Wei Qingqing’s research while affiliated with Chongqing University and other places

This paper presents an analysis of research article introductions from two disciplines in the field of Computer Science and Technology, i.e. Computer Information Security and Computer Languages, using Swales' (1990) Create-A-Research-Space (CARS) model. The results of the analysis indicate that there is disciplinary variation in the structure of this genre, which has important implications on pedagogy. The results also show that although the CARS model adequately describes the main framework of the introductions, a greater degree of embedding is needed in this model to account for the structures found in the introductions analyzed. Based on the results of the analysis, a modified version of the CARS model is presented in the concluding section.

Researchers have conducted numerous explorations on the disciplinary variation in academic writing. However, those studies are carried out for the most part by comparing a particular genre, such as the research article (RA), across different disciplines. Genre theorists have not systematically studied relationships among related genres. By studying relationships among related genres from different disciplines, this article aims to reveal the differences in academic writing across disciplines. The generic structure of research article introductions and abstracts, which form a genre set, from two different fields, Computer Information Security and Computer Programs and Languages of Computer Science and Technology, was compared. Findings indicate that research article introductions and abstracts in Computer Information Security are more similar in function and organization than the same two genres in Computer Programs and Languages. This study shows that disciplinary variation in academic writing is not just manifested in generic structure but also in the relationship among genres.