Lexico-Grammatical Patterns in English Scientific Abstracts: presenting the research’s purposes and results

1. ELC 2010 Lexico-Grammatical Patternsin English Scientific Abstracts: presenting the research’s purposes and results Arnaldo Candido Jr. Sandra Aluísio ICMC / NILC Carmen Dayrell Stella Tagnin DLM

2. English for Academic Purposes Context • Academic communication poses real challenges for novice researchers(Hyland 2009:ix) • Demands are heavier for non-native speakers of English(Hyland 2009:5, Milton and Hyland 1999, Vold 2006) Difficulties relate to: • lexical and syntactical features of the target genre • rhetorical motivations behind linguistic choices • Disciplinary variation • Cultural differences across languages

3. Local Context Context • Courses on English academic writing • Writing tools for non-native speakers of English Assist graduate students to write scientific papers in English

4. Courses on English Academic Writing Context 2004 to 2010 • USP • Department of Physics (IFSC) • Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FCF) • Department of Computer Science (ICMC) • UNESP • IBILCE Dentistry and Biology/Genetics • UFSCar • Department of Biology/Genetics

5. Writing tools: Scipo-Farmácia(http://www.nilc.icmc.usp.br/scipo-farmacia/) Context Abstracts Gap

6. Writing tools: Scipo-Farmácia(http://www.nilc.icmc.usp.br/scipo-farmacia/) Context Examples from published abstracts

7. Why Abstracts? Context Relevant in various academic contexts However …(Swales & Feak 2009: xiii) Constructing an efficient, clear abstract is a fairly difficult task, even for experienced and widely published writers In Brazil: Abstracts are part of most research papers written in Portuguese as well as PhD and master’s dissertations

8. General Objective Purpose Investigate the potential differences between English abstracts written by Brazilian graduate students vis-à-vis abstracts taken from publishedpapers from the same disciplines

9. Aim of this study Purpose To investigate the recurring lexico-grammatical patterns used for presenting either the purposes or results of the research

10. Rhetorical ‘moves’ in abstracts Purpose Swales and Feak (2009: 5)  

11. Lexico-grammatical patterns Purpose TheAIM of this STUDY the the present study work investigation article research project paper aim purpose objective goal aims objectives purposes

12. Student Abstracts Corpora Physical Sciences and Engineering Life and Health Sciences ST-EXA ST-BIO 169 abstracts 34,131 tokens 169 abstracts 34,131 tokens

13. Student Abstracts Corpora Physical Sciences and Engineering Life and Health Sciences ST-BIO 169 abstracts 34,131 tokens 169 abstracts 34,131 tokens

14. English Abstracts Corpora Physical Sciences and Engineering Life and Health Sciences ST-BIO 169 abstracts 34,131 tokens 169 abstracts 34,131 tokens

15. Published Abstracts Corpora Physical Sciences and Engineering Life and Health Sciences PB-BIO PB-EXA 169 abstracts 34,131 tokens 169 abstracts 34,131 tokens

16. Published Abstracts Corpora • Taken from papers published by various leading academic journals (CAPES - QUALIS A) • Preference given to authors affiliated to universities in English speaking countries 169 abstracts 34,131 tokens 169 abstracts 34,131 tokens

17. Methodology Methods • Identification of rhetorical moves • Identification and comparison of lexico-grammatical patterns in ‘purposes’ and ‘results’

18. 1. Identifying Rhetorical Moves Methods • Automatic tagging AZEA (Argumentative Zoning for English Abstracts) (Genovês et al. 2007) • a corpus-based machine learning system • PURPOSE: to automatically identify components of the schematic structure of scientific abstracts in English  • AZEA achieved 80.4% accuracy (kappa 0.73) using a very small training corpus

19. AZEA’s features Methods Basic Features 1. Sentence Length 2. Position within the abstract 3-5. Verb Tense, Voice and Modal 6. Previous Component 7-8. Formulaic patterns 14 additional features to distinguish between Results and Methods and improve accuracy

