The medical research paper: Structure and functions

Abstract
Studies into the organization of information in the medical research paper have tended
to present accounts of the structure of information in sections in isolation. The
structure of information in all sections of the medical research paper was investigated
using Swales' (1981, 1990) genre-analysis model. An eleven-move schema was
identified, out of which nine were found to be “normally required” and two
“optional”. Each schema was found to embody “constituent elements” and to be
characterized by distinct linguistic features. The study provides insights into the
nature of discourse organization in this genre of written discourse.