A contrastive genre analysis of introductory sections of research articles in the Social Sciences and Humanities

Abstract

The introductory section of research articles (RAs) is an important component of scholarly writing since it takes readers on the research journey. It presents the research aims, defines the research questions, and informs the methodology, and thus it is paramount in establishing the stage for the paper. This research compares the introductions in RAs in the social sciences and humanities based on a contrastive genre analysis perspective. Swales' Create a Research Space (CARS) model was used to analyze 100 articles, 50 each in the two fields, based on random sampling. The results identify stark contrasts in rhetorical and linguistic characteristics between the two disciplines. Both have four primary moves, but their organization and wording differ. Social sciences articles usually start with a distinct problem statement, while humanities articles begin with contextual information. These findings highlight the importance of discipline-specific writing habits, assisting scholars to fulfill audience demands and improve the impact of their work.