Sometimes getting through the introduction of a research article can be the most difficult part of
reading it. In his CARS model, Swales describes three “moves” that almost all research
introductions make. We're providing a summary of Swales's model here as a kind of shorthand to
help you in both reading research articles and writing them. Identifying these moves in
introductions to the articles you read in this book will help you understand the authors' projects
better from the outset. When you write your own papers, making the same moves yourself will
help you present your own arguments clearly and convincingly.
Move 1: Establishing a Territory In this move, the author sets the context for his or her research,
providing necessary background on the topic. This move includes one or more of the following
steps:
Step 1: Claiming Centrality The author asks the discourse community (the audience for the
paper) to accept that the research about to be reported is part of a lively, significant, or well
established research area. To claim centrality the author might write:
"Recently there has been a spate of interest in ..."
"Knowledge of X has great importance for ..."
This step is used widely across the academic disciphnes, though less in the physical sciences than
in the social sciences and the humanities.
Step 2: Making Topic Generalizations The author makes statements about current knowledge,
practices, or phenomena in the field. For example:
"The properties of X are still not completely understood."
"X is a common finding in patients with ..."
Step 3: Reviewing Previous Items of Research The author relates what has been found on the
topic and who found it. For example:
"Both Johnson and Morgan claim that the biographical facts have been misrepresented."
"Several studies have suggested that. .. (Gordon, 2003; Ratzinger, 2009)."
"Reading to children early and often seems to have a positive long-term correlation with grades
in English courses (Jones, 2002; Strong, 2009)."
In citing the research of others, the author may use integral citation (citing the author's name in
the sentence, as in the first example above) or non-integral citation (citing the author's name in
parentheses only, as in the second and third examples above). The use of different types of verbs
(e.g., reporting verbs such as "shows" or "claims") and verb tenses (past, present perfect, or
present) varies across disciplines.
Move 2: Establishing a Niche In this move, the author argues that there is an open "niche" in the
existing research, a space that needs to be filled through additional research. The author can
estabhsh a niche in one of four ways:
Counter-claiming: The author refutes or challenges earlier research by making a counter-claim.
For example: "While Jones and Riley believe X method to be accurate, a close examination
demonstrates their method to be flawed."
Indicating a Cap: The author demonstrates that earlier research does not sufficiently address all
existing questions or problems. For example: "While existing studies have clearly established X,
they have not addressed Y."
Question-raising: The author asks questions about previous research, suggesting that additional
research needs to be done. For example: "While Jones and Morgan have established X, these
findings raise a number of questions, including…”
Continuing a Tradition: The author presents the research as a useful extension of existing
research. For example: "Earlier studies seemed to suggest X. To verify this finding, more work is
urgently needed."
Move 3: Occupying a Niche In this move, the author turns the niche established in Move 2 into
the research space that he or she will fill; that is, the author demonstrates how he or she will
substantiate the counter-claim made, fill the gap identified, answer the question(s) asked, or
continue the research tradition. The author makes this move in several steps, described below.
The initial step (1A or IB) is obligatory, though many research articles stop after that step.
Step 1A: Outlining Purposes The author indicates the main purpose(s) of the current article. For
example: "In this article, I argue ..."
"The present research tries to clarify ..."
Step IB; Announcing Present Researcli The author describes the research in the current article.
For example: "This paper describes three separate studies conducted between March 2008 and
January 2009."
Step 2; Announcing Principal Findings The author presents the main conclusions of his or her
research. For example: "The results of the study suggest..."
"When we examined X, we discovered ..."
Step 3: Indicating the Structure of the Research Article The author previews the organization of
the article. For example: "This paper is structured as follows ..."
