A GENRE-FOCUSED ANALYSIS OF SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACTS IN THE FIELD OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
A GENRE-FOCUSED ANALYSIS OF SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACTS IN THE FIELD OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Summary/Abstract: A Genre-Focused Analysis of Scientific Abstracts in the Field of Veterinary Medicine. This paper explores genre analysis and its reflection on the discourse surrounding ESP texts while identifying prevalent rhetorical structures in scientific abstracts. Objectivity, formality, and precision remain the key features of academic writing, accounting for it being a reliable source for learning and understanding. In the world of research and scientific communication, paper abstracts represent the quintessential excerpts that guide readers through the debated topic, its relevance, and main findings, arousing (or not) professional interest and curiosity. Hence, researchers must understand the structure of the rhetorical moves and organisation regarding this first text frontier. The present study explored the move-step framework in a corpus comprising 90 scientific paper abstracts from six prestigious journals indexed by Clarivate Analytics in the field of veterinary medicine, focusing on the most common patterns employed. The results revealed that the most commonly used rhetoric pattern, almost canonical for the texture of scientific writing, follows Hyland’s five-move pattern - Introduction [I]-Purpose [P]-Method [M]-Results [R], followed by Conclusions/Discussions [C], which complements some of the abstracts. Although the study identified nuances, most research article abstracts pay tribute to the I-P-M-R move-step structure, scientific rigor, and a constant search for highlighting the most relevant data. Furthermore, an enduring, almost predictable concern for the importance of Results [R] detaches itself as one of this paper’s findings. Limitations and possible avenues for future research are highlighted to ensure that the selected abstract structure effectively enhances the study's visibility.

• Details
• Contents