For class on Tuesday we'll discuss the IMRaD format for organizing research papers. Please read the following texts on IMRAD as a format: The IMRAD Cheat Sheet from Carnegie Mellon University; " Improving the Writing of Research Papers: IMRAD and Beyond " by Jianguo Wu.
Social science research articles (and ethnographies are a form of social science research) generally include as well a section on the theory that informs the research. So, in a project like the one we're currently working on, the researcher might take some time to explain James Paul Gee's ideas about Discourses in that section. You might also look at "Learning to Serve" and the way Mirabelli covers new theories of literacy that are important to the claims he makes in his article.
As you read these two pieces, think about how this might look for a Discourse Community Ethnography. What information would be included in the introduction? What would go in the methods section?
Write out and bring with you to class
- an outline of your paper that redistributes the materials of your DCE into the sections of an IMRAD formatted paper (Intro, Method, Results, Discussion, with possibly a section on Theory between the Introduction and the Method section);
- responses to the following questions:
1. How would you relate the history of IMRAD that Wu provides to your knowledge of genres and their purpose?
2. How would you relate the IMRAD format to the concept of discourse communities?
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