A study of section headings in computing, robotics and telecommunications research articles

Abstract

In this study we analyse section headings and subheadings of 40 research articles (RAs) in the fields of computing, robotics and telecommunications to identify their macro-structure. Our findings reveal that the standard Introduction-Method-Results-Discussion (IMRD) model described by Swales (1990) as the prototypical structure of the RA cannot account for all the specific choices regarding organization and headings of individual RAs. Scientific writers split the information into a variable number of sections and subsections and combine generic headings with unconventional ones. Generic and partially generic section headings and subheadings help the reader understand the way the writer presents and organizes contents. But when the terminology is topic-specific and does not indicate the rhetorical function of the sections, it is necessary to consult the abstract or the introduction and study the overall purpose of the RA to recognize its organizational pattern. However, a certain cyclical or symmetrical structure at the lexical and syntactic levels is usually kept in different sections.