Schematic Structure of Discussion of Results Sections in the Field of Dentistry: A Comparison of International and Local English-Medium Journals

Abstract:

This genre-based study investigates the schematic structure of the English discussion of results sections in international and local journals from the field of dentistry. The corpus comprised 26 discussion sections employing Basturkmen’s (2009, 2012) and Yang and Allison’s (2003) moves/steps as a point of departure for analysis. The findings showed that the writers of both groups of texts examined tended to draw on similar rhetorical moves pertinent to achieving the communicative function of the English discussion sections from this discipline. However, some minor differences were also observed at the step level. The findings obtained in the current study are useful particularly for novice non-native-English-speaking writers by facilitating their understanding of the schematic structure of discussion sections in this field, thereby raising their success opportunities in publishing their research articles in prestigious international journals. The study concludes with the limitations and implications of the findings as well as recommendations for future research.