Variation and Text Structure

Abstract

Abstract This paper is an attempt to use genre analysis to explore the sources of variation in the structure of texts produced within academic communities. The “move” structure of the Discussion Sections of 43 recent articles in agricultural economics journals sponsored by national professional associations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and India was analyzed. The frequency and distribution of moves and the degree of structural complexity of these texts was examined. It was noted that these texts showed distinct preferences for certain moves although there was some variation within the subdiscipline. One noticeable feature was that texts from the Indian journal were much less complex that the others. It is suggested that variation in academic text structure reflects economic, social and cultural pressures and constraints and that competitive publishing situations lead to the elaboration of texts.