20. Azea-Webhttp://www.nilc.icmc.usp.br/azea-web/ Methods

21. Azea-Webhttp://www.nilc.icmc.usp.br/azea-web/ Methods

22. 1a. AZEA tagging Methods <purpose> We propose a Local-Density approximation to calculate the entanglement entropy of the inhomogeneous one-dimensional Hubbard model. </purpose> <background> Such inhomogeneity can be due to the finite size, the presence of impurities, or the periodic variation of the interaction and the external potential, as in superlattices. </background> <purpose> We show that, to inhomogeneities due to finite size, our approximation reproduces the know thermodynamic limit and also the limit of the entanglement entropy in n=1, obtained by Cardy and Calabrese. </purpose>

23. 1b. Manual Validation Methods <purpose> We propose a Local-Density approximation to calculate the entanglement entropy of the inhomogeneous one-dimensional Hubbard model. </purpose> <background> Such inhomogeneity can be due to the finite size, the presence of impurities, or the periodic variation of the interaction and the external potential, as in superlattices. </background> <result> We show that, to inhomogeneities due to finite size, our approximation reproduces the know thermodynamic limit and also the limit of the entanglement entropy in n=1, obtained by Cardy and Calabrese. </result> 

24. Manual Tagging: Correcting sentence break Methods <purpose> We find aRb/aNa=1.959(5), </purpose><background> aK/aNa =1.786(6), </background><purpose> and aRb/aK=1.097(5). </purpose> <result>We find aRb/aNa=1.959(5), aK/aNa =1.786(6), and aRb/aK=1.097 (5). </result>

25. Manual Tagging: multi-labels <purpose> Using whole-cell rapid-agonist application techniques and the cell-attached single-channel recording configuration, we examined human 5-HT3A(QDA) receptors expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells . </purpose> Methods <method> Using whole-cell rapid-agonist application techniques and the cell-attached single-channel recording configuration, </method><purpose> we examined human 5-HT3A(QDA) receptors expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells . </purpose>

26. Lexico-grammatical patterns Methods • Semi-automatic identification of patterns: WordsmithTools5(Scott 2007) • Starting point: Most frequent items and cluster in each corpus • Analysis of the surrounding context • Patterns should occur at least once per 10,000 words in either corpus • Comparison of frequencies Statistical test of significance

27. Overall … Results Significant differences: • Between student and published abstracts • Across the two broad areas

28. PURPOSE:Life and Health Sciences (BIO) Results The AIM of this STUDY the present the our study work review paper aim objective purpose aims objectives aim purpose objective goal aims Objectives purposes intent study work Investigation Article Project Research Clinical trial paper

29. PURPOSE:Life and Health Sciences (BIO) Results (In this STUDY), we VERB (the/a) INVESTIGATE EXAMINE REPORT PROPOSE TEST HYPOTHESIZE DESCRIBE PRESENT SEEK TO ANALYSE EVALUATE DEMONSTRATE … REPORT DESCRIBE INVESTIGATE SHOW ANALYSE EVALUATE DETERMINE …

30. PURPOSE:Physical Sciences and Engineering (EXA) Results • The AIM of this STUDY • This STUDYVERB • (In this STUDY), we VERB (the/a)

31. RESULTS: Results 1. Results VERB (that/the) e.g. The results show that 2. we VERB (that/the) e.g. we found that

32. Main Contributions Contributions • Pedagogic applications • Syllabus • Teaching material • Development of writing tools

33. Pedagogic applications Contributions Overuse and underuse • Patterns • Results VERB (that/the) • BE PARTICIPLE to VERB (e.g.was found to be) • Items within patterns It BE observed that XIt BE shown/found that

34. Writing Tools: AZEA Contributions Manual validation AZEA++ New features to be considered: • Lexico-grammatical patterns • Multi-labels • Disciplinary variations

35. Writing Tools Future Work Physical Sciences and Engineering Life and Health Sciences

36. ELC 2010 Thank you!