviewees could not be verified” (p.130). Conversely, Warmerdam, et al. describe the limitations of their research under the heading Limitations. By and large, the writers of both papers use the discussion section to make reference to the aim of the study: “The results from the present study show that the Internet-based CBT and Internet-based PST are both effective….” (Warmerdam, et. al., 2008, Principal Results, para. 1). “All the lecturers in this study identified themselves as inclusive educators …” (Reupert, et al., 2010, p. 129).

All in all, the conclusion section is used by the researchers to provide a reflection on their work, alluding to points mentioned in the introduction. The main difference found in both articles seems to be that whereas the paper on education does not present a conclusion section, the paper on medicine does. Nonetheless, the conclusion given in the latter is only two sentences long, which seems to indicate that most of the information has already been covered by the other sections in the paper. The results, discussion and conclusion sections analyzed in the research articles of this paper appear to show similarities as regards “the researcher’s ability to summarize, show a problem and its solution, evaluate the solution, present arguments and convince the readers that his/her conclusions are of utmost importance” (Pintos & Crimi, 2010, p.21).

Analysis of Research Articles

A deep analysis into research articles

A research article illustrates an outcome of a certain investigation through which the researcher communicates new findings about a certain topic. Research articles are “composed of several parts: title, abstract, acknowledgements, introduction, literature review, methods, results, discussions, recommendations, references and appendixes (cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2011, p.27). The purpose of this paper is to compare two research articles, one in the educational field by Reupert, Hemming & Connors (2010) , and one in the medicine field by Anderson Bill ES, Winnet AR, Wojcik JR & Winnet SG (2010) and analyze their introduction, literature reviews and methods.

As far as the introduction is concerned, the writers of both articles use similar organizational patterns to introduce their papers. Three moves are clearly distinguished. Reupert, Hemming & Connors (2010) include the literature review in the first move as three different sources are mentioned  in the first paragraph. The same writers also include a shot summary before the introduction, a characteristic that differentiates this paper from the one in the medicine field. Reupert, Hemming & Connors (2010) use the present tense to review previous research:  “ …. there are lectures within universities who teach inclusive education…” (p. 120). As regards Anderson Bill ES, Winnet AR, Wojcik JR & Winnet SG´s article (2010), the present perfect tense is used in the first move to refer to what has been done “Randomized control trials of Internet-based intervention have largely been produced….” (p. 2).

 Concerning the second move, the use of negative openings or connectors is clearly seen in both papers: “Despite these potential levels of support, numerous barriers exist for students ….” (as cited in Reupert, Hemming & Connors , 2010, p. 121). “ It´s not clear, however, how such inventions, implemented over a longer period and entirely online with no face-to-face contact…. might influence behavior” (Anderson Bill ES, Winnet AR, Wojcik JR & Winnet SG , 2010, p. 2).

The last move, occupying the niche, is used by researchers of both fields to outline their purposes. Purposive and descriptive statements are included:  “this study will explore….” “ In this study we investigate….” (cited in Reupert, Hemming & Connors , 2010, p. 121); “The purpose of the current study was to …..” (Anderson Bill ES, Winnet AR, Wojcik JR & Winnet SG , 2010, p. 3). The researchers of the article on the educational field use the heading                              “ Research Goal” to describe the present study using the past tense.

As far as the Methods section is concerned,  the heading is properly centered and some differences as regards organization can be found in the articles. Even though the researchers of both articles organize the section under different headings, Reupert, Hemming & Connors  (2010) include a “theoretical framework” where they specify the method employed by the use of past passive. “Within an interpretative research paradigm, a qualitative approach to data collection was employed” (Reupert, Hemming & Connors , 2010, p.123). Concerning the materials used, they are more clearly detailed in the article about education “semi-structured interviews were conducted “ (Reupert, Hemming & Connors , 2010, p. 123). The headings, except from the word Methods, are typed at the left margin.

Taking the “Recruitment and Participants” section into account, the researchers of both articles describe details with sample size and selection “The total number of participants as nine” (Reupert, Hemming & Connors , 2010, p.123) “..of 665 randomly assigned participants, 199 quickly withdrew…” (Anderson Bill ES, Winnet AR, Wojcik JR & Winnet SG , 2010, p.3).

The procedures are described differently in both research articles. In the educational article the procedures are specified under two different headings: ”Interviews” and “Data Analysis”. In the article about medicine the procedure is even more detailed under headings such as “The WB-GTH Intervention “Measures” “PA and Body Weight” and “Statistical Analysis”. As regards verb tenses, Reupert, Hemming & Connors (2010) use the past passive “Potential participants were invited…” (p.123). Anderson Bill ES, Winnet AR, Wojcik JR & Winnet SG (2010) use the past simple “participants logged in…” (p. 3). A similarity can be found in both articles as the researchers make the method section feel slow paced and they use repeated terminology related to the specific field. The words “education” and “teaching” are constantly repeated in the article about education and “Internet Users” “Dietary Habits”and “Physical Activity” are read many times in the article about medicine.

After a deep analysis into the research articles of the two different fields, more similarities than differences can be found. The papers are organized in such a way that provokes an impact on the readers, attracting their attention. “Just as plants compete for light and space, so writers of RPs compete for acceptance and recognition”.(Swales and Feak, 1994, p.174 as cited in Pintos and Crimi ,2010, p. 27).